Configuring QoS Policies

To configure QoS using Group Policy, edit the Computer Configuration\Windows Settings\ Policy-based QoS node or the User Configuration\Windows Settings\Policy-based QoS node. Then, follow these steps:

1. Right-click the Policy-based QoS node and click Create New Policy.
2. The Policy-based QoS Wizard appears. On the Create A QoS Policy page, specify a name for the policy. Then, specify a DSCP value (which your network infrastructure can use to prioritize traffic) and a throttle rate (which Windows will use to restrict outgoing bandwidth usage) as needed. Click Next.
   Note Notice that the throttle rate must be entered in kilobytes per second (KBps) or megabytes per second (MBps) rather than the more commonly used kilobits per second (Kbps) or megabits per second (Mbps)-notice the lowercase b. Eight bits equal one byte. Therefore, if you determine the Kbps or Mbps at which you want to throttle, divide that number by 8 when typing it into the Policy-based QoS Wizard. For example, if you want to throttle at 128 Kbps, you type 16 KBps.
3. On the This QoS Policy Applies To page, select one of the following options: All Applications, Only Applications With This Executable Name, or Only HTTP Server Applications Responding To Requests For This URL. If you are specifying an application, Windows will apply the DSCP value or throttle rate to network traffic generated by that application. To identify the executable file used by a service, use the Services snap-in to check the service properties. If you are specifying a URL, keep in mind that you must specify the URL on the Web server, not on the client computer. Click Next.
4. On the Specify The Source And Destination IP Addresses page, you can configure the policy to apply to traffic between any two computers. Use network prefix length representation to specify networks-for example, specify 192.168.1.0/24 to indicate the entire 192.168.1.x network or 192.168.0.0/16 to indicate the entire 192.168.x.x network. For example, if you want to configure a QoS policy that applies a DSCP value for traffic sent to your e-mail server, you can select Only For The Following Destination IP Address Or Prefix and then type the e-mail server's IP address. (IPv4 and IPv6 addresses will both work.) Click Next.
   Note QoS policies apply only to outgoing traffic, so the computer to which you're applying the policy will always be identified by the source address, and the remote computer or network will always be identified by the destination address.
5. On the Specify The Protocol And Port Numbers page, you can prioritize traffic based on TCP or UDP port numbers. For example, if you want to throttle all outgoing Web requests, you can select TCP, select To This Destination Port Number Or Range, and then specify port 80. (The HTTP protocol uses TCP port 80.) Click Finish.

Windows applies QoS policies only for domain network location types. Therefore, if a user connects to a wireless network at a coffee shop (and your domain controller cannot be contacted), Windows will not apply your QoS policies. However, if the user then connects to your internal network using a VPN, Windows will apply QoS policies to that VPN connection.