StifleR
2.10
2.10
  • Start Here - StifleR 2.10
  • Introduction
    • StifleR Overview
      • The StifleR Solution
      • Managing Microsoft Data Transfer Services
    • Technical Overview
      • 2Pint BranchCache Administrator Guide
    • Features Overview
      • Control
      • Monitor
      • Automate
      • Other Features
      • StifleR Feature Details
    • Release Notes
  • Proof of Concept
    • Objectives and Prerequisites
    • Configure Microsoft Peer-to-Peer Components
    • Install and Configure StifleR
    • Testing and Validation
    • StifleR POC Quick Checklist
  • Planning
    • StifleR Server Considerations
    • StifleR Client Considerations
    • Firewall Ports
    • Permissions
    • Antivirus Exclusions
    • Network Topology
    • StifleR Generic Concepts
      • Client Leader Roles
        • Red Leader
        • Blue Leader
        • Green Leader
        • Examples of Leader Selection
      • Templates
      • Beacons
  • Installation
    • Overview
    • Server
      • StifleR Server Installation
      • StifleR Dashboard Installation
      • StifleR Beacon Installation
    • Client
      • StifleR Client Installation
      • Post Installation Checks
  • Configuration
    • Configuration Files
      • StifleR Server Configuration File
        • Using the AppSettings Override File
      • StifleR Client Configuration File
      • StifleR Dashboard Configuration File
    • Configuring BranchCache on Windows Server
    • Configuring Delivery Optimization
    • Configuring LEDBAT on CM DPs
    • Configuring a Beacon Server
    • Configuring StifleR SQL History
    • StifleR Network Locations
      • Automatic linking of Location, Network Groups and Networks
      • Network Topology Automation
      • Location Fields
        • Network Group Fields
          • Network Fields
    • StifleRulez.xml Configuration Guide
      • The Match – TypeData
        • When the Job Title Isn’t Suitable
        • ConfigMgr Specific Rules
      • The Setting - DownloadTypes
        • Delivery Optimization Jobs
      • Sample StifleRulez.xml
    • Securing StifleR Operations with SSL
      • Prerequisites
      • Using a Web Server Certificate
        • Requesting a Web Server Certificate
      • Using a Self-Signed Certificate
      • Preparing the StifleR Dashboard Web Site for SSL
      • Configuring StifleR to Use SSL
      • Finding the Certificate Thumbprint
    • StifleR Client Access Control Options
  • Operations
    • Dashboard
      • Overview & Navigation
        • Home Page
        • Traffic & Downloads
          • Transfers & Downloads
            • How to use query hosts search?
          • Running Sequences
          • Weekly Downloads Activity
          • History
        • Devices
          • Clients
            • Client Details
              • How to use an extended search?
          • Servers
          • StifleR Server
            • Templates Detail
        • Cache Management
        • System Resource Usage
        • Network Topology
          • Maps
          • Countries
          • Locations
            • Bandwidth Allocations and Locations
          • Network Groups
          • Networks
        • Reporting & Diagrams
    • Client Management & Remote Tools
      • Remote PowerShell Session
      • Remote Performance Counter
      • Remote WMI Browsing
      • Remote Event Log Viewer
      • Remote Netmon Session
    • Monitoring
      • StifleR server health
      • StifleR client health
      • BranchCache Testing and Monitoring
    • Maintenance tasks
    • Bandwidth Management and Allocation
      • Bandwidth Tuning Monitoring and Control
    • Backup and Recovery
      • Moving the StifleR Server Databases to a New Drive on the Same Server
    • Troubleshooting
      • StifleR Client Command Line Options
      • BranchCache across Subnets
    • StifleR WMI Provider
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On this page
  • Objectives
  • StifleR Server
  • Implementing Bandwidth Limiting Server Components
  • Manage Microsoft Peer-to-Peer Technologies: Background Intelligent Transfer Service and Delivery Optimization
  • Reporting & Visualization
  • Network Requirements
  • StifleR Dashboard
  • Deploy an Application or Intune App to a single client PC and monitor the download
  • Deploy the Same Application or Intune App to peers
  1. Proof of Concept

Testing and Validation

Objectives

The objective for the testing and validation phase of a POC can be summarized as such:

  • Manage and control traffic on all networks (subnets/locations) to be able to distribute software, and save bandwidth without a large server infrastructure at the same time not impacting business operations

  • Verify that your peer-to-peer traffic is working and are you offloading the network as intended including working with BITS/BranchCache, Delivery Optimization and LEDBAT.

  • Realtime visibility to identify what type of network traffic is creating bottlenecks and demonstrate that software distributions are being controlled and can be reconfigured immediately

StifleR Server

Implementing Bandwidth Limiting Server Components

Name
Description
Requirement / Benefit

Limits the number of concurrent downloads to a certain subnet (location)

Maximizes the P2P efficiency of built-in Microsoft P2P tech. Ensures a single download of content per location. Further leverages Microsoft Deduplication to reduce data transferred

Limit content transfers to the absolute minimum required

Limits the download speed to a fixed set of Kb/s per location

Ensures that business bandwidth is protected by allocating a set amount of bandwidth to content download traffic

Protect business bandwidth usage at all locations

Slow down, Increase, Pause, Restart or Kill all BITS download jobs

At busy times, or during emergencies – provides complete and instant control over all in-flight transfers

Flexible, reactive ability to control all content transfers

Manage Microsoft Peer-to-Peer Technologies: Background Intelligent Transfer Service and Delivery Optimization

Name
Description
Requirement / Benefit

Single Site Download

Enhances Microsoft BranchCache to enable multi-Subnet/Multi VLAN transfers

Limit content transfers to the absolute minimum required

Windows Store (WSfB)

Manage Windows Store and/or Windows Store For Business Downloads

Manage Delivery Optimization transfers regardless of source – while maintaining Bandwidth Limits

Microsoft Intune

Manage Content Downloads from Intune

Limit content transfers to the absolute minimum required

Windows Update / WUfB

Manage Content Downloads from Windows Update / Windows Update for Business

Limit content transfers to the absolute minimum required

Integrate with and Manage new Microsoft Bandwidth Management Technologies

Microsoft is implementing LEDBAT and CUBIC congestion control methods within Windows to facilitate Bandwidth Management within the Operating System

Use built-in technologies at no further cost where possible

Reporting & Visualization

Name
Description
Requirement / Benefit

Real time visibility

Dashboards providing a real-time tracking of all the above content transfers. Provide efficiency stats and highlight any issues

Single location to track & manage all types of download

Long term trend analysis

Optional recording of all data to a DB for analysis/data visualization/reporting/trending

Long term tracking of data transfers – can reduce Cloud storage/egress costs

Scripting Interface

Allow for customizations using an API or interface to automate items.

Complex scenarios

Deduplicated Cache Management

Store a copy of Windows Enterprise N media as well as Windows Enterprise media with minimum additional storage footprint

Reduced cache footprint

Pre-caching

Pre-cache content for future deployments

Build and/or deploy faster

Network Requirements

Name
Description
Requirement / Benefit

Network Topology

Ability to dynamically build the network topology.

The systems management team can see the full network dynamically without interaction with the network group

VLANs

Network team can add VLANs without notifying the endpoint management team and content is distributed inefficiently or causing outages

Auto-generation of networks

Auto Network Group Creation

Automatically create a new subnet / office location which may be unknown

The ability to create auto network groups within the dedicated tooling and not rely on external infrastructure or manual creation​

StifleR Dashboard

To view the activities of the StifleR Clients, open the StifleR Dashboard on the StifleR server by visiting the dashboard URL: http://StifleRserver/stiflerdashboard/

Deploy an Application or Intune App to a single client PC and monitor the download

In this step you will deploy and monitor, in real time, a deployment to a single client:

  • Target a single client system only with the required deployment created in the previous step. You can use an ‘As soon as Possible’ deployment schedule.

  • On the targeted test client perform a Client Policy Refresh to speed up the deployment.

  • Review the content transfer in the StifleR Dashboard.

Deploy the Same Application or Intune App to peers

In this step you will deploy and monitor a deployment to peers:

  • Target two or more clients on the same subnet with the same Application or Intune App deployment.

  • Target other clients on a separate subnet with the same Application or Intune App deployment.

  • Review the content transfers in the StifleR Dashboard.

PreviousInstall and Configure StifleRNextStifleR POC Quick Checklist

Last updated 9 months ago

There won’t be much in the way of traffic data yet, but you should be able to see the clients that were added in the previous steps. Drill down the section of the dashboard to see the clients which have checked in. Once you have confirmed that the clients have connected to the dashboard we can move on.

Clients