Bandwidth refers to the amount of data that is transferred and received within a given interval of time over a communication link between a computer and the network. When using the Internet as a wide area network (WAN) to connect remote users and computers, you need to understand your WAN bandwidth requirements. This need holds true whether you are the network administrator of a business running a private Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) network (that is, an intranet), a small World Wide Web content provider, or an Internet service provider (ISP).
This chapter provides information about optimizing your bandwidth requirements using the telecommunication and networking features of Microsoft Windows NT Server and Internet Information Server (IIS). Specifically, this chapter provides information about the configuration options on a computer running Windows NT Server and Internet Information Server that support your choice of Internet telephony service. This chapter includes the following sections:
"What is the Bandwidth Problem?" This section presents information on the current U.S. and worldwide Internet infrastructure and describes the type of connectivity bandwidth problems that Internet site administrators usually face.
"Estimating Connectivity Bandwidth Requirements." This section provides information on methods to estimate connectivity bandwidth requirements for an Internet site running Windows NT Server and Internet Information Server.
"Evaluating the Bandwidth Capability of Connectivity Services." This section compares different types of telephone lines and data transmission technologies and provides information on evaluating your telecommunications hardware requirements.
"Troubleshooting Bandwidth for Internet Connections." This section provides information on resolving problems on your intranet connections to the Internet.