What Does Traffic Shaping Do?

A

Traffic shaping is a process of regulating network traffic to avoid network congestion by controlling the rate of data transmission. Traffic shaping provides a mechanism to prioritize network traffic and allocate network bandwidth based on specific network requirements. It enables network administrators to control the flow of data by buffering, queuing, and prioritizing packets.

The correct answer to the question is A. Traffic shaping buffers and queues excess packets. When there is high network traffic, and the network becomes congested, traffic shaping can help to prevent packet loss by buffering and queuing the excess packets. Traffic shaping can hold packets for a certain period until there is enough bandwidth to transmit them.

Option B is incorrect. Dropping packets is not the function of traffic shaping. Dropping packets can lead to data loss and network congestion.

Option C is also incorrect. Traffic shaping does not buffer traffic without queuing it. Buffers hold packets until they can be transmitted, while queues manage the order of the packets being transmitted.

Option D is also incorrect. Traffic shaping does not queue traffic without buffering it. Buffering and queuing are two different processes used by traffic shaping to regulate network traffic.

In summary, traffic shaping is a crucial tool for network administrators to regulate network traffic and manage network congestion. It buffers and queues excess packets to prevent packet loss and ensures efficient data transmission across the network.