Patent ID: 8565077

Claim:
An apparatus comprising: a plurality of ingress ports coupled to a data network and for accepting packetized data from the data network; a user interface for enabling user inputs to the apparatus; and a controller coupled to the user interface for receiving a request from a user, and in response to the request, transmitting rate limiting function parameters to the user interface for enabling the user to select a bandwidth limit between at least one of the ingress ports and the data network and for dividing data frames into a plurality of groups based on user priorities, the controller limiting a rate at which data transmitted by the data network to the apparatus is accepted by said at least one of the ingress ports in response to the user selection of the bandwidth limit, the controller also configured to enable an adaptive bandwidth limiting function, wherein the controller detects the presence of streaming data on an ingress port, and in response, increases the bandwidth associated with the ingress port associated with the streaming data and decreases the bandwidth associated with remaining ones of said plurality of ingress ports to thereby ensure that aggregate bandwidth for an associated egress port remains below a set QOS limit.