ANN: pyshaper - for easy traffic-shaping

[David McNab]

Hi,

I've released an alpha of 'pyshaper' - a python prog which makes 
traffic-shaping (bandwidth allocation/management) a snap.

Requires python2.2 or later, a 2.4 or later Linux kernel with some QoS 
options compiled in, the iproute2 suite (available on all proper linux 
distros) and optionally GeoIP as well.

pyshaper periodically netstats the current TCP connections, matches them 
against your rules, and dynamically calculates/generates/executes 'tc' 
commands in the background to control both inbound and outbound traffic 
to your general requirements.

Configuration file syntax is very simple, and eliminates 98% of the pain 
one would have to go through if hand-writing 'tc' scripts. In fact, you 
don't need to know tc at all to use it.

In the pyshaper config file, you provide simple python expressions for 
matching connections against criteria such as:
  - local/remote host/port
  - local program on the local end of the connection, the username under
    which it is running, and its invocation arguments (and its pid)
  - country in which remote host resides

With this flexibility, it is possible to detect and traffic-shape 
programs which are otherwise hard to police (eg certain p2p apps which 
talk on different ports), and for which there are no adequate 
protocol-detecting shaper plugins available.

Intended usage of pyshaper is home systems/networks, where bandwidth is 
limited, traffic consumption is a concern (eg internet connections with 
strict traffic caps), and where there is a desire to have potentially 
bandwidth-guzzling programs (eg p2p apps like Freenet) running 24/7), 
and where one wants to guarantee good bandwidth for critical 
communications (eg web/mail server).

GPL (of course)

Info and downloads at http://www.freenet.org.nz/python/pyshaper

Caveats:
  - it's in alpha - only tested on Debian sid with kernel 2.6.4
  - worst-case scenario - no system damage, but possible bugs might
    cause it to not work as well as desired.

Enjoy!

-- 

Kind regards
David

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