Overview
This is the StifleR 2.14 (current) release documentation. For other versions, please select the Drop Down list at the Top Left and select the correct version.
StifleR is designed for organizations committed to network optimization. It does not simply reduce WAN bandwidth used - it ensures content is delivered intelligently to end-users and endpoints from the best, local sources, while also considering overhead to minimize lag and maximize delivery speed.
StifleR utilizes Microsoft peer-to-peer methods, but builds in intelligence, visibility, and control. It provides live data, dynamic traffic shaping, and real-time control for IT teams to understand content distribution flows — whether delivering Windows Updates, Office updates, or business applications.
Regardless of whether your ecosystem is built on SCCM, Intune, or hybrid, StifleR guarantees that you're not losing business-critical traffic to content delivery. It empowers IT teams to maintain productivity and limit unnecessary network consumption.
What Does It Do?
StifleR is designed for organizations committed to network optimization. It does not simply reduce WAN bandwidth used - it ensures content is delivered intelligently to end-users and endpoints from the best, local sources, while also considering overhead to minimize lag and maximize delivery speed.
StifleR utilizes Microsoft peer-to-peer methods, but builds in intelligence, visibility, and control. It provides live data, dynamic traffic shaping, and real-time control for IT teams to understand content distribution flows — whether delivering Windows Updates, Office updates, or business applications.
Regardless of whether your ecosystem is built on SCCM, Intune, or hybrid, StifleR guarantees that you're not losing business-critical traffic to content delivery. It empowers IT teams to maintain productivity and limit unnecessary network consumption.
Why Do You Need It?
StifleR is designed for organizations committed to network optimization. It does not simply reduce WAN bandwidth used - it ensures content is delivered intelligently to end-users and endpoints from the best, local sources, while also considering overhead to minimize lag and maximize delivery speed.
StifleR utilizes Microsoft peer-to-peer methods, but builds in intelligence, visibility, and control. It provides live data, dynamic traffic shaping, and real-time control for IT teams to understand content distribution flows - whether delivering Windows Updates, Office updates, or business applications.
Regardless of whether your ecosystem is built on SCCM, Intune, or hybrid, StifleR guarantees that you're not losing business-critical traffic to content delivery. It empowers IT teams to maintain productivity and limit unnecessary network consumption.
How It Works
Without StifleR, there’s no control over competing bandwidth for network traffic. Background updates, media streaming, and file synchronizations all degrade time-sensitive business processes like POS transactions, deployments, or security updates.
StifleR is the controller. It treats content delivery as a control plane and gives IT full visibility into what's moving across the network - and the power to manage it in real time.
Critical traffic is prioritized
Background content is governed
As more endpoints run the StifleR client, the network becomes more efficient: instead of each device downloading content from a remote server, they source it from a nearby local endpoint.
With StifleR, your network behaves in a predictable, efficient manner - aligned with your organization's business priorities.
StifleR Architecture and Operation
StifleR functions as an integration layer built on Microsoft’s methods of content delivery, offering a unified, intelligent approach to managing enterprise downloads. It integrates with:
BranchCache: Enhances Windows’ native WAN optimization and peer discovery across subnets.
Delivery Optimization (DO): Improves Microsoft's P2P engine with policy management, group control, and activity reporting.
Configuration Manager Client Peer Cache: Supports peer-based distribution in SCCM and increases efficiency.
LEDBAT: Recognizes and reports on background traffic to ensure critical communications remain unaffected.
All communication is enabled through SignalR, Microsoft’s real-time web communication framework, allowing for persistent bi-directional connections, dynamic orchestration, and real-time telemetry.
Bandwidth Measurement - Beacon Server
StifleR Beacon Servers are deployed at content sources (like datacenters or distribution points). They serve as reference endpoints that help clients benchmark bandwidth performance. This enables dynamic adjustments based on live network conditions.
SignalR Communication
The StifleR server uses SignalR over OWIN (Open Web Interface for .NET) to create reliable, bi-directional communication with clients and dashboards.
Sessions start as HTTP connections and upgrade to WebSockets for persistent messaging.
While deep understanding of SignalR isn’t required for everyday use, it’s helpful for scripting or advanced customizations.
Further documentation on SignalR, SSL configuration, and secure operations can be found on the 2Pint Software Knowledgebase.
StifleR Rules
The StifleR client checks through its queue of active downloads (both BITS and DO) and then prioritizes them according to a locally held XML configuration file (StifleRulez.xml) which contains a set of rules that are configured centrally by the administrator and automatically downloaded by the clients.
This file contains a simple rule set that defines the content download jobs and the priority that the administrator has assigned to each job type.
As an example, Microsoft Maps sync could be set to a low priority, while Windows Update patches would be set to high. Using this rule set, you can effectively control which downloads should be completed ahead of others. All of these configuration settings can be changed centrally at any time with any such changes automatically replicated to your clients in seconds.
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