An administrator needs to ensure that critical VoIP traffic is not dropped even when the...

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation

Prisma SD-WAN utilizes a hierarchical QoS model (typically based on Hierarchical Token Bucket or similar shaping algorithms) to manage bandwidth contention.

Guaranteed Bandwidth: The "Platinum" class (used for Real-Time voice/video) is assigned a guaranteed bandwidth percentage (floor) in the QoS profile. This ensures that even if "Gold" (Transactional) or "Silver" (Bulk) traffic is trying to consume 100% of the link, the scheduler reserves the specific portion (e.g., 30%) for Platinum traffic, preventing starvation.

Shaping, not Policing: Unlike simple policing which drops excess traffic hard, the ION device shapes the egress traffic. If the link is congested, the scheduler delays the lower-priority packets (buffering) to allow the high-priority Platinum packets to exit immediately.

Why not Strict Priority (A)? While Platinum behaves like a priority queue, pure Strict Priority can completely starve lower queues if the high-priority traffic is misbehaving or voluminous. Prisma SD-WAN typically uses bandwidth guarantees (floors) and limits (ceilings) to ensure fair sharing while protecting critical apps.