Reply #7: I'll betcha it's a Packet Shaper

[DisgustipatedinCA]

There's a company called Packeteer that makes a product called the Packet Shaper. I configure/install/maintain these boxes as a part of my job. The Packeteer analyzes and shapes traffic, including KaZaa and the like. Packeteer has had its biggest growth in the education vertical market the last couple of years--it's very popular with colleges.

The typical setup would include statements that allow mission-critical traffic to get the bandwidth it needs, with everything else getting the leftovers. BUT, you can also configure it to limit KaZaa to 1k download, 1k upload, or some other similarly ridiculous number.

And if this box (or similar) is installed on your campus network, there's not a lot you can do about it. If you happen to have physical access to the room where it sits, you could just unplug it, since it acts like a passthrough when off. :)