What does traffic shaping do?

Traffic shaping buffers or queues excess traffic that exceeds a configured rate, then releases it at a steady, predictable pace. This prevents bursts of data from overwhelming network devices or links, ensuring a smoother flow and reducing packet loss. It's a mechanism to control the outbound traffic rate. "Sets QoS fields in a packet" and "Alters packet QoS attributes" describe traffic marking, which modifies fields like DSCP or IP Precedence to indicate a packet's priority. "Classifies traffic into classes" is traffic classification, which identifies and groups traffic based on various criteria (e.g., application, protocol, IP address) for subsequent QoS actions like shaping or policing. While classification often precedes shaping, it is not what shaping itself does.