QoS

Correct Answer: Configure Resource Reservation Protocol

The best solution to the streaming service regularly buffering during peak hours is to 'Configure Resource Reservation Protocol'. The Resource Reservation Protocol (RSVP) is a transport layer protocol designed to reserve resources across a network. It's used for the reservation of network resources to provide quality of service (QoS) from the network. It helps to ensure smooth streaming by managing the bandwidth and controlling the network traffic. This facilitates the accommodation of the peak load. As for the other solutions, 'Disable Traffic Shaping' would not be effective or beneficial as Traffic Shaping helps in controlling the volume of traffic to prevent bandwidth congestion that could result in network crashes. 'Downgrade Network Hardware' would certainly not alleviate the issue as it might further degrade the quality of service. 'Reduce Network Speed' is also not a viable solution as it would lead to slower transmission of data which in turn causes more buffering issues.

Correct Answer: Implement Traffic Shaping

Implementing Traffic Shaping is the most appropriate method to prioritize in this scenario. Traffic shaping is a QoS (Quality of Service) technique that prevents network congestion by controlling the amount of data that is sent over the network. With VoIP (Voice over IP), maintaining stable and high-quality audio is crucial, and traffic shaping can ensure that VoIP data packets are prioritized and not hindered by other data traffic, hence improving the audio quality. On the other hand, disabling DSCP (Differentiated Services Code Point), another method for managing network traffic, might not help in this scenario, and may even worsen network performance because it is designed to classify and manage traffic, not inhibit it. Disabling Traffic Shaping would not help either, as it would mean given up control over network traffic, potentially leading to even more network congestion. Lastly, decreasing VoIP Bandwidth might not necessarily help in improving audio quality. In fact, reducing the bandwidth might worsen the quality further because lower bandwidth means less data can be transmitted, potentially leading to even more choppy audio.

Correct Answer: Prioritize packets using DSCP

Prioritizing packets using DSCP (Differentiated Services Code Point) is the best method to resolve high latency issues during online gameplay. DSCP is a mechanism used to classify and manage network traffic and provide quality of service (QoS) on modern IP networks. It allows the gaming company to prioritize gaming traffic over less time-sensitive traffic. In contrast, decreasing VPN prioritization could increase latency as the network may treat gaming traffic as less important. Disabling Traffic Shaping also isn't advisable, as this method regulates network traffic to optimize or guarantee performance, low latency and bandwidth. Downgrading network hardware will likely contribute to the deterioration of network performance, not enhance it.