Quality of Service (QoS): This is a feature used in networking to prioritize certain types of traffic. By configuring QoS, network administrators can allocate higher bandwidth to time-sensitive applications like VoIP, video conferencing, or critical business applications during peak usage times. This helps to reduce latency and packet loss, which are often caused by congestion.
Load Balancing (A): While load balancing is useful in distributing traffic across multiple servers or paths, it does not address congestion on a single switch.
Port Mirroring (B): This is used for monitoring network traffic for troubleshooting and diagnostics but does not alleviate congestion.
Spanning Tree Protocol (D): STP prevents switching loops in redundant network topologies, but it is not designed to handle traffic prioritization or congestion issues.
Reference: CompTIA Network+ Official Study Guide, Domain 1.5 (Network Optimization), Domain 2.1 (Network Management).