IPQoS Basics
IPQoS enables the Differentiated Services (Diffserv) architecture that is defined by the Differentiated
Services Working Group of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). In the Solaris
OS, IPQoS is implemented at the IP level of the TCP/IP protocol stack.
What Are Differentiated Services?
By enabling IPQoS, you can provide different levels of network service for selected
customers and selected applications. The different levels of service are collectively
referred to as differentiated services. The differentiated services that you provide to customers
can be based on a structure of service levels that your company
offers to its customers. You can also provide differentiated services based on the
priorities that are set for applications or users on your network.
Providing quality of service involves the following activities:
Delegating levels of service to different groups, such as customers or departments in an enterprise
Prioritizing network services that are given to particular groups or applications
Discovering and eliminating areas of network bottlenecks and other forms of congestion
Monitoring network performance and providing performance statistics
Regulating bandwidth to and from network resources
IPQoS Features
IPQoS has the following features:
ipqosconf Command-line tool for configuring the QoS policy
Classifier that selects actions, which are based on filters that configure the QoS policy of your organization
Metering module that measures network traffic, in compliance with the Diffserv model
Service differentiation that is based on the ability to mark a packet's IP header with forwarding information
Flow-accounting module that gathers statistics for traffic flows
Statistics gathering for traffic classes, through the UNIX® kstat command
Support for SPARC® and x86 architecture
Note - The x86 architecture does not support IPQoS on VLANs.
Support for IPv4 and IPv6 addressing
Interoperability with IP Security Architecture (IPsec)
Support for 802.1D user-priority markings for virtual local area networks (VLANs)
Where to Get More Information About Quality-of-Service Theory and Practice
You can find information on differentiated services and quality of service from print
and online sources.
Books About Quality of Service
For more information on quality-of-service theory and practice, refer to the following books:
Ferguson, Paul and Geoff Huston. Quality of Service. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1998.
Kilkki, Kalevi. Differentiated Services for the Internet. Macmillan Technical Publishing, 1999.
Requests for Comments (RFCs) About Quality of Service
IPQoS conforms to the specifications that are described in the following RFCs and
the following Internet drafts:
Web Sites With Quality-of-Service Information
The Differentiated Services Working Group of the IETF maintains a web site with
links to Diffserv Internet drafts at https://www.ietf.org/html.charters/diffserv-charter.html.
Router manufacturers such as Cisco Systems and Juniper Networks provide information on their
corporate web sites that describes how Differentiated Services are implemented in their products.
IPQoS Man Pages
IPQoS documentation includes the following man pages:
ipqosconf(1M) - Describes the command for setting up the IPQoS configuration file
ipqos(7ipp) – Describes the IPQoS implementation of the Diffserv architectural model
ipgpc(7ipp) – Describes the IPQoS implementation of a Diffserv classifier
tokenmt(7ipp) – Describes the IPQoS tokenmt meter
tswtclmt(7ipp) – Describes the IPQoS tswtclmt meter
dscpmk(7ipp) – Describes the DSCP marker module
dlcosmk(7ipp) – Describes the IPQoS 802.1D user-priority marker module
flowacct(7ipp)– Describes the IPQoS flow-accounting module
acctadm(1M) – Describes the command that configures the Solaris extended accounting facilities. The acctadm command includes IPQoS extensions.
