20

Classifier

This chapter introduces and shows you how to configure the packet classifier on the Switch.

20.1 About the Classifier and QoS

Quality of Service (QoS) refers to both a network's ability to deliver data with minimum delay, and the networking methods used to control the use of bandwidth. Without QoS, all traffic data is equally likely to be dropped when the network is congested. This can cause a reduction in network performance and make the network inadequate for time-critical application such as video-on- demand.

A classifier groups traffic into data flows according to specific criteria such as the source address, destination address, source port number, destination port number or incoming port number. For example, you can configure a classifier to select traffic from the same protocol port (such as Telnet) to form a flow.

Configure QoS on the Switch to group and prioritize application traffic and fine-tune network performance. Setting up QoS involves two separate steps:

1Configure classifiers to sort traffic into different flows.

2Configure policy rules to define actions to be performed for a classified traffic flow (refer to Chapter 21 on page 172 to configure policy rules).

20.2Configuring the Classifier

Use the Classifier screen to define the classifiers. After you define the classifier, you can specify actions (or policy) to act upon the traffic that matches the rules. To configure policy rules, refer to Chapter 21 on page 172.

 

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ES3500 Series User’s Guide