RFC - 2475

An Architecture for Differentiated Services

Original:	ftp://ftp.isi.edu/in-notes/rfc2475.txt
Authors:	S. Blake [Torrent Networking Technologies], D. Black [EMC Corporation], M. Carlson [Sun Microsystems], E. Davies [Nortel UK], Z. Wang [Bell Labs Lucent Technologies], W. Weiss [Lucent Technologies]
Date:	December 1998
Category:	Informational

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Updated by:
RFC-3260	New Terminology and Clarifications for Diffserv

Referred by:	82 RFC
Refers to:	8 RFC

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Status

This memo provides information for the Internet community. It does not specify an Internet standard of any kind. Distribution of this memo is unlimited.

Copyright Notice

Copyright (C) The Internet Society (1998). All Rights Reserved.

Abstract

This document defines an architecture for implementing scalable service differentiation in the Internet. This architecture achieves scalability by aggregating traffic classification state which is conveyed by means of IP-layer packet marking using the DS field [DSFIELD]. Packets are classified and marked to receive a particular per-hop forwarding behavior on nodes along their path. Sophisticated classification, marking, policing, and shaping operations need only be implemented at network boundaries or hosts. Network resources are allocated to traffic streams by service provisioning policies which govern how traffic is marked and conditioned upon entry to a differentiated services-capable network, and how that traffic is forwarded within that network. A wide variety of services can be implemented on top of these building blocks.

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