

You could also check ip addresses, mac addresses, or even VLAN IDs to know the importance of packets coming from those locations. Maybe you have equipment setting DSCP bits for you. Some applications have standard port numbers like DNS. Use our model as a guide and create your own categories. Indeed, all other traffic types will have secondary importance for the duration of VoIP packet flows, but only when the network is under threat of congestion.

When our highly interactive traffic is occurring we will ensure it is never impeded by the other types. We also have a catch all for everything else which gets the lowest priority. For the bulky category we have HTTP and QUIC. The network traffic consists of DNS, ICMP, and ACK packets. For the purposes of this article, VoIP packets are interactive traffic and considered the most important. You need to classify at least three: interactive, network, and then bulky. Therefore, prioritizing your network is a QoS mechanism to manage the different types of traffic flows. Even if you could afford to add more Internet connections and more routers, it is still possible to overwhelm them. Since network interfaces operate in a serial manner, interactive traffic will be waiting on the many packets ahead of it from big bulky traffic. QoS is then a network governor watching all packet flows and making good decision for everyone.

Even when individual applications and protocols are managing themselves well, they are not aware of the effect they are having on the rest of the network. Maybe you want to plan ahead knowing there will be congestion. This occurs most commonly because two or more applications are requesting enough data to exceed the interface. Generally speaking because there is network contention. The configuration presented here is suitable for small business, home, ip telephony, and gaming environments where a single device is providing QoS management. However, it is possible to achieve good - even fantastic results - by creating simple classifications and actions on the most common traffic flows. So, this short article will not attempt to explain all edge cases, compare the many algorithms, or provide deep context on packet prioritization. The following article is a high-level introduction to a QoS implementation using MikroTik RouterOS. Using RouterOS to QoS your network - 2020 Edition
