From the course: Network Quality of Service (QoS) Foundations: Managing Network Traffic

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IP header marking field: IP precedence

IP header marking field: IP precedence

From the course: Network Quality of Service (QoS) Foundations: Managing Network Traffic

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IP header marking field: IP precedence

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- [Instructor] Let's dive into the concept of IP header marking, specifically focusing on IP precedence in the context of quality of service or QoS. Think of IP precedence like a VIP pass for data packets. In the network, not all traffic is treated equally. Some data, like a video conference or voice call, is more important than others, like an email download. IP precedence is a mechanism used to prioritize data based on its importance. In the IP header, there is a special field called the type of service or ToS field, and within this field, the first three bits are used for IP precedence. These three bits gives us eight different levels of priority, ranging from zero to seven. The higher the number, the higher the priority. For example, voice or video packets might be marked with a higher precedence level, like five or six, to ensure they are delivered faster and more reliably. While less important traffic, like file downloads might get a lower priority. When a router sees a packet…

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