Glossary

glossary

A

Access Control

QPM inserts ACI (Access Control Information) to avoid anonymous reads.

Admission Control

Physically limiting link speed by cloaking a circuit at a specific data rate or using a token bucket to throttle incoming traffic.

C

Classification

Packet classification is a key capability for each policy technique that allows the appropriate packets traversing a network element or particular interface to be selected for QoS. These packets can then be marked for the appropriate IP precedence in some cases, or identified as an RSVP.

Coloring

Setting IP Precedence. You can help applications by coloring their traffic with higher priorities than the regular traffic. The coloring and scheduling options are defined in the service template, which is downloaded to every device. This ensures consistent end-to-end handling of packets.

Combination Role

See Role Combination.

Congestion Avoidance

Techniques that monitor network traffic loads in an effort to anticipate and avoid congestion at common network bottlenecks.

Congestion Management

Techniques that operate to control congestion after it occurs.

COPS (Common Open Policy Server)

The open protocol used to communicate between the PDPs and the devices. Because COPS is an open standard, any device that conforms to the COPS standard can work with QPM.

COPS-Provisioning

Provisioning policies let you define classification, limiting, service type, and queueing. Provisioning policies are downloaded to devices using the COPS-Provisioning extension of the COPS protocol. Provisioning allows you to define scalable, end-to-end provisioning policies to create differentiated services.

COPS-RSVP

Enables RSVP applications to dynamically request and reserve network resources necessary to meet their specific QoS requirements. RSVP policies are downloaded using the COPS-RSVP extension of the COPS protocol.

CoS (Class of Service)

A categorical method of classifying traffic into separate classes to provide differentiated service to each class within the network.

D

Device Configuration

The QPM application that configures devices to use a set of PDPs and assigns roles to the device's interfaces. Configuration is done using SNMP.

Device

Network equipment on which you want to deploy your QoS configuration. Devices are also known as PEPs.

Direction

The direction of traffic for which the policy applies---incoming, outgoing, or both.

Directory Server

A server that supports a hierarchical database structure and communicates via the LDAP protocol. The QoS database can be projected to a directory server via LDAP for use by other applications. QPM integrates with Directory Servers to read user group information from CNR and export policy information.

Distribution Manager

The QPM application used for distributing policies to the PDPs.

DSCP (Differentiated Services Code Point)

DSCP is found in the IP header of Diff-Serv data packets as they traverse the Diff-Serv network. The DSCP is used by routers to identify aggregates of traffic and to provide those packets with a particular behavior, known as a Per-Hop Behavior.

F

Filter

Part of a policy. Defines the characteristics of the traffic to which the policy is to apply.

Flow

A combination of the source and destination host address, as well as the source and destination port.

I

IP Precedence

A bit value that can be indicated in the IP packet header and used to designate the relative priority with which a particular packet should be handled. The bit value provides up to eight (0 through 7) classes of traffic.

L

LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol)

When the user activates the policy distribution process, the QPM Server invokes the Projector. The Projector uses LDAP to write the policy information to the designated Directory Server. The LDAP projector returns the result of the operation to the QPM Server after the projection process has successfully ended or an error occurred. The QoS database can be projected to a directory server via LDAP for use by other applications.

LDAP Projection

The process by which the QPM server writes provisioning policies to the designated directory server.

Limiter

A policy characteristic that defines the rate at which a traffic flow can be transmitted through an interface. See also provisioning limiter, signaling class limiter, signaling flow limiter.

M

Microflow Policing

Flows from individual users/applications are identified at the edge of the network, and are marked based on similar characteristics or QoS requirements from the network.

P

PDP (Policy Deployment Point)

A QPM component that manages communication between the devices and the QPM server. A PDP uses the COPS protocol to communicate with the devices. The PDP downloads policies for differentiated services to the devices. For RSVP, the PDP responds to RSVP requests passed on to it from the devices, deciding whether the device should allow the RSVP reservation.

PIB (Policy Information Base)

Used for exchanging policy and device capability information between the PDPs and the devices for COPS Provisioning or Differentiated Services.

Policing

The practice of determining on a hop-by-hop basis within the network beyond the ingress point whether the traffic being presented is compliant with prenegotiated traffic-shaping policies or other distinguishing mechanisms.

Policy

A rule that is applied to a selected traffic flow. A policy defines the characteristics of the traffic to which is applies, and also defines the QoS actions to be applied to the selected traffic. Policies are defined on roles. There are two types of policy: provisioning and signaling (see entries).

Policy Definition Database

A database that contains a group of policy definitions.

Policy Editor

The QPM application used for creating, changing, and deleting policies. Also known as Policy Manger Editor or Policy Planner.

Policy Reporting

The QPM application used for creating reports about your policy distributions. Policy reports are available from Distribution Manager.

Policy System Setup

The QPM application used for initially configuring your policy system.

Policy Validation

The QPM application used for validating the integrity and consistency of your policies. It ensures that your policies can be implemented on the devices. Policy validation is done from Device Manager.

Provisioning Rate Limit

A rate limit definition in a provisioning policy. The limit can be defined in terms of a rate, which defines the maximum rate for the traffic flow, and burst sizes, which define the depth of the queue to be used to hold the traffic flow while it is waiting for transmittal.

Provisioning Policy

A policy that defines static differentiated services requirements. These policies are delivered to the devices using the COPS-DS protocol (from the PDP) and are configured in the PIB. Provisioning policies define the type of traffic to which the policy applies, and the color, rate limit, and queuing characteristics to be applied to the selected traffic.

Q

QoS (Quality of Service)

The capability of a network to provide better service to selected network traffic over various technologies. Primary goals of QoS include dedicated bandwidth, controlled jitter and latency, and improved loss characteristics.

QPM-ANI Service Module

The QPM component that communicates with the ANI server used by CiscoWorks2000 Server. ANI is the framework for SNMP device discovery and configuration.

QPM Server

The QPM component that holds the policy databases, and that manages the communication between the QPM applications and the PDPs. The QPM server resides on the same machine as CiscoWorks2000 Server and the QPM applications.

R

Rate Limit

A policy characteristic that defines the rate at which a traffic flow can be transmitted through an interface. See also provisioning rate limit, signaling class rate limit, signaling flow rate limit.

Role

A named set of policy statements. You can only create policies within a role. Device interfaces are then assigned one or more roles. If an interface is assigned more than one role, the policies used on the interface are a combination of the policies for the roles. When there are multiple roles, the roles are assigned in priority order, and policies for a higher priority role override conflicting policies on a lower priority role.

For example, you might have roles called "edge" for interfaces on the WAN edge, and "core" for interfaces in the WAN core. The policies defined on these roles would be appropriate for traffic typical of those types of interfaces.

Roles are also known as Policy Groups.

RSVP (Resource Reservation Setup Protocol)

An IP-based protocol used for communicating application Quality of Service (QoS) requirements to intermediate transit nodes in a network. RSVP uses a soft-state mechanism to maintain path and reservation stated in each node in the reservation path.

S

Schema

The definition of how the QPM database is organized on the Directory Server.

Service Templates

Defines the differential services (or provisioning) parameters for specific service types. The available service types are defined in the template. These parameters include packet color, queuing, transmit factor, and various other QoS characteristics.

Service Types

Defines the type of service required for the traffic flows that are assigned the service type. The associated service template defines the exact QoS characteristics for the flow.

Shaping

Traffic Shaping assigns bandwidth rate limits to traffic with specific characteristics, and use token buckets to police a flow and determine when it exceeds its limit. Packets that conform to the rate limit are passed through, while those that exceed the limit are discarded.

Signaling Class Rate Limit (aggregate)

A rate limit for signaling policies that defines the rate for the traffic flow and the maximum number of separate RSVP flows allowed on the interface at one time.

Signaling Flow Rate Limit (microflow)

A rate limit for signaling policies that defines the average rate for the traffic flow, a peak rate, and a bucket size. These characteristics apply to each RSVP flow, whereas the signaling class rate limit applies to the combined RSVP flows.

Signaling Policy

A policy that defines how RSVP requests should be handled. When a device gets an RSVP request from another device (an end point or a network node), the device asks the PDP whether to accept the request. The PDP uses signaling policies to determine whether to admit or deny the traffic, and tells the device what to do (the PDP and device use the COPS-RSVP protocol for this exchange). Signaling policies define the type of traffic to which the policy applies, and the service type and flow limiters to be used for the selected traffic.

U

User Group

A tag defined in the Cisco Network Registrar application (a DHCP server). The tag defines a group of devices (a subnet). You can create policy filters using user group names, thus creating user-based policies.

A
Access Control	QPM inserts ACI (Access Control Information) to avoid anonymous reads.
Admission Control	Physically limiting link speed by cloaking a circuit at a specific data rate or using a token bucket to throttle incoming traffic.

C
Classification	Packet classification is a key capability for each policy technique that allows the appropriate packets traversing a network element or particular interface to be selected for QoS. These packets can then be marked for the appropriate IP precedence in some cases, or identified as an RSVP.
Coloring	Setting IP Precedence. You can help applications by coloring their traffic with higher priorities than the regular traffic. The coloring and scheduling options are defined in the service template, which is downloaded to every device. This ensures consistent end-to-end handling of packets.
Combination Role	See Role Combination.
Congestion Avoidance	Techniques that monitor network traffic loads in an effort to anticipate and avoid congestion at common network bottlenecks.
Congestion Management	Techniques that operate to control congestion after it occurs.
COPS (Common Open Policy Server)	The open protocol used to communicate between the PDPs and the devices. Because COPS is an open standard, any device that conforms to the COPS standard can work with QPM.
COPS-Provisioning	Provisioning policies let you define classification, limiting, service type, and queueing. Provisioning policies are downloaded to devices using the COPS-Provisioning extension of the COPS protocol. Provisioning allows you to define scalable, end-to-end provisioning policies to create differentiated services.
COPS-RSVP	Enables RSVP applications to dynamically request and reserve network resources necessary to meet their specific QoS requirements. RSVP policies are downloaded using the COPS-RSVP extension of the COPS protocol.
CoS (Class of Service)	A categorical method of classifying traffic into separate classes to provide differentiated service to each class within the network.

D
Device Configuration	The QPM application that configures devices to use a set of PDPs and assigns roles to the device's interfaces. Configuration is done using SNMP.
Device	Network equipment on which you want to deploy your QoS configuration. Devices are also known as PEPs.
Direction	The direction of traffic for which the policy applies---incoming, outgoing, or both.
Directory Server	A server that supports a hierarchical database structure and communicates via the LDAP protocol. The QoS database can be projected to a directory server via LDAP for use by other applications. QPM integrates with Directory Servers to read user group information from CNR and export policy information.
Distribution Manager	The QPM application used for distributing policies to the PDPs.
DSCP (Differentiated Services Code Point)	DSCP is found in the IP header of Diff-Serv data packets as they traverse the Diff-Serv network. The DSCP is used by routers to identify aggregates of traffic and to provide those packets with a particular behavior, known as a Per-Hop Behavior.

F
Filter	Part of a policy. Defines the characteristics of the traffic to which the policy is to apply.
Flow	A combination of the source and destination host address, as well as the source and destination port.

I
IP Precedence	A bit value that can be indicated in the IP packet header and used to designate the relative priority with which a particular packet should be handled. The bit value provides up to eight (0 through 7) classes of traffic.

L
LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol)	When the user activates the policy distribution process, the QPM Server invokes the Projector. The Projector uses LDAP to write the policy information to the designated Directory Server. The LDAP projector returns the result of the operation to the QPM Server after the projection process has successfully ended or an error occurred. The QoS database can be projected to a directory server via LDAP for use by other applications.
LDAP Projection	The process by which the QPM server writes provisioning policies to the designated directory server.
Limiter	A policy characteristic that defines the rate at which a traffic flow can be transmitted through an interface. See also provisioning limiter, signaling class limiter, signaling flow limiter.

M
Microflow Policing	Flows from individual users/applications are identified at the edge of the network, and are marked based on similar characteristics or QoS requirements from the network.

P
PDP (Policy Deployment Point)	A QPM component that manages communication between the devices and the QPM server. A PDP uses the COPS protocol to communicate with the devices. The PDP downloads policies for differentiated services to the devices. For RSVP, the PDP responds to RSVP requests passed on to it from the devices, deciding whether the device should allow the RSVP reservation.
PIB (Policy Information Base)	Used for exchanging policy and device capability information between the PDPs and the devices for COPS Provisioning or Differentiated Services.
Policing	The practice of determining on a hop-by-hop basis within the network beyond the ingress point whether the traffic being presented is compliant with prenegotiated traffic-shaping policies or other distinguishing mechanisms.
Policy	A rule that is applied to a selected traffic flow. A policy defines the characteristics of the traffic to which is applies, and also defines the QoS actions to be applied to the selected traffic. Policies are defined on roles. There are two types of policy: provisioning and signaling (see entries).
Policy Definition Database	A database that contains a group of policy definitions.
Policy Editor	The QPM application used for creating, changing, and deleting policies. Also known as Policy Manger Editor or Policy Planner.
Policy Reporting	The QPM application used for creating reports about your policy distributions. Policy reports are available from Distribution Manager.
Policy System Setup	The QPM application used for initially configuring your policy system.
Policy Validation	The QPM application used for validating the integrity and consistency of your policies. It ensures that your policies can be implemented on the devices. Policy validation is done from Device Manager.
Provisioning Rate Limit	A rate limit definition in a provisioning policy. The limit can be defined in terms of a rate, which defines the maximum rate for the traffic flow, and burst sizes, which define the depth of the queue to be used to hold the traffic flow while it is waiting for transmittal.
Provisioning Policy	A policy that defines static differentiated services requirements. These policies are delivered to the devices using the COPS-DS protocol (from the PDP) and are configured in the PIB. Provisioning policies define the type of traffic to which the policy applies, and the color, rate limit, and queuing characteristics to be applied to the selected traffic.

Q
QoS (Quality of Service)	The capability of a network to provide better service to selected network traffic over various technologies. Primary goals of QoS include dedicated bandwidth, controlled jitter and latency, and improved loss characteristics.
QPM-ANI Service Module	The QPM component that communicates with the ANI server used by CiscoWorks2000 Server. ANI is the framework for SNMP device discovery and configuration.
QPM Server	The QPM component that holds the policy databases, and that manages the communication between the QPM applications and the PDPs. The QPM server resides on the same machine as CiscoWorks2000 Server and the QPM applications.

R
Rate Limit	A policy characteristic that defines the rate at which a traffic flow can be transmitted through an interface. See also provisioning rate limit, signaling class rate limit, signaling flow rate limit.
Role	A named set of policy statements. You can only create policies within a role. Device interfaces are then assigned one or more roles. If an interface is assigned more than one role, the policies used on the interface are a combination of the policies for the roles. When there are multiple roles, the roles are assigned in priority order, and policies for a higher priority role override conflicting policies on a lower priority role. For example, you might have roles called "edge" for interfaces on the WAN edge, and "core" for interfaces in the WAN core. The policies defined on these roles would be appropriate for traffic typical of those types of interfaces. Roles are also known as Policy Groups.
RSVP (Resource Reservation Setup Protocol)	An IP-based protocol used for communicating application Quality of Service (QoS) requirements to intermediate transit nodes in a network. RSVP uses a soft-state mechanism to maintain path and reservation stated in each node in the reservation path.

S
Schema	The definition of how the QPM database is organized on the Directory Server.
Service Templates	Defines the differential services (or provisioning) parameters for specific service types. The available service types are defined in the template. These parameters include packet color, queuing, transmit factor, and various other QoS characteristics.
Service Types	Defines the type of service required for the traffic flows that are assigned the service type. The associated service template defines the exact QoS characteristics for the flow.
Shaping	Traffic Shaping assigns bandwidth rate limits to traffic with specific characteristics, and use token buckets to police a flow and determine when it exceeds its limit. Packets that conform to the rate limit are passed through, while those that exceed the limit are discarded.
Signaling Class Rate Limit (aggregate)	A rate limit for signaling policies that defines the rate for the traffic flow and the maximum number of separate RSVP flows allowed on the interface at one time.
Signaling Flow Rate Limit (microflow)	A rate limit for signaling policies that defines the average rate for the traffic flow, a peak rate, and a bucket size. These characteristics apply to each RSVP flow, whereas the signaling class rate limit applies to the combined RSVP flows.
Signaling Policy	A policy that defines how RSVP requests should be handled. When a device gets an RSVP request from another device (an end point or a network node), the device asks the PDP whether to accept the request. The PDP uses signaling policies to determine whether to admit or deny the traffic, and tells the device what to do (the PDP and device use the COPS-RSVP protocol for this exchange). Signaling policies define the type of traffic to which the policy applies, and the service type and flow limiters to be used for the selected traffic.

U
User Group	A tag defined in the Cisco Network Registrar application (a DHCP server). The tag defines a group of devices (a subnet). You can create policy filters using user group names, thus creating user-based policies.

Table of Contents

glossary