Optimizing Converged

Cisco Networks (ONT)

Module 3: Introduction to IP QoS

© 2006 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.

Lesson 3.1:
Introducing QoS

© 2006 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.

Objectives
 Explain why converged networks require QoS.
 Identify the major quality issues with converged
networks.
 Calculate available bandwidth given multiple flows.
 Describe mechanisms designed to use bandwidth more
efficiently.
 Describe types of delay.
 Identify ways to reduce the impact of delay on quality.
 Describe packet loss and ways to prevent or reduce
packet loss in the network.

© 2006 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.

 Traditional Nonconverged Network

 Traditional data traffic characteristics:

Bursty data flow
FIFO access
Not overly time-sensitive; delays OK
Brief outages are survivable

© 2006 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.

 Converged Network Realities

 Converged network realities:

Constant small-packet voice flow competes
with bursty data flow.
Critical traffic must have priority.
Voice and video are time-sensitive.
Brief outages are not acceptable.

© 2006 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.

Converged Network Quality Issues
 Lack of bandwidth: Multiple flows compete for a limited
amount of bandwidth.
 End-to-end delay (fixed and variable): Packets have to
traverse many network devices and links; this travel
adds up to the overall delay.
 Variation of delay (jitter): Sometimes there is a lot of
other traffic, which results in varied and increased
delay.
 Packet loss: Packets may have to be dropped when a
link is congested.

© 2006 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.

Measuring Available Bandwidth

 The maximum available bandwidth is the bandwidth of the slowest link.

 Multiple flows are competing for the same bandwidth, resulting in much less
bandwidth being available to one single application.
 A lack in bandwidth can have performance impacts on network applications.

© 2006 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.

 Increasing Available Bandwidth

 Upgrade the link (the best but also the most expensive solution).
 Improve QoS with advanced queuing mechanisms to forward the important packets first.
 Compress the payload of Layer 2 frames (takes time).
 Compress IP packet headers.

© 2006 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.

Using Available Bandwidth Efficiently

Voice 1 1 Voice
(Highest) • LLQ
• RTP header
Data compression
(High) 2 2
4 3 2 1 1

Data 3 3 3
Data
(Medium) • CBWFQ
• TCP header
compression
Data 4 4 4 4
(Low)

 Using advanced queuing and header compression mechanisms,

the available bandwidth can be used more efficiently:
Voice: LLQ and RTP header compression
Interactive traffic: CBWFQ and TCP header compression

© 2006 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.

Types of Delay

 Processing delay: The time it takes for a router to take the packet from an input interface, examine the
packet, and put the packet into the output queue of the output interface.
 Queuing delay: The time a packet resides in the output queue of a router.
 Serialization delay: The time it takes to place the “bits on the wire.”
 Propagation delay: The time it takes for the packet to cross the link from one end to the other.

© 2006 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Impact of Delay and Jitter on Quality

 End-to-end delay: The sum of all propagation, processing, serialization, and queuing
delays in the path
 Jitter: The variation in the delay.
 In best-effort networks, propagation and serialization delays are fixed, while processing
and queuing delays are unpredictable.

© 2006 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.

Ways to Reduce Delay

 Upgrade the link (the best solution but also the most expensive).
 Forward the important packets first.
 Enable reprioritization of important packets.
 Compress the payload of Layer 2 frames (takes time).
 Compress IP packet headers.

© 2006 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.

Reducing Delay in a Network

 Customer routers perform:

TCP/RTP header compression
LLQ
Prioritization
 ISP routers perform:
Reprioritization according to the QoS policy

© 2006 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Impacts of Packet Loss

 Telephone call: “I cannot understand you. Your voice is breaking up.”

 Teleconferencing: “The picture is very jerky. Voice is not synchronized.”
 Publishing company: “This file is corrupted.”
 Call center: “Please hold while my screen refreshes.”

© 2006 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.

Types of Packet Drops

 Tail drops occur when the output queue is full. Tail drops are common
and happen when a link is congested.
 Other types of drops, usually resulting from router congestion, include
input drop, ignore, overrun, and frame errors. These errors can often
be solved with hardware upgrades.

© 2006 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.

Ways to Prevent Packet Loss

 Upgrade the link (the best solution but also the most expensive).
 Guarantee enough bandwidth for sensitive packets.
 Prevent congestion by randomly dropping less important packets before
congestion occurs.
© 2006 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.
 Traffic Policing and Traffic Shaping

Traffic Rate Traffic Rate

ci ff ar T

ci ff ar T
Policing

Time Time

Traffic Rate
Traffic Rate
ci ff ar T

ci ff ar T
Shaping

Time Time

© 2006 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.

Reducing Packet Loss in a Network

 Problem: Interface congestion causes TCP and voice packet

drops, resulting in slowing FTP traffic and jerky speech quality.
 Conclusion: Congestion avoidance and queuing can help.
 Solution: Use WRED and LLQ.

© 2006 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.

Summary
 Converged networks carry different types of traffic over
a shared infrastructure. This creates the need to
differentiate traffic and give priority to time-sensitive
traffic.
 Various mechanisms exist that help to maximize the
use of the available bandwidth, including queuing
techniques and compression mechanisms.
 All networks experience delay. Delay can effect time
sensitive traffic such as voice and video.
 Without proper provisioning and management,
networks can experience packet loss. Packet loss is
especially important with voice and video, as no
resending of lost packets can occur.
© 2006 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.
Q and A

© 2006 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.

Resources
 Quality of Service Networking
http://www.cisco.com/univercd/cc/td/doc/cisintwk/ito_doc/q

 QoS Congestion Avoidance

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/tech/tk543/tk760/tsd_technolo

 QoS Congestion Management (queuing)

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/tech/tk543/tk544/tsd_technolo

© 2006 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.

© 2006 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.