Top

Basic Concepts

Quality of Service (QoS)

QoS (Quality of Service) features enable network managers to decide on packet priority queuing.

DGW supports:
  • Differentiated Services (DS) Field (for IPv4)
  • Traffic Class Field (for IPv6)
  • 802.1Q taggings

Top

Differentiated Services (DS) Field (for IPv4 only)

Differentiated Services (DiffServ, or DS) is a protocol for specifying and controlling network traffic by class so that certain types of traffic (for example voice traffic which requires a relatively uninterrupted flow of data) might get precedence over other kinds of traffic.

DiffServ replaces the first bits in the ToS byte with a differentiated services code point (DSCP). It uses the existing IPv4 Type of Service byte. In DGW the entire ToS byte is currently configurable, thus the ToS decimal value is used. Please refer to:

For example, for a DSCP value of 46, the ToS value of 184 should be used. For DSCP and ToS mappings, please refer to the following table:
TOS (Dec) TOS (Hex) TOS (Bin) TOS Precedence (Bin) TOS Precedence (Dec) TOS Precedence Name TOS Delay flag TOS Throughput flag TOS Reliability flag DSCP (Bin) DSCP (Hex) DSCP (Dec) DSCP/PHB Class
0 0x00 00000000 000 0 Routine 0 0 0 000000 0x00 0 none
4 0x04 00000100 000 0 Routine 0 0 1 000001 0x01 1 none
8 0x08 00001000 000 0 Routine 0 1 0 000010 0x02 2 none
12 0x0C 00001100 000 0 Routine 0 1 1 000011 0x03 3 none
16 0x10 00010000 000 0 Routine 1 0 0 000100 0x04 4 none
32 0x20 00100000 001 1 Priority 0 0 0 001000 0x08 8 cs1
40 0x28 00101000 001 1 Priority 0 1 0 001010 0x0A 10 af11
48 0x30 00110000 001 1 Priority 1 0 0 001100 0x0C 12 af12
56 0x38 00111000 001 1 Priority 1 1 0 001110 0x0E 14 af13
64 0x40 01000000 010 2 Immediate 0 0 0 010000 0x10 16 cs2
72 0x48 01001000 010 2 Immediate 0 1 0 010010 0x12 18 af21
80 0x50 01010000 010 2 Immediate 1 0 0 010100 0x14 20 af22
88 0x58 01011000 010 2 Immediate 1 1 0 010110 0x16 22 af23
96 0x60 01100000 011 3 Flash 0 0 0 011000 0x18 24 cs3
104 0x68 01101000 011 3 Flash 0 1 0 011010 0x1A 26 af31
112 0x70 01110000 011 3 Flash 1 0 0 011100 0x1C 28 af32
120 0x78 01111000 011 3 Flash 1 1 0 011110 0x1E 30 af33
128 0x80 10000000 100 4 FlashOverride 0 0 0 100000 0x20 32 cs4
136 0x88 10001000 100 4 FlashOverride 0 1 0 100010 0x22 34 af41
144 0x90 10010000 100 4 FlashOverride 1 0 0 100100 0x24 36 af42
152 0x98 10011000 100 4 FlashOverride 1 1 0 100110 0x26 38 af43
160 0xA0 10100000 101 5 Critical 0 0 0 101000 0x28 40 cs5
176 0xB0 10110000 101 5 Critical 1 0 0 101100 0x2C 44 voice-admit
184 0xB8 10111000 101 5 Critical 1 1 0 101110 0x2E 46 ef
192 0xC0 11000000 110 6 InterNetwork Control 0 0 0 110000 0x30 48 cs6
224 0xE0 11100000 111 7 Network Control 0 0 0 111000 0x38 56 cs7

Top

Network Traffic Control

It is possible to apply bandwidth limitations to the network interfaces.

The limitations are applied on the raw data of the physical link and not only on the payload of the packets. All headers, checksums and control bits (TCP, IP, CRC, etc.) are considered in the actual bandwidth. A bandwidth limitation is applied on a physical link and not on a virtual network interface. All high-level network interfaces (including VLANs) using the same physical link are affected by a configured limitation. This limitation is applied to outgoing traffic only (egress). Bandwidth limitation is an average of the amount of data sent per second. Thus, it is normal that the unit sends a small burst of data after a period of silence.


Top

Basic Tasks

Creating the Default Unit QoS

Before you begin
You must have a Network Interface created.
Steps
  1. Go to Network/QoS.
  2. In the Differentiated Services Field Configuration table, complete the fields as required, in order to define the default Differentiated Services value for all generated IPv4 packets and the default Traffic Class value for all generated IPv6 packets.
    IMPORTANT: For specific services (Signaling, Voice, T.38) above values can be overridden by setting the specific service class values. Refer to Overriding the DiffServ and QoS Service Class Default Values.
  3. Click Apply.
Result
The unit will apply the specified values as default values for all generated IPv4 and IPv6 packets respectively.

Top

Configuring the Default User Priority on Physical Links (802.1Q Tagging)

Context
The 802.1Q standard recommends the use of the 802.1Q VLAN tags for Ethernet frames traffic prioritisation. VLAN tags are 4-byte headers in which three bits are reserved for priority indication. The values of the priority bits shall be provisioned. The VLAN ID part of the 802.1Q tag is always set to 0.
Steps
  1. Go to Network/QoS.
  2. In the Ethernet 802.1Q Tagging Configuration table, select Enable for each interface on which you want to enable user priority tagging.
  3. Set the Default User Priority value each interface uses when tagging packets in the Default User Priority column.
    Note: For specific services (Signaling, Voice, T.38) you can override the values above by setting specific service class values. Refer to Overriding the DiffServ and QoS Service Class Default Values.
  4. Click Apply.
Result
The selected Default User Priority values will be applied to the Physical Links (VLAN ID = 0) for which the 802.1Q tagging is set to Enable.

Top

Configuring the Default User Priority on a New VLAN

Steps
  1. Go to Network/VLAN.
  2. Under the Link column, select the physical link to which you want to add a VLAN.
  3. Under the VlanId column, define the number of the VLAN you wish to create.
  4. Click + located on the right hand side of the screen.
  5. Under the Default User Priority column, set the User Priority for the respective VLAN.
    Note: For specific services (Signaling, Voice, T.38) you can override the above values by setting specific service class values. Refer to Overriding the DiffServ and QoS Service Class Default Values.
  6. Click Apply.
Result
The value of the Default User Priority column will be applied to the newly created VLAN.

Top

Configuring the Default User Priority on an Existing VLAN

Steps
  1. Go to Network/VLAN.
  2. Under the Default User Priority column, set the User Priority to the respective VLAN.
    Note: For specific services (Signaling, Voice, T.38) you can override the values above by setting specific service class values. Refer to Overriding the DiffServ and QoS Service Class Default Values.
  3. Click Apply.
Result
The value of the Default User Priority column will be applied to the existing VLAN.

Top

Overriding the DiffServ and QoS Service Class Default Values

Steps
  1. Go to Network/QoS.
  2. In the Service Class Configuration table, for each service class, set for IPv4 packets the DiffServ value or the Traffic Class value for IPv6 packets, .
  3. Set a specific User Priority for each class under the User Priority column.
  4. Click Apply.
  5. Click restart required services, located at the top of the page.
Result
The values set for the DiffServ or the Traffic Class parameters will override any value already specified for the service class (Signaling, Voice, T.38).

Top

Enabling the Network Traffic Control (NTC) Service

Steps
  1. Go to System/Services.
    Note: Starting the NTC service enables Traffic Shaping even if bandwidth limitation is disabled.
    Note: The NTC service sends packets on the physical link according to their respective priorities. The lower the value, the higher the priority. Packets with lower priority are dropped first.
  2. In the User Service table, click located on the same line as Network Traffic Control (NTC).
Result
The Network Traffic control (NTC) line will turn to blue, and the Status field will indicate Started.

Top

Configuring Network Traffic Control

Before you begin
The Network Traffic Control (NTC) service must be enabled. Refer to Enabling the Network Traffic Control (NTC) Service.
Steps
  1. Go to Network/QoS.
  2. In the Network Traffic Control Configuration, set the Egress Limit field for the selected link interface.
    IMPORTANT:
    The range is from 64 to 1,000,000 kilobits per second. The value 0 means no bandwidth limitation and no prioritisation. This value must be set according to the upstream bandwidth limit of the network on this link. Set to 0 (disable) if the network bandwidth exceeds 1,000,000 kbps or the effective limit of this device. NTC service sends packets on the physical link according to their respective priorities. The lower the value, the higher the priority. Packets with lower priority are dropped first. The maximum value of the HiddenMaxEgressLimit is :
    • 1,000,000 kilobits on the Sentinel 400
    • 500,000 kilobits on the Sentinel 100, Mediatrix G7 series, and Mediatrix S7 series
    • 40,960 kilobits (5MB/s) on all other platforms
  3. Click Apply.
Result
The defined egress limit is applied on the respective ETH interface.

Top

Examples

Default Unit QoS and Service Class Configuration for IPv4

Any IPv4 packet sent from the unit has the value applied in the Default DiffServ (IPv4) field of the Differentiated Services Field Configuration table under Network/QoS tab. This default value is overridden on what concerns the specific service classes defined under the same area and in the Service Class Configuration table.

In the following example, the ToS decimal value for the default egress IPv4 traffic is 120 (which corresponds to DSCP=30 or AF, Assured Forwarding), while for the Signaling service class, the DiffServ value is equal to 184 (DSCP=46 or EF, Expedited Forwarding)


When the unit generates a DNS query (which does not belong to the Signaling service class) the default unit IPv4 DiffServ value is applied (ToS=120 or DSCP=30), as shown in the trace below:


When the unit generates a SIP packet (which belongs to the Signaling service class) the Signaling-specific DiffServ value is applied (ToS=184 or DSCP=46)as shown in the trace below:



Top

Online Help

If you are not familiar with the meaning of the fields and buttons, click Show Help, located at the upper right corner of the Web page. When activated, the fields and buttons that offer online help will change to green and if you hover over them, the description will bedisplayed.


Top

DGW Documentation

Mediatrix devices are supplied with an exhaustive set of documentation.

Mediatrix user documentation is available on the Media5 Documentation Portal.

Several types of documents were created to clearly present the information you are looking for. Our documentation includes:
  • Release notes: Generated at each GA release, this document includes the known and solved issues of the software. It also outlines the changes and the new features the release includes.
  • Configuration notes: These documents are created to facilitate the configuration of a specific use case. They address a configuration aspect we consider that most users will need to perform. However, in some cases, a configuration note is created after receiving a question from a customer. They provide standard step-by-step procedures detailing the values of the parameters to use. They provide a means of validation and present some conceptual information. The configuration notes are specifically created to guide the user through an aspect of the configuration.
  • Technical bulletins: These documents are created to facilitate the configuration of a specific technical action, such as performing a firmware upgrade.
  • Hardware installation guide: They provide the detailed procedure on how to safely and adequately install the unit. It provides information on card installation, cable connections, and how to access for the first time the Management interface.
  • User guide: The user guide explains how to customise to your needs the configuration of the unit. Although this document is task oriented, it provides conceptual information to help the user understand the purpose and impact of each task. The User Guide will provide information such as where and how TR-069 can be configured in the Management Interface, how to set firewalls, or how to use the CLI to configure parameters that are not available in the Management Interface.
  • Reference guide: This exhaustive document has been created for advanced users. It includes a description of all the parameters used by all the services of the Mediatrix units. You will find, for example, scripts to configure a specific parameter, notification messages sent by a service, or an action description used to create Rulesets. This document includes reference information such as a dictionary, and it does not include any step-by-step procedures.

Top

Copyright Notice

Copyright © 2023 Media5 Corporation.

This document contains information that is proprietary to Media5 Corporation.

Media5 Corporation reserves all rights to this document as well as to the Intellectual Property of the document and the technology and know-how that it includes and represents.

This publication cannot be reproduced, neither in whole nor in part, in any form whatsoever, without written prior approval by Media5 Corporation.

Media5 Corporation reserves the right to revise this publication and make changes at any time and without the obligation to notify any person and/or entity of such revisions and/or changes.