An architecture for automated network control of QoS over consumer broadband links

This paper proposes a novel architecture for meeting Quality of Service (QoS) requirements of real-time traffic across consumer broadband links. In our approach the responsibility of QoS signalling is moved away from the application to the network. Network servers automatically identify traffic that might benefit from QoS and then trigger the provisioning of QoS by signalling network elements such as access routers. This approach removes the need for the application to signal to the network its explicit QoS requirements, making applications easier to develop and more portable. It also enables QoS provision for legacy applications for which there is limited opportunity to include explicit end-host signalling protocols. The paper develops the architecture required to realize the approach and discusses the underlying techniques.