Advertising network layer reachability information specifying a quality of service for an identified network flow

Abstract

Methods, apparatus and articles of manufacture for advertising network layer reachability information specifying a quality of service for an identified network flow are disclosed. Example methods disclosed herein to specify quality of service for network flows include receiving network layer reachability information including a first quality of service class specified for a first network flow, the network layer reachability information having been advertised by a first network element that is to receive the first network flow. Such example methods can also include updating an incoming packet determined to belong to the first network flow to indicate that the incoming packet belongs to the first quality of service class, the incoming packet being received from a second network element. Such example methods can further include, after updating the incoming packet, routing the incoming packet towards the first network element.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A network device, comprising:
 a processing system including a processor; and   a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processing system, facilitate performance of operations, the operations comprising:   sending, to a router, information regarding a quality of service class for a network flow; and   obtaining one or more packets from the router, wherein the router derives a packet filter based on the information regarding the quality of service class and utilizes the packet filter to modify a first value in each of the one or more packets to a second value, and wherein the first and second values represent the quality of service class in different networks.   
     
     
         2 . The network device of  claim 1 , wherein the router sends the one or more packets towards the network device based on the quality of service class. 
     
     
         3 . The network device of  claim 1 , wherein the router is a part of one of the different networks. 
     
     
         4 . The network device of  claim 1 , wherein the network device is a provider edge (PE) router. 
     
     
         5 . The network device of  claim 1 , wherein the different networks are autonomous networks. 
     
     
         6 . The network device of  claim 1 , wherein the different networks are operated by a common service provider. 
     
     
         7 . The network device of  claim 1 , wherein a first network of the different networks is operated by a first network provider, and wherein a second network of the different networks is operated by a second network provider different from the first network provider. 
     
     
         8 . The network device of  claim 1 , wherein the router derives the packet filter such that the packet filter associates a default quality of service class with any incoming packets that do not belong to the network flow. 
     
     
         9 . The network device of  claim 1 , wherein the router further assigns the one or more packets to a routing queue associated with the quality of service class. 
     
     
         10 . The network device of  claim 9 , wherein the routing queue is included in a plurality of routing queues, and wherein each routing queue of the plurality of routing queues is associated with a respective quality of service class. 
     
     
         11 . A non-transitory machine-readable storage device, comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processing system of a network device including a processor, facilitate performance of operations comprising:
 transmitting, to a provider edge device, data regarding a quality of service class for a network flow, wherein the data enables the provider edge device to construct a packet filter that modifies a first value in one or more packets to a second value, and wherein the first and second values represent the quality of service class in different networks; and   receiving the one or more packets from the provider edge device.   
     
     
         12 . The non-transitory machine-readable storage device of  claim 11 , wherein the provider edge device sends the one or more packets towards the network device based on the quality of service class. 
     
     
         13 . The non-transitory machine-readable storage device of  claim 11 , wherein the provider edge device constructs the packet filter such that the packet filter associates a default quality of service class with any incoming packets that do not belong to the network flow. 
     
     
         14 . The non-transitory machine-readable storage device of  claim 11 , wherein the different networks are autonomous networks. 
     
     
         15 . The non-transitory machine-readable storage device of  claim 11 , wherein the different networks are operated by a common service provider. 
     
     
         16 . A method, comprising:
 sending, by a processing system including a processor, and to a router, information regarding a quality of service class for a network flow; and   obtaining, by the processing system, incoming packets from the router, wherein the router constructs a packet filter based on the information regarding the quality of service class and utilizes the packet filter to adjust a first value in each of the incoming packets to a second value, and wherein the first and second values represent the quality of service class in autonomous networks.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the autonomous networks are operated by a common service provider. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the router constructs the packet filter such that the packet filter associates a default quality of service class with incoming packets that do not correspond to the network flow. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the router further assigns the incoming packets to a routing queue associated with the quality of service class. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein the routing queue is included in a plurality of routing queues, and wherein each routing queue of the plurality of routing queues is associated with a respective quality of service class.