IP-Oriented QoS in Next Generation Networks

This tutorial will provide an introduction to the concept of Quality of Service in IP-Oriented heterogeneous networks. The tutorial will begin by discussing what is meant by QoS and why it is necessary in IP networks. As IP can be delivered over many different transport technologies there will be a brief description of the principal ones involved, including ATM, SDH, MPLS and emerging wireless technologies. There will be an overview of how each of these (and related technologies) implement QoS and apply traffic management concepts in their respective environments. Many mechanisms and architectures have been proposed to provide QoS in IP networks and among the best-known methods are IntServ and DiffServ. QoS routing is a current hot topic as routing plays a very significant role in ensuring application packet delivery to customers in the Internet; the routing issues involved and current research directions in this area will be presented. With the rapid emergence of wireless technologies and the need to replicate fixed wire services in a mobile environment, there has been considerable attention paid in the marketplace to the delivery of Internet services to wireless customers. Some of the issues in QoS delivery and routing for wireless networks will be outlined in this tutorial.