Cisco Systems QoS Architectural Question for LAN

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Subject Author Date
QoS Architectural Question for LAN sillz 05-16-08
Posted by sillz on May 16, 2008, 5:45 pm
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We will be implementing an MPLS network over private ports that will
join 4 remote offices. Our plan is to have video conferencing units
in each location. The units will be used once or twice a week at
most. We would like to have the option to add VoIP at a later date.

I'm a little confused about where we will need to configure QoS. The
provider will configure The new MPLS edge router for QoS. Will I need
to configure QoS on all switches in my environment?

Here's a diagram of the main office location where the servers will be
located. The other offices have a similar but much smaller design.


                400 workstations, Video Conference Unit
                 |

                11, 48 port Cisco 3750 GigE
                         |

                Cisco 6509 w/ SUP2, PFC, MSFC
                        /         \

Cisco MPLS Edge Router                Juniper Internet Router
| |
MPLS Newtwork                         Internet


Will QoS need to be configured on the Cisco 3750's as well as the
6509?


Any information would be appreciated.





Posted by headsetadapter.com on May 16, 2008, 6:10 pm
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Beth,

Configuring QoS for your scenario is pretty complex task. Here is what
should be considered:

1. Call Admission Control for your Conferencing Units (to allow only certain
number of conferences, depending on bandwidth).
2. Configure proper Audio and Video codecs for Conference Units (keep
balance between quality and number of calls)
3. Configure proper DSCP and CoS marking for Video and Audio streams (it
should be configured as close to source, as possible)
4. Configure proper QoS scheduling and queuing for LAN switches (and
trusting traffic which is already marked)
5. Configure your WAN (MPLS) routers with proper QoS (re-marking for MPLS,
queuing, prioritization, etc.)
6. Confirm from the provider that they will comply with your QoS traffic
marking and will honor it.

In general, QoS should be configured everywhere, on each and every device
traffic touches, or that unit will eventually become a bottleneck.

Good luck,

Mike
CCNP, CCDP, CCSP, CCVP, MCSE W2K, MCSE+I, Security+, etc.
CCIE Voice (in progress), CCIE R&S (in progress)
------
Headset Adapters for Cisco IP Phones
www.ciscoheadsetadapter.com
www.headsetadapter.com



> We will be implementing an MPLS network over private ports that will
> join 4 remote offices. Our plan is to have video conferencing units
> in each location. The units will be used once or twice a week at
> most. We would like to have the option to add VoIP at a later date.
>
> I'm a little confused about where we will need to configure QoS. The
> provider will configure The new MPLS edge router for QoS. Will I need
> to configure QoS on all switches in my environment?
>
> Here's a diagram of the main office location where the servers will be
> located. The other offices have a similar but much smaller design.
>
>
> 400 workstations, Video Conference Unit
> |
>
> 11, 48 port Cisco 3750 GigE
> |
>
> Cisco 6509 w/ SUP2, PFC, MSFC
> / \
>
> Cisco MPLS Edge Router Juniper Internet Router
> | |
> MPLS Newtwork Internet
>
>
> Will QoS need to be configured on the Cisco 3750's as well as the
> 6509?
>
>
> Any information would be appreciated.
>
>
>
>



Posted by sillz on May 19, 2008, 5:45 pm
Please log in for more thread options
> Beth,
>
> Configuring QoS for your scenario is pretty complex task. Here is what
> should be considered:
>
> 1. Call Admission Control for your Conferencing Units (to allow only certain
> number of conferences, depending on bandwidth).
> 2. Configure proper Audio and Video codecs for Conference Units (keep
> balance between quality and number of calls)
> 3. Configure proper DSCP and CoS marking for Video and Audio streams (it
> should be configured as close to source, as possible)
> 4. Configure proper QoS scheduling and queuing for LAN switches (and
> trusting traffic which is already marked)
> 5. Configure your WAN (MPLS) routers with proper QoS (re-marking for MPLS,
> queuing, prioritization, etc.)
> 6. Confirm from the provider that they will comply with your QoS traffic
> marking and will honor it.
>
> In general, QoS should be configured everywhere, on each and every device
> traffic touches, or that unit will eventually become a bottleneck.
>
> Good luck,
>
> Mike
> CCNP, CCDP, CCSP, CCVP, MCSE W2K, MCSE+I, Security+, etc.
> CCIE Voice (in progress), CCIE R&S (in progress)
> ------
> Headset Adapters for Cisco IP
Phoneswww.ciscoheadsetadapter.comwww.headsetadapter.com
>
>
>
> > We will be implementing an MPLS network over private ports that will
> > join 4 remote offices. Our plan is to have video conferencing units
> > in each location. The units will be used once or twice a week at
> > most. We would like to have the option to add VoIP at a later date.
>
> > I'm a little confused about where we will need to configure QoS. The
> > provider will configure The new MPLS edge router for QoS. Will I need
> > to configure QoS on all switches in my environment?
>
> > Here's a diagram of the main office location where the servers will be
> > located. The other offices have a similar but much smaller design.
>
> > 400 workstations, Video Conference Unit
> > |
>
> > 11, 48 port Cisco 3750 GigE
> > |
>
> > Cisco 6509 w/ SUP2, PFC, MSFC
> > / \
>
> > Cisco MPLS Edge Router Juniper Internet Router
> > | |
> > MPLS Newtwork Internet
>
> > Will QoS need to be configured on the Cisco 3750's as well as the
> > 6509?
>
> > Any information would be appreciated.

Thanks!

1-2 are covered by the TelCom guy.
5-6 is covered by the MPLS Provider

3-4 -- Looks like I need to handle this.

I appreciate your response.

Posted by on May 20, 2008, 8:15 am
Please log in for more thread options
>
>
>
>
>
> > Beth,
>
> > Configuring QoS for your scenario is pretty complex task. Here is what
> > should be considered:
>
> > 1. Call Admission Control for your Conferencing Units (to allow only cer=
tain
> > number of conferences, depending on bandwidth).
> > 2. Configure proper Audio and Video codecs for Conference Units (keep
> > balance between quality and number of calls)
> > 3. Configure proper DSCP and CoS marking for Video and Audio streams (it=

> > should be configured as close to source, as possible)
> > 4. Configure proper QoS scheduling and queuing for LAN switches (and
> > trusting traffic which is already marked)
> > 5. Configure your WAN (MPLS) routers with proper QoS (re-marking for MPL=
S,
> > queuing, prioritization, etc.)
> > 6. Confirm from the provider that they will comply with your QoS traffic=

> > marking and will honor it.
>
> > In general, QoS should be configured everywhere, on each and every devic=
e
> > traffic touches, or that unit will eventually become a bottleneck.
>
> > Good luck,
>
> > Mike
> > CCNP, CCDP, CCSP, CCVP, MCSE W2K, MCSE+I, Security+, etc.
> > CCIE Voice (in progress), CCIE R&S (in progress)
> > ------
> > Headset Adapters for Cisco IP Phoneswww.ciscoheadsetadapter.comwww.heads=
etadapter.com
>
>
>
> > > We will be implementing an MPLS network over private ports that will
> > > join 4 remote offices. =A0Our plan is to have video conferencing units=

> > > in each location. =A0The units will be used once or twice a week at
> > > most. =A0We would like to have the option to add VoIP at a later date.=

>
> > > I'm a little confused about where we will need to configure QoS. =A0Th=
e
> > > provider will configure The new MPLS edge router for QoS. =A0Will I ne=
ed
> > > to configure QoS on all switches in my environment?
>
> > > Here's a diagram of the main office location where the servers will be=

> > > located. The other offices have a similar but much smaller design.
>
> > > 400 workstations, Video Conference Unit
> > > =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0|
>
> > > 11, 48 port Cisco 3750 GigE
> > > =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0|
>
> > > Cisco 6509 =A0w/ SUP2, PFC, MSFC
> > > / =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 \
>
> > > Cisco MPLS Edge Router Juniper Internet Router
> > > =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0| =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0|
> > > MPLS Newtwork =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 Internet
>
> > > Will QoS need to be configured on the Cisco 3750's as well as the
> > > 6509?
>
> > > Any information would be appreciated.
>
> Thanks!
>
> 1-2 are covered by the TelCom guy.
> 5-6 is covered by the MPLS Provider
>
> 3-4 -- Looks like I need to handle this.
>
> I appreciate your response.- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

My (very) limited experience of QoS on Cisco
is that the features all look pretty cool in the
marketing blurb and in the manuals but that there
seems to be wide variation between platforms
on what exactly works and what does not.
The latter does not seem to be documented
very much.
e.g. The 3750 supports Modular QoS
commands - but ONLY for Input Policing
and Marking. Output QoS is by various
archaic mechinisms where you have to
configure queues individually and send
packets to queues yourself.

For a project such as you describe I would want to
see it all humming away in a lab before committing
to delivery.

I would be very wary of the Sup2/MSFC just 'cos it
has been around for a while.


Posted by headsetadapter.com on May 20, 2008, 6:37 pm
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> - Show quoted text -

My (very) limited experience of QoS on Cisco is that the features all look
pretty cool in the marketing blurb and in the manuals but that there seems
to be wide variation between platforms on what exactly works and what does
not.
The latter does not seem to be documented very much. e.g. The 3750 supports
Modular QoS commands - but ONLY for Input Policing and Marking. Output QoS
is by various archaic mechinisms where you have to configure queues
individually and send packets to queues yourself.
For a project such as you describe I would want to see it all humming away
in a lab before committing to delivery.
I would be very wary of the Sup2/MSFC just 'cos it has been around for a
while.

It's not that scary as it looks at the first glance. Almost any modern Cisco
switch (I mean with decent software version) has a feature called "Auto
QoS", which in most cases does everything for you. In general, for the LAN
there is one consideration - don't let the switch to strip or modify QoS
information, which is set by the endpoints. Like if Video Conference Station
set certain DSCP and/or CoS parameters, switch should trust that marking. If
endpoint did not set these parameters, then it gets a little bit more
complicated, as switch should recognize traffic and set appropriate DSCP and
CoS values. Also, there should be a consistency between what set at the
endpoint, what expected on the router, and what trusted by MPLS cloud.

Good luck,

Mike
CCNP, CCDP, CCSP, CCVP, MCSE W2K, MCSE+I, Security+, etc.
CCIE R&S (in progress), CCIE Voice (in progress)
------
Headset Adapters for Cisco IP Phones
www.ciscoheadsetadapter.com
www.headsetadapter.com



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