Frustrated users abandon laggard sites after an average wait of less than 30 seconds, according to some studies. To capture the benefits of QoS for a busy e-commerce or Web portal site, network managers need the ability to separate users or applications into classes, then apply QoS policies defined to conform to their business goals. Alternatively, these mechanisms can prioritize e-commerce transactions over casual Web browsing. A good first step is to separate users or applications into service classes. Classified traffic is marked so that network elements can identify and prioritize traffic accordingly.
Marking occurs when traffic enters a provider network or Web site.
Today we can separate Internet traffic into classes as it enters busy e-commerce or Web portal sites where slowdowns occur. Here, businesses can pay for priority handling. The access point watches for packets from certain host addresses, and marks them as they enter the site. Intrasite elements are configured to recognize classes and respond according to QoS policies set by the Web site manager. For instance, if a service provider also owns a network portal, subscribers can receive high-priority handling when accessing the portal because traffic stays within the same network, which delivers preferential service quality to the provider's own subscribers over those who access the portal from the Internet.