Patent ID: 7269657

Claim:
A network system comprising: a network, comprising: a plurality of routers; said plurality of routers operating as a differentiated services domain; where data packet markings are used by the plurality of routers to prioritize data forwarding within the differentiated services domain to any other of said plurality of routers and where data forwarding within said differentiated services domain is done without reserving a path through said differentiated services domain; a quality of service managing computer coupled to said network and also being assigned to said domain; wherein the quality of service managing computer is not co-extensive with any one of said plurality of routers; said quality of service managing computer being configured to communicate with said plurality of routers and further configured to determine whether data to be transmitted within said domain can be granted access to all of said domain without reserving a path through said differentiated services domain and with an associated predetermined quality of service level of a quality of service scheme; wherein said quality of service managing computer utilizes a congestion report issued by and sent from any of said plurality of routers only when network congestion occurs, to aid in adjusting a variable estimation of an actual domain capacity for said domain; network congestion occurs when demand for access to a portion of the network exceeds an actual capacity of the portion of the network; wherein said variable estimation of the actual domain capacity is used by said quality of service managing computer to make a determination on granting access to said domain; wherein said quality of service scheme is a multi-level quality of service scheme; said network is an internet protocol network; said plurality of routers each monitors usage of an output link associated therewith; and when each of said plurality of routers detects congestion, a congestion report indicating congestion is sent to said quality of service managing computer; wherein said quality of service managing computer is configured to monitor an amount which represents a total reserved bandwidth for said domain; wherein said variable estimation of an actual domain capacity is a variable estimation of a total domain bandwidth which comprises both used domain bandwidth and unused domain bandwidth; and wherein said quality of service managing computer is configured to downwardly adjust said variable estimation of a total domain bandwidth when said total reserved bandwidth is less than said variable estimation of a total domain bandwidth and a first predetermined threshold of congestion has been exceeded.