Patent ID: 7185073

Claim:
In a policy server for connection to a computer network having a plurality of intermediate network devices each supporting a respective set of network services, whereby at least some of the network services differ among the intermediate network devices, a method for implementing high-level, device-independent traffic management policies within the computer network, the method comprising the steps of: receiving one or more high-level policies; translating the one or more high-level policies into a plurality of executable rules; receiving a request for traffic management policies from an intermediate network device, wherein the request specifies a set of network services that are supported by the particular network device that issued the request; selecting, in response to the request, one or more rules that are compatible with the network services specified by the intermediate network device; and forwarding the selected one or more rules to the intermediate network device, wherein different rules are selected and forwarded to at least some of the intermediate network devices as a result of the differing network services that they support.