Patent ID: 7844732

Claim:
In a network environment comprising a first host, a second host, a first network device, a second network device, and a QoS device, a method allowing the QoS device to operate on packet flows transmitted between hosts, the method comprising: receiving, at the first network device, a packet transmitted from the first host and addressed to the second host, wherein the packet comprises a header including a plurality of header fields; diverting the packet from a routed communication path between the first and second hosts by transmitting the packet from the first network device to the second network device, wherein the second network device is disposed out of the routed communication path; receiving, at the first network device, the packet from the second network device; and forwarding the packet from the first network device along the routed communication path to the second host; wherein during diverting the packet, the packet traverses the QoS device thereby enabling the QoS device to provide quality of service processing for the packet, wherein the QoS device is disposed between the first and second network devices, and wherein the QoS device is located outside of the routed communication path between the first and second hosts.