Patent ID: 7421487

Claim:
A method comprising: storing, within a first router, access data that associates routes through a network with access information for a set of service profiles, wherein each of the service profiles is associated with a different quality of service (QoS) level without specifying an individual network user; receiving, with the first router, a routing protocol packet from a second router, wherein the routing protocol packet includes information that specifies at least one route through the network; associating the route specified by the routing information with a service profile identifier; selecting, from the stored access data, the access information for one of the set of service profiles based on the service profile identifier; querying a service management system with the selected access information to obtain interface parameters for supporting the QoS level associated with the one of the set of service profiles, wherein the service management system is external to the first router; configuring at least one interface within the first router based on the interface parameters obtained from the service management system; and forwarding data of a data flow associated with the route specified by the routing information with the at least one interface of the first router that was configured using the interface parameters obtained from the service management system.