Patent ID: 8284779

Claim:
A communication apparatus used in a network where data communication is performed, the communication apparatus comprising: a priority data information holding section configured to hold, in advance, QoS (Quality of Service) setting information corresponding to domain names, the QoS setting information being necessary to perform a QoS setting for data communicated in the network; a control packet snooping section configured to detect a DNS (Domain Name System) packet transmitted to a DNS server in the network for determining a QoS setting for data communication by the communication apparatus and prior to data communication that is subjected to QoS processing, or detect a DNS response packet, which is a response to the DNS and received from the DNS server, for determining the QoS setting for data communication by the communication apparatus and prior to data communication that is subjected to QoS processing, and configured to obtain a domain name contained in the DNS packet or in the DNS response packet; and a priority control setting section configured to, when QoS setting information corresponding to the obtained domain name exists in the QoS setting information held in the priority data information holding section, perform, based on the QoS setting information, a QoS setting for actual data communication performed by a communication apparatus which is the transmission source of the DNS packet, wherein the control packet snooping section specifies a provided service based on the domain name contained in the DNS packet or in the DNS response packet, and based on the provided service and the QoS setting information, the priority control setting section performs, for the provided service, a QoS setting for data communication performed by the communication apparatus which is the transmission source of the DNS packet, and wherein the QoS setting information includes priority data identification information used for identifying priority data which is communicated in the provided service and whose communication quality is to be assured, and the priority control setting section further performs a QoS setting for the priority data, based on the priority data identification information.