DiffServ, Differentiated Services

The DiffServ protocol is used for specifying and managing network traffic. This is done so that specific types of traffic receive precedence over others. For instance, since streaming traffic mostly requires an continuous flow of interrupted data, it often gets precedence over static traffic that simply needs to be displayed. In regard to CoS (Class of Service), DiffServ is the most sophisticated method for managing network traffic. Unlike earlier protocol such as 802 1p tagging and ToS (Type of Service), DiffServ relies on more complex policies and rules rather than simple priority labeling when determining how a packet will be forwarded to a network. A packet may be given one of 64 possible forwarding behaviors, more commonly known as PHBs ( Per Hop Behaviors). In the Internet Protocol header, DSCP (Differentiated Services Code Point) specify the Per Hop Behavior for specific packet flows. DiffServ and other CoS approaches provide ways to manage traffic that is more flexible and extendable than a QoS (Quality of Service) protocol.