D-Link DGS-3426P Product Manual - Page 232

xStack® DGS-3400 Series Layer 2 Gigabit Ethernet Managed Switch NOTICE: The Switch contains eight classes of service for each port on the Switch. One of these classes is reserved for internal use on the Switch and is therefore not configurable. All references in the following section regarding classes of service will refer to only the seven classes of service that may be used and configured by the administrator. Understanding IEEE 802.1p Priority Priority tagging is a function defined by the IEEE 802.1p standard designed to provide a means of managing traffic on a network where many different types of data may be transmitted simultaneously. It is intended to alleviate problems associated with the delivery of time critical data over congested networks. The quality of applications that are dependent on such time critical data, such as video conferencing, can be severely and adversely affected by even very small delays in transmission. Network devices that comply with the IEEE 802.1p standard have the ability to recognize the priority level of data packets. These devices can also assign a priority label or tag to packets. Compliant devices can also strip priority tags from packets. This priority tag determines the packet's degree of expeditiousness and determines the queue to which it will be assigned. Priority tags are given values from 0 to 7 with 0 being assigned to the lowest priority data and 7 assigned to the highest. The highest priority tag 7 is generally only used for data associated with video or audio applications, which are sensitive to even slight delays, or for data from specified end users whose data transmissions warrant special consideration. The Switch allows you to further tailor how priority tagged data packets are handled on your network. Using queues to manage priority tagged data allows you to specify its relative priority to suit the needs of your network. There may be circumstances where it would be advantageous to group two or more differently tagged packets into the same queue. Generally, however, it is recommended that the highest priority queue, Queue 7, be reserved for data packets with a priority value of 7. Packets that have not been given any priority value are placed in Queue 0 and thus given the lowest priority for delivery. Strict mode and weighted round robin system are employed on the Switch to determine the rate at which the queues are emptied of packets. The ratio used for clearing the queues is 4:1. This means that the highest priority queue, Queue 7, will clear 4 packets for every 1 packet cleared from Queue 0. Remember, the priority queue settings on the Switch are for all ports, and all devices connected to the Switch will be affected. This priority queuing system will be especially beneficial if your network employs switches with the capability of assigning priority tags. 802.1p Settings 223