If you are new to quality of service (QoS), you can read some basic QoS concepts. This will give you an overview of how QoS works and how QoS functions work together.
Before attempting to do QoS, it is suggested that you research the topic and make sure that this service will meet your needs. QoS terms can be found in multiple sources, so this topic will only discuss the basic terminology.
To carry out QoS, you configure policies using wizards in iSeries™ Navigator. A policy is a set of rules that designate an action. The policy basically states which client, application, and schedule (which you designate) must receive a particular service. You can ultimately configure three policy types:
Differentiated service and integrated service are considered outbound bandwidth policies. Outbound policies limit data leaving your network and help control server load. The rates you set within an outbound policy control how and what data is or is not limited within the server. Both outbound policy types might require a service-level agreement (SLA) with your Internet service provider (ISP).
Inbound admission policies control connection requests coming into your network from some outside source. Inbound policies are not dependent on a service-level from your ISP. To decide which policy you need to use, evaluate the reasons why you want to use QoS and consider the role of your iSeries server.
One of the most important parts of carrying out QoS is your server itself. Not only do you need to understand the QoS concepts, but you also need to be aware of the role your server plays in these concepts. The iSeries server can only act as a client or a server, not a router. For example, an iSeries server acting as a client, can use differentiated service policies to ensure that information requests to other servers are given higher priority through the network. An iSeries server acting as a server, can use an inbound admission policy to limit Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) requests accepted by the server.