Automatically applying bi-directional quality of service treatment to network data flows

A router apparatus capable of routing packets of data flows in a packet-switched communications network and automatically applying quality of service treatments to the data flows, comprising:

• a memory configured to store information identifying the data flows and an inbound quality service value associated with each of the data flows;
• a stored program that can access the information in the memory and which, when executed by the router apparatus, carries out the steps of:
• receiving at a first device a bidirectional network data flow comprising at least one outbound message element that is associated with an outbound quality of service treatment value, wherein the first device is one of one or more devices;
• creating and storing in a computer-readable medium an inbound quality of service value in association with information identifying the bidirectional network data flow wherein the inbound quality of service value is derived from the outbound quality of service treatment value;
• receiving one or more inbound message elements at a second device, wherein the second device is one of the one or more devices and the second device is distinct from the first device;
• determining that the inbound message elements are associated with the same bidirectional network data flow;
• accessing, from the second device, the computer-readable medium containing the inbound quality of service value;
• and
• applying the inbound quality of service value to the one or more inbound message elements based on the stored information.

A switch apparatus capable of switching packets of data flows in a packet-switched communications network and automatically applying quality of service treatments to the data flows, comprising:

• a memory configured to store information identifying the data flows and an inbound quality service value associated with each of the data flows;
• a stored program that can access the information in the memory and which, when executed by the switch apparatus, carries out the steps of:
• receiving at a first device a bidirectional network data flow comprising at least one outbound message element that is associated with an outbound quality of service treatment value, wherein the first device is one of one or more devices;
• creating and storing in a computer-readable medium an inbound quality of service value in association with information identifying the bidirectional network data flow wherein the inbound quality of service value is derived from the outbound quality of service treatment value;
• receiving one or more inbound message elements at a second device, wherein the second device is one of the one or more devices and the second device is distinct from the first device;
• determining that the inbound message elements are associated with the same bidirectional network data flow;
• accessing, from the second device, the computer-readable medium containing the inbound quality of service value;
• and
• applying the inbound quality of service value to the one or more inbound message elements based on the stored information.

A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions for automatically applying quality of service treatments to data flows in a communications network, wherein execution of the one or more sequences of instructions by one or more processors causes the one or more processors to perform the steps of:

• receiving at a first device a bidirectional network data flow comprising at least one outbound message element that is associated with an outbound quality of service treatment value, wherein the first device is one of one or more devices;
• creating and storing in a computer-readable medium an inbound quality of service value in association with information identifying the bidirectional network data flow wherein the inbound quality of service value is derived from the outbound quality of service treatment value;
• receiving one or more inbound message elements at a second device, wherein the second device is one of the one or more devices and the second device is distinct from the first device;
• determining that the inbound message elements are associated with the same bidirectional network data flow;
• accessing, from the second device, the computer-readable medium containing the inbound quality of service value;
• and
• applying the inbound quality of service value to the one or more inbound message elements based on the stored information.

A data communications network, comprising:

• a first end station that communicates with other end stations in the network using packetized message elements;
• a first router coupled to the first end station and capable of routing the message elements among the first end station and the other end stations and automatically applying quality of service treatments to data flows, and comprising a memory configured to store information identifying the data flows and an inbound quality service value associated with each of the data flows, and a stored program that can access the information in the memory and which, when executed by the first router, carries out the steps of:
• receiving at the first router a bidirectional network data flow comprising at least one outbound message element that is associated with an outbound quality of service treatment value;
• and
• creating and storing in a computer-readable medium an inbound quality of service value in association with information identifying the bidirectional network data flow wherein the inbound quality of service value is derived from the outbound quality of service treatment value;
• a second router coupled to the first end station and capable of routing the message elements among the first end station and the other end stations and automatically applying quality of service treatments to the data flows, and comprising a second memory configured to store information identifying the data flows and an inbound quality service value associated with each of the data flows, and a second stored program that can access the information in the second memory and which, when executed by the second router, carries out the steps of:
• receiving one or more inbound message elements;
• determining that the inbound message elements are associated with the same bidirectional network data flow;
• accessing the computer-readable medium containing the inbound quality of service value;
• and
• applying the inbound quality of service value to the one or more inbound message elements based on the stored information.

A method of automatically applying a quality of service treatment to a bidirectional network data flow in a packet-switched communications network, comprising the steps of:

• creating and storing a hash entry in a hash table stored in a computer-readable medium communicatively coupled to a first device that uniquely identifies an inbound quality of service value in association with information identifying a bidirectional network data flow based on an outbound quality of service value that is in at least one outbound message element that is associated with the outbound quality of service treatment value;
• receiving one or more inbound message elements at a second device, wherein the second device is one of the one or more devices and the second device is distinct from the first device;
• determining that the inbound message elements are associated with the same bidirectional network data flow;
• accessing, from the second device, the computer-readable medium containing the inbound quality of service value;
• and
• applying the inbound quality of service value to the one or more inbound message elements based on the stored information.

An apparatus for automatically applying a quality of service treatment to a bidirectional network data flow, comprising:

• means for receiving at a first device a bidirectional network data flow comprising at least one outbound message element that is associated with an outbound quality of service treatment value, wherein the first device is one of one or more devices;
• means for creating and storing in a computer-readable medium an inbound quality of service value in association with information identifying the bidirectional network data flow wherein the inbound quality of service value is derived from the outbound quality of service treatment value;
• means for receiving one or more inbound message elements at a second device, wherein the second device is one of the one or more devices and the second device is distinct from the first device;
• means for determining that the inbound message elements are associated with the same bidirectional network data flow;
• means for accessing, from the second device, the computer-readable medium containing the inbound quality of service value;
• and
• means for applying the inbound quality of service value to the one or more inbound message elements based on the stored information.

A method of automatically applying a quality of service treatment to a bidirectional network data flow, comprising the steps of:

• receiving at a first device the bidirectional network data flow comprising at least one outbound message element that is associated with a particular quality of service treatment value, wherein the first device is one of one or more devices;
• creating and storing in a computer-readable medium the particular quality of service value in association with information identifying the bidirectional network data flow wherein the particular quality of service value is derived from the quality of service treatment value associated with the outbound message element;
• receiving a request for a quality of service value for an inbound message element from a second device of one or more devices, wherein the inbound message element is associated with the particular bidirectional message flow, wherein the second device is distinct from the first device;
• and
• providing the particular quality of service value to the second device.

A method of automatically applying a quality of service treatment to a bidirectional network data flow, comprising the steps of:

• receiving one or more inbound message elements at a first device, wherein the first device is one of the one or more devices, the inbound message element is part of a bidirectional network data flow, no outbound message elements have been received at the first device, and no quality of service value is specified in the one or more inbound message elements;
• accessing a computer-readable medium containing a particular quality of service value associated with the bidirectional network data flow, wherein the quality of service value was stored in the computer-readable medium by a second device based on an outbound message element associated with the bidirectional network data flow and the first device is distinct from the second device;
• determining that the inbound message elements are associated with the same bidirectional network data flow;
• and
• applying the particular quality of service value to the one or more inbound message elements.