Quality-of-service marking network configurations

A system, comprising:

• a return network element along a return path for a network flow for one or more network sessions for a client;
• a controller computer;
• and
• one or more network elements along a forward path for the network flow for network sessions;
• wherein the return network element comprises one or more computers, configured to:
• receive a packet along a return path for the network flow for a received network session from a source network node and detect a received packet quality-of-service marking;
• determine, using the one or more computers and using a return network element table or a return network element database of quality-of-service marking combinations, whether there is an existing ruleset entry for a quality-of-service marking packet data combination that comprises the received packet quality-of-service marking that was detected, source network node information and client information;
• not change the network element table or the network element database when the return network element determines that the return network element table or the return network element database has an existing ruleset entry for packets with the quality-of-service marking packet data combination;
• send the packet to the controller computer when the return network element determines that the return network element table or the return network element database has no existing ruleset entry for the quality-of-service marking packet data combination that comprises the received packet quality-of-service marking that was detected, the source network node information and the client information;
• wherein at least one of the return network element and the controller computer are configured to determine if the source network node is trusted to associate quality-of-service markings with packets in network flows at least when the return network element determines that the return network element table or the return network element database has no existing ruleset entry for the quality-of-service marking packet data combination;
• wherein the controller computer is configured to identify one or more forward network elements in a forward path network flow for packets with the quality-of-service marking packet data combination when the return network element determines that the return network element table or the return network element database has no existing ruleset entry for the quality-of-service marking packet data combination;
• and
• the controller computer is configured to initiate installation, using one or more network communications, if the source network node is trusted to associate quality-of-service markings with network flows, of a ruleset entry for the client in one or more forward network databases or forward network tables associated with one or more of the network elements along the forward path for the network flow and also in the return network element database or the return network element table, so that forward packets with the client information carry the same quality-of-service marking as the quality-of-service marking packet data combination, until the ruleset entry is aged out.