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Quality of Service (QoS): Managing Bandwidth More Effectively 
Introduction 
3400cl/6400cl Packet Classifiers and Evaluation Order 
The 3400cl/6400cl switches provide six QoS classifiers (packet criteria)  you 
can use to configure QoS priority. 
Table 8-5.  3400cl/6400cl Classifier Search Order and Precedence 
Search Order  Precedence  QoS Classifier 
6  (lowest) 
Incoming 802.1p Priority (present in tagged VLAN environments) 
5 
Incoming source-port on the switch 
4 
VLAN Priority 
3 
IP Type of Service (ToS) field (IP packets only) 
2 
Device Priority (destination or source IP address) 
1 (highest) 
UDP/TCP Application Type (port) 
A 3400cl or 6400cl switch uses the lowest-to-highest search order shown in 
table 
8-5 to identify the highest-precedence classifier to apply to any given 
packet. (Note that this is the opposite of the order used in the 5300xl switches.) 
If there is only one configured classifier that matches a given packet, then the 
switch applies the QoS policy specified in that classifier. If multiple configured 
classifiers match a given packet, the switch applies each one in turn to the 
packet and concludes with the QoS policy for the highest-precedence classi-
fier. Note that if the highest precedence classifier is configured to apply a 
DSCP policy, then both the DSCP in the packet and the 802.1p priority applied 
to the packet can be changed. However, if the highest precedence classifier is 
configured to apply an 802.1p priority rule, only the 802.1p priority in the final 
QoS match for the packet is changed. 
Note  On the 3400cl/6400cl switches, intermixing lower-precedence classifiers con-
figured with DSCP policies and higher-precedence classifiers configured with 
802.1p priority rules is not recommended, as this can result in a packet with 
an 802.1p priority assigned by one classifier and a DSCP policy by another 
classifier. This is because the search order would allow a lower precedence 
classifier configured with a DSCP policy to change both the DSCP and the 
802.1p setting in a packet, and then would allow a subsequent, higher prece-
dence classifier  configured with an 802.1p priority rule to change only the 
802.1p setting. To avoid this problem, a DSCP policy option should be applied 
only on the highest-precedence classifier in use on the switch or applied to 
all QoS classifiers in use on the switch. 
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