Differentiated Services (Diffserv) architecture has been proposed to provide scalable service differentiation within a network. Diffserv architecture treats the edge of the network differently from the core of the network. Customer specific service profiles are maintained at the edge of the network. These profiles are used in marking packets differently as the packets enter the network. Within the core of the network, only packet markings are used for providing service differentiation. This chapter provides an overview of the proposed diffserv architecture and the mechanisms for enabling bandwidth and delay differentiation. Analytical and quantitative evaluation of the proposed techniques is provided to highlight the salient features of the diffserv architecture. Some of the ongoing research in this area is outlined.
