This is the eBook version of the printed book.

A comprehensive guide to implementing QoS in IP/MPLS networks using Cisco IOS and Cisco IOS XR Software

* Understand IP QoS architectures and how they apply to MPLS
* Take a detailed look at traffic management using policing, shaping, scheduling, and active queue management
* Study Cisco QoS behavioral model and the modular QoS command-line interface (MQC)
* Learn the operation of MPLS TE with its DiffServ extensions and applicability as a traffic-protection alternative
* Find multiple configuration and verification examples illustrating the implementation of MPLS TE, DS-TE, and FRR
* Review the different designs, ranging from a best-effort backbone to the most elaborate scenarios combining DiffServ, DS-TE, and FRR

Quality of service (QoS) plays a key role in the implementation of IP and MPLS networks today. However, QoS can be one of the most complex aspects of networking. The industry efforts to achieve convergence have generated a need for increased levels of traffic differentiation. Today’s networks need to meet an array of QoS requirements to support distinct applications (such as voice, video, and data) and multiple network services (such as IP, Ethernet, and ATM) on a single converged, multiservice network. QoS has therefore has become an integral part of network design, implementation, and operation.

QoS for IP/MPLS Networks is a practical guide that will help you facilitate the design, deployment, and operation of QoS using Cisco® IOS® Software and Cisco IOS XR Software. The book provides a thorough explanation of the technology behind MPLS QoS and related technologies, including the different design options you can use to build an MPLS network with strict performance requirements. This book discusses MPLS Traffic Engineering (MPLS TE) as a tool to complement MPLS QoS and enhance the performance characteristics of the network. You’ll learn technology, configuration, and operational details, including the essentials facts about the behavior and configuration of the rich MPLS QoS and related MPLS TE functionality. To get the most out of this book, you should have a basic understanding of both IP and MPLS, including the basics of IP addressing and routing and the basics of MPLS forwarding.

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This is the eBook version of the printed book.

Internet Phone Services Simplified gives you the most basic need-to-know information and then teaches you how to get the most out of your VoIP phone services:

* Understand how broadband VoIP, Internet VoIP, and VoIP Chat services work
* Learn about and compare different services, their advantages, and their limitations
* Subscribe to a service, install equipment, and troubleshoot issues that might arise
* Integrate services into your home, including reusing your existing house telephone wiring and phone handsets
* Extend VoIP throughout your home by using multiline, extendable cordless phone systems
* Take advantage of VoIP features, including virtual phone numbers and listening to voicemail using your computer while traveling

Internet phone services offer great advantages over existing telephone systems, allowing you to save money and make and receive calls using high-speed and broadband services. To help you take advantage of all that the Internet has to offer, Internet Phone Services Simplified provides you with an illustrated guide to understanding, selecting, and setting up voice over IP (VoIP) phone services.

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This is the eBook version of the printed book.

IT organizations face pressure to increase productivity, improve application performance, support global collaboration, improve data protection, and minimize costs. In today’s WAN-centered environments, traditional LAN-oriented infrastructure approaches are insufficient to meet these goals. Application Acceleration and WAN Optimization Fundamentals introduces a better solution: integrating today’s new generation of accelerator solutions to efficiently and effectively scale networks beyond traditional capabilities while improving performance and minimizing costs through consolidation.

Ted Grevers and Joel Christner begin by reviewing the challenges network professionals face in delivering applications to globally distributed workforces. You learn how accelerators are transforming application business models, enabling IT departments to centralize and consolidate resources while also delivering consistently superior performance.

Grevers and Christner show how to identify network consumers, prioritize traffic, and guarantee appropriate throughput and response times to business-critical applications. You learn how to use quality of service techniques such as packet classification and marking and traffic policing, queuing, scheduling, and shaping.

Next, you compare options for integrating accelerators and optimization services into your network and for optimizing content delivery. The authors show how to address application protocol-related performance problems that cannot be resolved through compression or flow optimization alone. In the final chapter, the authors walk you through several real-world scenarios for utilizing accelerator technology.

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This is the eBook version of the printed book.

Wi-Fi Hotspots
Setting Up Public Wireless Internet Access

Installing and operating a Wi-Fi hotspot allows you to attract customers and differentiate your business. Deploying even a small wireless network has proven to be a difficult task for the average consumer, however. With this book as your guide, you can painlessly figure out the requirements for your Wi-Fi hotspot, how to properly set it up, how to operate it, and how to optimize it for the needs and security of your customers.

Wi-Fi Hotspots helps you throughout the entire process of setting up a hotspot to offer free or fee-based Internet access to the general public:

* Understand the benefits to your business of hosting a hotspot
* Decide what type of hotspot you should implement
* Examine what equipment is best suited for your hotspot
* Follow step-by-step procedures for setting up your hotspot
* Get the word out about your hotspot availability
* Ensure your hotspot is not used improperly
* Evaluate Wi-Fi security concerns
* Fix common problems hotspot users face
* Increase the coverage area of your Wi-Fi hotspot

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This is the eBook version of the printed book.

A guide to using and defining MPLS VPN services

* Analyze strengths and weaknesses of TDM and Layer 2 WAN services
* Understand the primary business and technical issues when evaluating IP/MPLS VPN offerings
* Describe the IP addressing, routing, load balancing, convergence, and services capabilities of the IP VPN
* Develop enterprise quality of service (QoS) policies and implementation guidelines
* Achieve scalable support for multicast services
* Learn the benefits and drawbacks of various security and encryption mechanisms
* Ensure proper use of services and plan for future growth with monitoring and reporting services
* Provide remote access, Internet access, and extranet connectivity to the VPN supported intranet
* Provide a clear and concise set of steps to plan and execute a network migration from existing ATM/Frame Relay/leased line networks to an IP VPN

IP/MPLS VPNs are compelling for many reasons. For enterprises, they enable right-sourcing of WAN services and yield generous operational cost savings. For service providers, they offer a higher level of service to customers and lower costs for service deployment.

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This is the eBook version of the printed book.

Network Management: Accounting and Performance Strategies

The definitive guide to collecting usage information from Cisco networks

Benoit Claise, CCIE® No. 2868
Ralf Wolter

Understanding network performance and effectiveness is now crucial to business success. To ensure user satisfaction, both service providers and enterprise IT teams must provide service-level agreements (SLA) to the users of their networks–and then consistently deliver on those commitments. Now, two of the Cisco® leading network performance and accounting experts bring together all the knowledge network professionals need to do so.

Network Management: Accounting and Performance Strategies imparts a deep understanding of Cisco IOS® embedded management for monitoring and optimizing performance, together with proven best strategies for both accounting and performance management.

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