ZyXEL Communications Prestige 645R - Manual (Page 154)

Prestige 645 ADSL Internet Access Router
IP Policy Routing 12-1
Chapter 12
IP Policy Routing
This chapter covers setting and applying policies used for IP routing.
12.1 Introduction
Traditionally, routing is based on the destination address only and the P645R takes the shortest path to
forward a packet. IP Policy Routing (IPPR) provides a mechanism to override the default routing behavior
and alter the packet forwarding based on the policy defined by the network administrator. Policy-based
routing is applied to incoming packets on a per interface basis, prior to the normal routing.
12.2 Benefits
• Source-Based Routing – Network administrators can use policy-based routing to direct traffic from
different users through different connections.
• Quality of Service (QoS) – Organizations can differentiate traffic by setting the precedence or TOS
(Type of Service) values in the IP header at the periphery of the network to enable the backbone to
prioritize traffic.
• Cost Savings – IPPR allows organizations to distribute interactive traffic on high-bandwidth, high-cost
paths while using low-cost paths for batch traffic.
• Load Sharing – Network administrators can use IPPR to distribute traffic among multiple paths.
12.3 Routing Policy
Individual routing policies are used as part of the overall IPPR process. A policy defines the matching
criteria and the action to take when a packet meets the criteria. The action is taken only when all the criteria