HP-UX IPQoS A.01.00 Programmer's Guide (October 2005)

Overview
Introduction
Chapter 114
Introducing the HP-UX IPQoS API
The HP-UX IPQoS API allows programmers to write applications that can perform the
following tasks:
• manipulate the HP-UX IPQoS configuration
• traverse the HP-UX IPQoS configuration
• obtain HP-UX IPQoS statistics
The benefits that the HP-UX IPQoS API offers include the following:
— Allows applications to be written that dynamically modify the current configuration. For
example, you can write applications to add to existing configurations. (The HP-UX IPQoS
command-line administration utility, ipqosadmin, does not offer additive loads. Using
ipqosadmin, the only way to change a configuration is to perform a -load operation,
which replaces the configuration.)
— Allows applications to be written that provide alternative output formats than to what the
command-line administration utility, ipqosadmin, provides. For example. you can write
an application that produces configuration information in html output format. Refer to
/opt/ipqos/examples/htmldump for a programmatic example.
— If you already have existing IPQoS applications, you can leverage them by modifying
them to work with the HP-UX IPQoS API.
As will be discussed in more detail in subsequent sections of this guide, note that:
— The tasks accomplished by HP-UX IPQoS API operations are performed in sessions.
Every HP-UX IPQoS API session begins with the API collecting information about the
current configuration since this is required for all three types of tasks the HP-UX IPQoS
API performs. Sessions are initiated and include session types that determine what
operations are permitted. Sessions are completed either by committing (saving) or by
aborting (not saving) the changes made during the session.
— HP-UX IPQoS configurations consist of objects made up of three classes: filter, policy and
adapter. The objects exist in a list structure. Objects are attached to lists, and then the
lists can be traversed to read and modify the objects in a configuration.
— HP-UX IPQoS also maintains statistics, in the HP-UX IPQoS kernel module, that are
available to programmers. Statistics are maintained on both filters and policies.
IMPORTANT The manpages associated with the HP-UX IPQoS API complement this guide
and are necessary references to successfully use the HP-UX IPQoS API.