A flow is a customized way of categorizing network packets based on a single attribute or a combination of attributes. The attributes that serve as the basis for creating flows are derived from the information in a network packet's header. After setting datalink properties for network resource management, flows can be used to further control how resources are used to process network packets. Flows alone can also be used to manage network resources without setting datalink properties.
Using flows for managing resources involves the following steps:
Creating a flow based on a single attribute or a combination of attributes.
Customizing a flow's use of resources by setting properties that pertain to network resources. Currently, only bandwidth and priority properties can be set to a flow.
For more information about configuring flows, see Managing Network Resources by Using Flows.