# Quality of Service

Quality of Service (QoS) allows the adapter to send and receive IEEE 802.3ac tagged frames. 802.3ac tagged frames include 802.1p priority-tagged frames and 802.1Q VLAN-tagged frames. In order to implement QoS, the adapter must be connected to a switch that supports and is configured for QoS. Priority-tagged frames allow programs that deal with real-time events to make the most efficient use of network bandwidth. High priority packets are processed before lower priority packets.

For the Microsoft Windows operating systems, tagging is enabled using the "Priority/VLAN Tagging" setting on the Advanced tab in Intel® PROSet.

Once QoS is enabled in Intel PROSet, you can specify levels of priority based on IEEE 802.1p/802.1Q frame tagging.

The supported operating systems have a utility for 802.1p packet prioritization. For more information, see the Windows system help and Microsoft's knowledge base.

| NOTE: The first generation Intel® PRO/1000 Gigabit Server Adapter (PWLA 8490) does not support QoS frame tagging.