Wireless communication system and service flow control

1 . A method comprising:

receiving a first data packet including a first data payload, the first data packet encoded in accordance with a wireless communication protocol for conveyance to a destination network address;

mapping a first quality of service associated with the first data packet to a first service flow amongst multiple service flows supported by a backhaul network; and

forwarding the first data packet over the first service flow of the backhaul network for delivery of the first data packet to the destination network address.

2 . The method as in claim 1 , wherein the backhaul network includes a cable modem system.

3 . The method as in claim 2 , wherein the multiple service flows support conveyance of different types of data traffic between a cable modem of the cable modem system and a cable modem termination node of the cable modem system.

4 . The method as in claim 1 , wherein the first quality of service is one of multiple qualities of service supported by the wireless communication protocol.

5 . The method as in claim 1 , wherein mapping the first quality of service associated with the first data packet to the first service flow amongst multiple service flows supported by the backhaul network includes:

retrieving a tag value from the first data packet, the tag value indicating the first quality of service to which the first data packet pertains.

6 . The method as in claim 5 , wherein mapping the first quality of service associated with the first data packet to the first service flow amongst multiple service flows supported by the backhaul network further includes:

in response to detecting that the first quality of service as specified by the tag value is included in a first group of multiple different qualities of service assigned to the first service flow, assigning the first data packet for transmission over the first service flow.

7 . The method as in claim 1 , wherein forwarding the first data packet over the first service flow includes:

selecting a queue in which to store the first data packet, the selected queue being one of multiple queues associated with the backhaul network; and

storing the first data packet in the selected queue, the selected queue configured to store data packets assigned multiple different qualities of service including the first quality of service.

8 . The method as in claim 7 , wherein the selected queue is selected from a group consisting of:

i) a first bit rate service flow queue providing a first transmission bit rate greater than a minimum bit rate value, the first transmission bit rate being guaranteed,

ii) a second bit rate service flow queue providing a second transmission bit rate, the second transmission bit rate being non-guaranteed, and

iii) a third bit rate service flow queue supporting latency below a latency threshold level.

9 . The method as in claim 1 further comprising:

retrieving a tag value from the first data packet to determine that the first data packet is assigned the first quality of service, the tag value indicating how to allocate network resources to convey the first data packet over the backhaul network.

10 . The method as in claim 1 , wherein mapping the first quality of service associated with the first data packet to the first service flow amongst multiple service flows supported by the backhaul network includes:

retrieving a tag value from a header of the first data packet; and

detecting that the retrieved tag value is assigned to the first service flow of the multiple service flows.

11 . A system comprising:

communication management hardware including computer processor hardware operative to:

receive a first data packet including a first data payload, the first data packet encoded in accordance with a wireless communication protocol for conveyance to a destination network address, the first data packet assigned a first quality of service;

map the first quality of service assigned to the first data packet to a first service flow amongst multiple service flows supported by a backhaul network; and

forward the first data packet over the first service flow of the backhaul network for delivery of the first data packet to the destination network address.

12 . The system as in claim 11 , wherein the computer processor hardware is further operative to:

retrieve a tag value from the first data packet, the tag value indicating assignment of the first quality of service to the first data packet.

13 . The system as in claim 12 , wherein the computer processor hardware is further operative to:

in response to detecting that the first quality of service as specified by the tag value is included in a first group of multiple qualities of service assigned to the first service flow, assigning the first data packet for transmission over the first service flow of the backhaul network.

14 . The system as in claim 11 , wherein the computer processor hardware is further operative to:

retrieve a tag value from the first data packet to determine that the first quality of service is assigned to the first data packet, the tag value indicating how to allocate network resources in the backhaul network to convey the first data packet over the backhaul network.

15 . The system as in claim 11 , wherein the computer processor hardware is further operative to:

retrieve a tag value from a header of the first data packet; and

detect that the retrieved tag value is assigned to the first service flow amongst the multiple service flows.

16 . Computer-readable storage hardware having instructions stored thereon, the instructions, when carried out by computer processor hardware, cause the computer processor hardware to:

receive a first data packet including a first data payload, the first data packet encoded in accordance with a wireless communication protocol for conveyance to a destination network address;

map a first quality of service associated with the first data packet to a first service flow amongst multiple service flows supported by a backhaul network, the first quality of service being one of multiple qualities of service assigned to the first service flow; and

forward the first data packet over the first service flow of the backhaul network for delivery of the first data packet to the destination network address.

17 . The method as in claim 1 , wherein mapping the first quality of service associated with the first data packet to the first service flow includes:

retrieving a first tag value from the first data packet, the first tag value indicating that the first quality of service is assigned to the first data packet;

using map information, mapping the first tag value to a first service flow identifier value, the first service flow identifier value indicating the first service flow.

18 . The method as in claim 17 further comprising:

producing a first communication to include the first data packet and the first service flow identifier value; and

wherein forwarding the first data packet over the first service flow includes: transmitting the first communication over the first service flow of the backhaul network for delivery of the first data packet to the destination network address.

19 . The method as in claim 18 , wherein the first communication is a first encapsulated message including the first data packet and the first service flow identifier value; and

wherein forwarding the first data packet over the first service flow includes: via the first service flow identifier value in the first encapsulated message, conveying the first encapsulated message over the first service flow of the backhaul network.

20 . The method as in claim 19 further comprising:

receiving a second data packet including a second data payload, the second data packet encoded in accordance with the wireless communication protocol for conveyance to the destination network address;

retrieving a second tag value from the second data packet, the second tag value indicating a second quality of service assigned to the second data packet, the second quality of service different than the first quality of service; and

using map information, mapping the second tag value to the first service flow identifier value.

21 . The method as in claim 20 further comprising:

producing a second communication to include the second data packet and the first service flow identifier value; and

transmitting the second communication over the first service flow of the backhaul network for delivery of the second data packet to the destination network address.

22 . The method as in claim 21 , wherein the second communication is a second encapsulated message including the second data packet and the first service flow identifier value;

wherein forwarding the second data packet over the first service flow includes: via the first service flow identifier value in the second encapsulated message, conveying the second encapsulated message over the first service flow of the backhaul network.

23 . The method as in claim 22 , wherein the first service flow conveys both the first encapsulated message and the second encapsulated message over the first service flow of the backhaul network in accordance with a same backhaul quality of service assigned to the first service flow.

24 . The method as in claim 1 , wherein the first quality of service is one of multiple qualities of service assigned to the first service flow in the backhaul network, the multiple qualities of service assigned to the first service flow including the first quality of service and a second quality of service; and

wherein the second quality of service is assigned a lower packet delay budget than the first quality of service.

25 . The method as in claim 24 further comprising:

receiving a second data packet including a second data payload, the second data packet encoded in accordance with the wireless communication protocol;

using map information, mapping the second quality of service associated with the second data packet to the first service flow; and

transmitting the second data packet over the first service flow of the backhaul network for delivery of the second data packet to the destination; and

wherein the first service flow provides a same backhaul quality of service associated with conveyance of the first data packet and the second data packet over the backhaul network.

26 . The method as in claim 25 , wherein forwarding the first data packet over the first service flow includes storing the first data packet in a first queue supporting the first quality of service and the second quality of service; and

wherein transmitting the second data packet over the first service flow includes storing the second data packet in the first queue.