Cisco APIC Layer 3 Networking Configuration Guide, Release 6.2(x)

QoS for L3Outs

Updated: April 17, 2026

This chapter explains how to configure and apply Quality of Service (QoS) policies to L3Out connections to prioritize traffic, manage bandwidth, and ensure service level agreement (SLA) compliance for external Layer 3 communications.

This chapter contains the following sections:

L3Out QoS

Describes how contracts and custom QoS policies classify Layer 3 Out traffic into QoS queues according to ingress DSCP or CoS values.

L3Out QoS guidelines and limitations

Describes requirements and limitations for configuring L3Out QoS, including VRF enforcement settings, contract placement, custom policies, and switch-generation support for QoS levels.

Configure QoS directly on an L3Out using the GUI

Configures a QoS priority or custom QoS policy directly on an L3Out interface by using the GUI in Cisco APIC release 4.0(1) or later.

Configure QoS contracts for L3Outs using the GUI

Configures contract-based QoS classification for traffic entering through an L3Out by setting VRF enforcement, defining a DSCP filter, and creating a contract subject.

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