QoSmate is a Quality of Service (QoS) solution for OpenWrt routers that aims to optimize network performance while allowing for controlled prioritization of specific traffic types. It uses nftables for packet classification and offers both CAKE (Common Applications Kept Enhanced) and HFSC (Hierarchical Fair Service Curve) queueing disciplines for traffic management. It uses tc-ctinfo to restore DSCP marks on ingress.

The project builds upon the amazing work of @dlakelan and his SimpleHFSCgamerscript, extending its capabilities and adding a user-friendly interface. QoSmate integrates concepts from various QoS systems, including SQM, DSCPCLASSIFY and cake-qos-simple to provide a comprehensive approach to traffic control.

Key aspects of QoSmate include

• Support for both HFSC and CAKE queueing disciplines
• A LuCI-based interface for easy configuration
• DSCP marking and traffic prioritization options via CLI and UI
• Automatic package installation and setup

While QoSmate can benefit various types of network traffic, including gaming and other latency-sensitive applications, it is designed to improve overall network performance when configured properly.

Important Note: Effective QoS is about strategic prioritization, not blanket elevation of all traffic. QoSmate allows you to prioritize specific traffic types, but it's crucial to use this capability judiciously. Over-prioritization can negate the benefits of QoS, as elevating too much traffic essentially equates to no prioritization at all. Remember that for every packet given preferential treatment, others may experience increased delay or even drops. The goal is to create a balanced, efficient network environment, not to prioritize everything.

Before installing QoSmate, ensure that:

1. Any existing QoS services or scripts (e.g., SQM, Qosify, DSCPCLASSIFY, SimpleHFSCgamerscript...) are disabled and stopped to avoid conflicts.
2. Your router is rebooted to clear out old settings for a clean start.

Install the QoSmate backend (which contains a main script/init script/hotplug and a config-file) with the following command:

wget -O /etc/init.d/qosmate https://raw.githubusercontent.com/hudra0/qosmate/main/etc/init.d/qosmate && chmod  x /etc/init.d/qosmate
wget -O /etc/qosmate.sh https://raw.githubusercontent.com/hudra0/qosmate/main/etc/qosmate.sh && chmod  x /etc/qosmate.sh
[ ! -f /etc/config/qosmate ] && wget -O /etc/config/qosmate https://raw.githubusercontent.com/hudra0/qosmate/main/etc/config/qosmate

Install luci-app-qosmate with this command:

mkdir -p /www/luci-static/resources/view/qosmate /usr/share/luci/menu.d /usr/share/rpcd/acl.d /usr/libexec/rpcd && \
wget -O /www/luci-static/resources/view/qosmate/settings.js https://raw.githubusercontent.com/hudra0/luci-app-qosmate/main/htdocs/luci-static/resources/view/settings.js && \
wget -O /www/luci-static/resources/view/qosmate/hfsc.js https://raw.githubusercontent.com/hudra0/luci-app-qosmate/main/htdocs/luci-static/resources/view/hfsc.js && \
wget -O /www/luci-static/resources/view/qosmate/cake.js https://raw.githubusercontent.com/hudra0/luci-app-qosmate/main/htdocs/luci-static/resources/view/cake.js && \
wget -O /www/luci-static/resources/view/qosmate/advanced.js https://raw.githubusercontent.com/hudra0/luci-app-qosmate/main/htdocs/luci-static/resources/view/advanced.js && \
wget -O /www/luci-static/resources/view/qosmate/rules.js https://raw.githubusercontent.com/hudra0/luci-app-qosmate/main/htdocs/luci-static/resources/view/rules.js && \
wget -O /www/luci-static/resources/view/qosmate/connections.js https://raw.githubusercontent.com/hudra0/luci-app-qosmate/main/htdocs/luci-static/resources/view/connections.js && \
wget -O /www/luci-static/resources/view/qosmate/custom_rules.js https://raw.githubusercontent.com/hudra0/luci-app-qosmate/main/htdocs/luci-static/resources/view/custom_rules.js && \
wget -O /usr/share/luci/menu.d/luci-app-qosmate.json https://raw.githubusercontent.com/hudra0/luci-app-qosmate/main/root/usr/share/luci/menu.d/luci-app-qosmate.json && \
wget -O /usr/share/rpcd/acl.d/luci-app-qosmate.json https://raw.githubusercontent.com/hudra0/luci-app-qosmate/main/root/usr/share/rpcd/acl.d/luci-app-qosmate.json && \
wget -O /usr/libexec/rpcd/luci.qosmate https://raw.githubusercontent.com/hudra0/luci-app-qosmate/main/root/usr/libexec/rpcd/luci.qosmate && \
chmod  x /usr/libexec/rpcd/luci.qosmate && \
/etc/init.d/rpcd restart && \
/etc/init.d/uhttpd restart

1. After installation, start the QoSmate service:

/etc/init.d/qosmate start

1. Access the LuCI web interface and navigate to Network > QoSmate.
2. Configure the basic settings: For a basic configuration, adjust the following key parameters:
   • WAN Interface: Select your WAN interface
   • Download Rate (kbps): Set to 80-90% of your actual download speed
   • Upload Rate (kbps): Set to 80-90% of your actual upload speed
   • Root Queueing Discipline: Choose between HFSC (default) and CAKE
3. Apply the changes

For users preferring automatic configuration, QoSmate offers an Auto-setup function:

1. In the QoSmate settings page, click "Start Auto Setup"
2. Optionally, enter your gaming device's IP address for prioritization
3. Wait for the speed test and configuration to complete

Note: Router-based speed tests may underestimate your actual connection speed. For more precise settings, run a speed test from a LAN device and manually input the results. The auto-setup provides a useful starting point, but manual fine-tuning may be necessary for optimal performance.

All cake settings are described in the tc-cake man.

QoSmate allows you to define custom DSCP (Differentiated Services Code Point) marking rules to prioritize specific types of traffic. These rules are defined in the /etc/config/qosmate file under the rule sections and via luci-app-qosmate.

config rule 
	option name 'gaming_traffic' 
	option proto 'udp' 
	option src_ip '192.168.1.100' 
	option dest_port '3074' 
	option class 'cs5' 
	option counter '1'

This rule would mark UDP traffic from IP 192.168.1.100 to port 3074 with the CS5 DSCP class, which is typically used for gaming traffic, and enable packet counting for this rule.

1. Prioritizing Video Conferencing Traffic:

config rule
    option name 'zoom_traffic'
    option proto 'tcp udp'
    list dest_port '3478-3479'
    list dest_port '8801-8802'
    option class 'af41'
    option counter '1'

Explanation: This rule marks both TCP and UDP traffic to typical Zoom ports with the DSCP class AF41. Using list for dest_port allows specifying multiple port ranges. AF41 is well-suited for interactive video conferencing as it provides high priority without impacting the highest priority traffic.

2. Low Priority for Peer-to-Peer Traffic:

config rule
    option name 'p2p_traffic'
    option proto 'tcp udp'
    list src_port '6881-6889'
    list dest_port '6881-6889'
    option class 'cs1'
    option counter '1'

Explanation: This rule assigns low priority to P2P traffic (like BitTorrent) by marking it as CS1. Using list for both src_port and dest_port covers both incoming and outgoing P2P traffic.

3. Call of Duty Game Traffic:

config rule
    option name 'cod1'
    option proto 'udp'
    option src_ip '192.168.1.208'
    option src_port '3074'
    option dest_port '30000-65535'
    option class 'cs5'
    option counter '1'

config rule
    option name 'cod2'
    option proto 'udp'
    option dest_ip '192.168.1.208'
    option dest_port '3074'
    option class 'cs5'
    option counter '1'

Explanation: These rules prioritize Call of Duty game traffic. The first rule targets outgoing traffic from the game console (IP 192.168.1.208), while the second rule handles incoming traffic. Both use CS5 class, which is typically used for gaming traffic due to its high priority. The wide range of destination ports in the first rule covers the game's server ports.

4. Generic Game Console/Gaming PC Traffic:

config rule
    option name 'Game_Console_Outbound'
    option proto 'udp'
    option src_ip '192.168.1.208'
    list dest_port '!=80'
    list dest_port '!=443'
    option class 'cs5'
    option counter '1'

config rule
    option name 'Game_Console_Inbound'
    option proto 'udp'
    option dest_ip '192.168.1.208'
    list src_port '!=80'
    list src_port '!=443'
    option class 'cs5'
    option counter '1'

Explanation: These rules provide a more generic approach to prioritizing game console/gaming pc traffic. The outbound rule prioritizes all UDP traffic from the console (192.168.1.208) except for ports 80 and 443 (common web traffic). The inbound rule does the same for incoming traffic. This approach ensures that game-related traffic gets priority while allowing normal web browsing to use default priorities. The use of '!=' (not equal) in the port lists demonstrates how to exclude specific ports from the rule. This is more or less equivalent to the realtime4 and realtime6 variables from the SimpleHFSCgamer script. However, this rule is even better as it excludes UDP port 80 and 443, which are often used for QUIC. This is likely less of an issue on a gaming console than on a gaming PC, where a YouTube video using QUIC might be running alongside the game.

This rule is also applied when the auto-setup is used via CLI or UI and a Gaming Device IP (optional) is entered.

QoSmate can be controlled and configured via the command line. The basic syntax is:

/etc/init.d/qosmate [command]

Available commands:
        start           Start the service
        stop            Stop the service
        restart         Restart the service
        reload          Reload configuration files (or restart if service does not implement reload)
        enable          Enable service autostart
        disable         Disable service autostart
        enabled         Check if service is started on boot
        running         Check if service is running
        status          Service status
        trace           Start with syscall trace
        info            Dump procd service info
        check_version   Check for updates
        update          Update qosmate
        auto_setup      Automatically configure qosmate
        expand_config   Expand the configuration with all possible options
        auto_setup_noninteractive   Automatically configure qosmate with no interaction

/etc/init.d/qosmate update

If you encounter issues with the script or want to verify that it's working correctly, follow these steps:

1. Disable DSCP washing (egress and ingress)

2. Update and install tcpdump: opkg update && opkg install tcpdump

3. Mark an ICMP ping to a reliable destination (e.g., 1.1.1.1) with a specific DSCP value using a DSCP Marking Rules.

4. Ping the destination from your LAN client.

5. Use tcpdump -i <your wan interface> -v -n -Q out icmp to display outgoing traffic (upload) and verify that the TOS value is not 0x0. Make sure to set the right interface (WAN Interface).

6. Use tcpdump -i ifb-<your wan interface> -v -n icmp to display incoming traffic (download) and verify that the TOS value is not 0x0. Make sure to set the right interface (ifb <yourwaninterface)

7. Install watch: opkg update && opkg install procps-ng-watch

8. Check traffic control queues:

   • When using HFSC as root qdisc:

     watch -n 2 'tc -s qdisc | grep -A 2 "parent 1:11"'
     

     Replace "1:11" with the desired class. The packet count should increase with the ping in both directions.

   • When using CAKE as root qdisc:

     watch -n 1 'tc -s qdisc show | grep -A 20 -B 2 "diffserv4"'
     

   The output will show you if packets are landing in the correct queue.

WIP... (Include additional troubleshooting steps, such as how to verify if QoSmate is working correctly, common issues and their solutions, etc.)

To remove QoSmate from your OpenWrt router:

1. Stop and disable the QoSmate service:

/etc/init.d/qosmate stop

2. Remove the QoSmate files:

rm /etc/init.d/qosmate /etc/qosmate.sh /etc/config/qosmate

3. Remove the LuCI frontend files:

rm -r /www/luci-static/resources/view/qosmate
rm /usr/share/luci/menu.d/luci-app-qosmate.json
rm /usr/share/rpcd/acl.d/luci-app-qosmate.json

4. vRestart the rpcd and uhttpd services:

/etc/init.d/rpcd restart
/etc/init.d/uhttpd restart

5. Reboot your router to clear any remaining settings.

1. Navigate to Your OpenWrt Buildroot Directory: cd /path/to/your/openwrt
2. Clone the QoSmate Package: mkdir -p package/qosmate git clone https://github.com/hudra0/qosmate.git package/qosmate
3. Clone the LuCI QoSmate Package: mkdir -p package/luci-app-qosmate git clone https://github.com/hudra0/luci-app-qosmate.git package/luci-app-qosmate

Contributions to QoSmate are welcome! Please submit issues and pull requests on the GitHub repository.

QoSmate is inspired by and builds upon the work of SimpleHFSCgamerscript, SQM, cake-qos-simple, qosify and DSCPCLASSIFY. I thank all contributors and the OpenWrt community for their valuable insights and contributions.