# Queueing Discipline / Packet Scheduler

A queueing discipline / packet scheduler is a network function that distributes available [bandwidth](/glossary/b/bandwidth) to different connections according to an algorithm.

The management is done by deciding how many [packets](/glossary/p/packet) each connection is handed, by handling the device traffic queue and making prioritizing incoming/ingress or outgoing/egress packets.

The scheduling can be done either by automatically, based on observed traffic, or following rules according to a [Quality Of Service](/glossary/q/qos) protocol such as [Intserv](/glossary/i/intserv) or [DiffServ](/glossary/d/diffserv).