1. A policy-based Internet Protocol (IP) network comprising: a plurality of switches; a plurality of network devices, each having a directory supported by at least one of the plurality of switches, the plurality of network devices being operatively connected to the plurality of switches via a local area network with each of the plurality of switches supporting quality of service (QoS) and policy files for each supported network device; a server having a repository for policy data and for receiving policy updates; and a network policy server having policy processing for provisioning quality of service via a user interface, wherein the user interface provides a graphic user interface for a user to set up QoS provisioning across the network devices.