An appliance wherein the appliance is an integrated multi-level network appliance comprising: two or more isolated level-specific hardware-integrated processing engines each operable to implement a corresponding network-related resource associated with a respective network level in accordance with a designated multi-level network architecture; one or more integrated digital data processors operable to execute said processing engines; one or more integrated data storage resources accessible to said processing engines to implement each said corresponding network-related resource; and a trusted single-chip switch (101, 201, 301, 301', 301", 401) having a plurality of hardware ports associated therewith and configured to define in hardware multiple hardware-isolated data communication paths embedded therein; wherein each of said isolated level-specific hardware-integrated processing engines interfaces with said switch via a designated level-specific hardware port thereof in hardware so to route level-specific processing engine traffic therethrough along selected ones of said embedded hardware-isolated data communication paths to operatively interconnect said processing engines across network architecture levels through internal integrated hardware-isolated network connections; and wherein each of said isolated level-specific hardware-integrated processing engines is physically isolated such that a designated level-specific hardware-integrated processing engine interfacing with a single level-specific switch hardware input port is inaccessible in hardware upon corresponding level-specific processing engine traffic being received via a distinct level-specific switch hardware input port. two or more isolated level-specific hardware-integrated processing engines each operable to implement a corresponding network-related resource associated with a respective network level in accordance with a designated multi-level network architecture; one or more integrated digital data processors operable to execute said processing engines; one or more integrated data storage resources accessible to said processing engines to implement each said corresponding network-related resource; and a trusted single-chip switch (101, 201, 301, 301', 301", 401) having a plurality of hardware ports associated therewith and configured to define in hardware multiple hardware-isolated data communication paths embedded therein; wherein each of said isolated level-specific hardware-integrated processing engines interfaces with said switch via a designated level-specific hardware port thereof in hardware so to route level-specific processing engine traffic therethrough along selected ones of said embedded hardware-isolated data communication paths to operatively interconnect said processing engines across network architecture levels through internal integrated hardware-isolated network connections; and wherein each of said isolated level-specific hardware-integrated processing engines is physically isolated such that a designated level-specific hardware-integrated processing engine interfacing with a single level-specific switch hardware input port is inaccessible in hardware upon corresponding level-specific processing engine traffic being received via a distinct level-specific switch hardware input port. <EOS>