Patent ID: 7948977

Claim:
A packet switching exchange that receives a plurality of packets, each of the plurality of packets having header content and payload content, the packet switching exchange comprising: a plurality of switches; primary processing circuitry communicatively coupled to the plurality of switches; one or more line cards, communicatively coupled to the plurality of switches, each of the one or more line cards comprising a network interface and processing circuitry configured to compare the header content of a received packet with a trigger template to determine if the received packet is to be delivered to the primary processing circuitry, and based on a result of the comparison of the header content, deliver the received packet to the primary processing circuitry along with a request for the primary processing circuitry to perform a comparison using a supplemental template; the primary processing circuitry configured to compare the payload content of a received packet with the supplemental template to determine if the received packet is to be delivered to a service module, and, based on a result of the comparison of the payload content, deliver the received packet to the service module for processing; and the processing circuitry further configured to deliver supplemental information to the primary processing circuitry based on a result of the comparison of the header content, the supplemental information identifying the service module to which the received packet is to be delivered, and a service to be provided.