Patent ID: 7363383

Claim:
A method of processing communication packets comprising: assigning a first communication packet to a first communication data structure which is unique to a first connection that comprises said first communication packet; selecting a first event list from a database, said first event list selected based on a classification of said first communication packet, said first event list identifying a first plurality of communication modules specific for said first connection and an ordering thereof, each communication module of the first plurality of communication modules in the first event list configured to manipulate the corresponding communication module portion of the first event list so that subsequent packets can use the manipulated one or more of the first plurality of communication modules in first event list for processing; processing said first communication packet through said first plurality of communication modules based on said ordering of said first event list; and manipulating said first event list to enable a communication module of said first plurality of communication modules to enter one of a plurality of operational states associated with said communication module.