Patent ID: 8065393

Claim:
A method comprising: exchanging, using a receiving customer edge (CE) device in a network, a set of labels with a transmitting CE device in the network, wherein each label in the set of labels indicates a first set of actions associated with a first set of rules performed on a data packet using the transmitting CE, the transmitting CE and receiving CE being security-based devices positioned at edges of customer networks of a transmitting network device and a receiving network device respectively; registering the set of labels at the receiving CE device and associating the set of labels with registration information, wherein the registration information includes, for each label in the registered set of labels, associated first set of actions performed on a data packet using the transmitting CE device and identification of the transmitting CE device; receiving, using the receiving CE device, a data packet that has been processed by the transmitting CE device; locating, using the receiving CE device, a label that is attached to the received data packet, wherein the label is attached to the data packet using the transmitting CE device; identifying, using the receiving CE device, the label received with the data packet as present in the set of labels registered at the receiving CE device; determining, using the receiving CE device and based on the registration information associated with the label identified, the first set of actions performed on the data packet by the transmitting CE device; and performing, using the receiving CE device and based on determining the first set of actions, a second set of actions on the data packet, wherein the second set of actions includes one or more actions that are not present in the first set of actions.