Patent ID: 6957258

Claim:
A network processing system for enforcing network policies on a network, the network consisting of multiple data packets, the data packets forming a plurality of flows, the network processing system comprising: a network interface operable to receive data packets from the network and further operable to send processed data packets back onto the network; and a processing engine in communication with the network interface, the processing engine operable to associate each data packet with an identifier, wherein the identifier is associated with the flow of which the data packet is part, the processing engine further operable to compare each flow to a database stored in the processing engine, the database storing information on a set of programmable network policies programmed at a separate server and downloaded into the network processing system in the form of an image file, the set of programmable network policies determining a treatment for each flow, such that the processing engine is able to modify and direct the data packets according to the treatment indicated.