Patent ID: 6961770

Claim:
A method for generating application recognition information for a selected application loaded on a client workstation, and a server target application loaded on a server, to allow recognition of the selected client application by the network, with the client workstation and server connected to the network so that packets transferred therebetween flow through a learning node, said method comprising the steps of: (a) providing client and server addresses to the learning node; (b) at the client workstation, starting the client target application and performing a task intended for the target client application; at the learning node: (c) subsequent to a first establishment of a connection between the client and server target applications, saving a first set of packets sent by the client application having payload data generated as the selected application is starting up; (d) shutting down and restarting the client application; (e) subsequent to a second establishment of a connection between the client and server target applications, saving a second set of packets sent by the client application having payload data generated as the selected application is starting up; (f) analyzing payload data in the first and second sets of saved packets to create application recognition pattern data based on the selected application payload data.