Patent ID: 8090820

Claim:
A distributed traffic analysis system for analyzing traffic flow on a data packet network communication link comprising terminals, access points, a concentrator, and a data network, wherein the access points are provided as interfaces between the terminals and the concentrator for each of the terminals, wherein the distributed traffic analysis system comprises: a. embedded classification components hosted in at least some of the access points for performing classification and analysis of network traffic; b. a management server configured to process results of the classification sent by the embedded classification components; and c. at least one network operating system adapted to use the classified information pertaining to the classification of the traffic processed by the management server to generate a comprehensive analysis of the traffic, wherein the system further comprises a communication protocol managed by the embedded classification components for providing a communication means between the embedded classification components and the management server, said communication protocol being configured to encapsulate the information within the traffic flow by modifying the content of the packets intended to carry optional information.