NETWORK DATA PACKET CLASSIFICATION AND DEMULTIPLEXING

The present invention provides methods and apparatus for classifying and demultiplexing packets in a network protocol stack. It provides extendibility for packet processing in the network protocol stack by defining a standard method for adding new functionality. It provides a method to obtain external information, from an application scheduled outside of the forwarding or interrupt context of the kernel, in order to augment packet classification and/or augment packet disposition. In some embodiments, external information augments a criteria of a node in a classification tree with additional information. It presents a way of augmenting which suspends the classification process until an application, scheduled outside of the forwarding or interrupt context of the kernel, completes. The resulting external information is used to augment the packet classification. In some embodiments of the method, the external information includes authentication of an originator of the packet by correlating a tunnel id with a userid, and/or using s/ident for out of band authentication. The classification process enables enforcement of a site policy.