PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT OF IPSEC TRAFFIC USING SA-GROUPS AND MIXED-MODE SAS

Some embodiments provide a method of load balancing data message flows across multiple secure connections. The method receives a data message having source and destination addresses formatted according to a first protocol. Based on the source and destination addresses, the method selects one of the multiple secure connections for the data message. Each of the secure connections handles a first set of connections formatted according to the first protocol and a second set of connections formatted according to a second protocol that is an alternative to the first protocol. The method securely encapsulates the data message and forwards the encapsulated data message onto a network. The encapsulation includes an identifier for the selected secure connection.