Abstract: Low-level network services are provided by network-service-provider plugins. These plugins are controlled by an extensible service provider that is layered above the TCP layer but below the Winsock-2 library and API. The extensible service provider orders the plugins based on the function performed by each plugin and on ordering hints. Plugins that redirect the protocol or socket are executed first. Plugins that examine packets or block entire packets are executed before plugins that modify packets. Plugins that compress or encrypt data are executed last for outgoing packets. Ordering hints cause a plugin to be executed before or after others in its functional class. Ordering allows examining plugins that simply read data get to the packets before an encrypting or compressing plugin renders the data unreadable. The extensible service provider has a plugin manager that orders and controls execution of the plugins. A filter manager evaluates one or more packet-filters.

Abstract: Low-level network services are provided by network-service-provider plugins. These plugins are controlled by an extensible service provider that is layered above the TCP or other protocol layer but below the Winsock-2 library and API. Policy servers determine priority of network traffic through control points on a network. Examining packets passing through these control points provides limited data such as the source and destination IP address and TCP ports. Many applications on a client machine may use the same IP address and TCP ports, so packet examination is ineffective for prioritizing data from different applications on one client machine. Often some applications such as videoconferencing or data-entry for corporate sales are more important than other applications such as web browsing. A application-classifier plugin to the extensible service provider intercepts network traffic at above the client's TCP/IP stack and associates applications and users with network packets.