Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for preserving bandwidth of a security gateway by dynamically placing a module with a highest ratio of block rate to run-time cost before other modules in the set of scanning modules such that a most effective scanning module blocks data units before scanning is wasted on those data units by other modules. By tracking a plurality of application data units that are sent through a set of scanning modules, a scanner history tracker records a rate with which the modules block application data units from forwarding to their intended destination. When the next period of application data units are received, a scanner driver re-orders the sequence of modules from highest block rate to lowest block rate such that some scanning modules are less likely to scan units that are likely to be blocked by other scanning modules.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for preserving bandwidth of a security gateway by dynamically placing a module with a highest ratio of block rate to run-time cost before other modules in the set of scanning modules such that a most effective scanning module blocks data units before scanning is wasted on those data units by other modules. By tracking a plurality of application data units that are sent through a set of scanning modules, a scanner history tracker records a rate with which the modules block application data units from forwarding to their intended destination. When the next period of application data units are received, a scanner driver re-orders the sequence of modules from highest block rate to lowest block rate such that some scanning modules are less likely to scan units that are likely to be blocked by other scanning modules.