Abstract: A method of processing packets propagated over a packet switched communications network having a control plane, user plane, and a plurality of probes, the method comprising: receiving at least one control plane packet associated with creating at least one user session in the network; selecting a set of user sessions from the at least one user session; determining at least one target feature that characterizes packets propagated over the network; and load balancing all packets sharing the at least one target feature that belong to a same user session of the set of user sessions to a same probe of the plurality of probes for processing by the probe.

Abstract: A load balancing system for a packet switched communications network, the load balancing system comprising: at least one stateful load balancer configured to receive and process copies of control plane packets propagated by the network to determine a characterizing vector for each target feature of at least one target feature that characterizes packets propagated by the network, which vector comprises one or more characterizing components and is useable to associate packets propagated by the network with the target feature; and at least one non-stateful load balancer configured to: receive the at least one characterizing vector and copies of packets propagated by the network; use the at least one characterizing vector to associate a target feature of the at least one target feature with each of a plurality of the received packets; and load balance and transmit copies of packets that the non-stateful load balancer associates with a target feature of the at least one target feature to at least one probe, and co

Abstract: A method of processing packets propagated over a packet switched communications network having a control plane, user plane, and a plurality of probes, the method comprising: receiving at least one control plane packet associated with creating at least one user session in the network; selecting a set of user sessions from the at least one user session; determining at least one target feature that characterizes packets propagated over the network; and load balancing all packets sharing the at least one target feature that belong to a same user session of the set of user sessions to a same probe of the plurality of probes for processing by the probe.

Abstract: A load balancing system for a packet switched communications network, the load balancing system comprising: at least one stateful load balancer configured to receive and process copies of control plane packets propagated by the network to determine a characterizing vector for each target feature of at least one target feature that characterizes packets propagated by the network, which vector comprises one or more characterizing components and is useable to associate packets propagated by the network with the target feature; and at least one non-stateful load balancer configured to: receive the at least one characterizing vector and copies of packets propagated by the network; use the at least one characterizing vector to associate a target feature of the at least one target feature with each of a plurality of the received packets; and load balance and transmit copies of packets that the non-stateful load balancer associates with a target feature of the at least one target feature to at least one probe, and co