Stateful failover of service managers

A system for performing one or more network services, comprising:

• means for monitoring a plurality of packets associated with a communications flow;
• means for providing a plurality of instructions associated with the packets in order to provide a network service, one or more of the instructions including an expiration time interval that designates a time interval to be used in processing one or more packets included in the communications flow, at least one instruction being removed upon expiration of the expiration time interval of the at least one instruction;
• means for replicating one or more of the instructions;
• means for communicating one or more of the instructions;
• and
• means for invoking a backup service manager when a failure occurs, wherein the backup service manager is operable to perform one or more operations that were being performed by a primary service manager.

Software for performing one or more network services, the software being embodied in a computer readable medium and comprising computer code such that when executed is operable to:

• monitor a plurality of packets associated with a communications flow;
• provide a plurality of instructions associated with the packets in order to provide a network service, one or more of the instructions including an expiration time interval that designates a time interval to be used in processing one or more packets included in the communications flow, at least one instruction being removed upon expiration of the expiration time interval of the at least one instruction;
• replicate one or more of the instructions;
• communicate one or more of the instructions;
• and
• invoke a backup service manager when a failure occurs, wherein the backup service manager is operable to perform one or more operations that were being performed by a primary service manager.