User and session identification based on connections, protocols and protocol fields

A method for applying a service level to a packet of data, the method comprising:

• initializing a user device for transferring data packets through a connection, the connection transferring data packets for a plurality of user devices including the user device;
• determining a service level that is associated with the user device, wherein determining a service level that is associated with the user device includes:
• in response to receiving the user identification information, assigning a session identifier to a session associated with the user device;
• identifying a service level associated with the user device;
• and
• associating a service level with the session identifier, wherein the service level is determined at least in part by the user identification information;
• storing the service level associated with the user device;
• receiving a plurality of data packets from the connection, the data packets received from the plurality of user devices;
• determining a service level to apply to the one or more data packets based on the stored service level associated with the user device wherein determining a service level to apply to the data packet based on the stored service level further comprises:
• determining a communication protocol associated with the data packet;
• determining the connection identifier associated with the connection;
• determining a session identifier of a session associated with the data packet using the connection identifier and the communication protocol;
• and
• determining a service level for the data packet associated with the session identifier;
• and
• applying the service level to the data packet.

A method for determining and applying a service level to a data packet, wherein a plurality of data packets of a plurality of protocols are received from a plurality of connections and each connection comprises one or more sessions, the method comprising:

• for each session in the one or more sessions, establishing a service level, wherein establishing a service level comprises:
• receiving user identification information via a connection;
• assigning a session identifier to a session associated with the user identification information;
• identifying a service level associated with the user identification information;
• and
• associating the service level with the session identifier, wherein the service level is determined at least in part by the user identification information;
• and
• associating a connection identifier and a protocol of the connection with the session identifier;
• for each data packet in the plurality of packets, applying a service level to the packet, wherein applying a service level to the packet comprises:
• determining a connection in the plurality of connections from which the packet was received;
• determining a protocol in the plurality of protocols associated with the received packet;
• determining a session identifier for a session associated with the data packet based on the determined protocol and the determined connection;
• and
• determining a service level that is associated with the session identifier;
• and
• transferring the received packet at the determined service level.

An apparatus for applying a service level to data packets, the apparatus comprising:

• session assigner configured to assign a service level to a each of a plurality of sessions, wherein each session may be assigned a different level of service, wherein for each session, the session assigner is configured to:
• receive user identification information via a connection;
• assign a session identifier to a session associated with the user identification information;
• identify a service level associated with the user identification information;
• and
• associate the service level with the session identifier;
• associate a connection identifier and a protocol of the connection with the session identifier;
• a service level assigner configured to assign a service level to each of a plurality of data packets, each data packet being associated with one of the plurality of sessions, the service level assigner further comprising:
• a connection determiner configured to identify a connection in which a data packet was received, wherein the connection determiner determines a connection identifier of the connection;
• a protocol identifier configured to identify protocol information for the data packet;
• a session determiner configured to determine a session identifier for a session associated with the data packet based on the identified connection and identified protocol information;
• and
• a service level determiner configured to determine a service level associated with the identified session identifier;
• and
• a transmitter configured to transfer the data packet at determined service level.

A system for applying a service level to data packets, the system comprising:

• a plurality of user devices;
• a plurality of sessions, wherein at least one session is associated with a user device in the plurality of user devices;
• a router configured to receive a plurality of data packets from the plurality of user devices through a plurality of connections, wherein the router comprises a service level router, the service level router,
• for each session in the plurality of sessions, the service level router is configured to:
• receive user identification information via a connection;
• assign a session identifier to a session associated with the user identification information;
• identify a service level associated with the user identification information:
• and
• associate the service level with the session identifier;
• associate a connection identifier and a protocol of the connection with the session identifier;
• for each data packet in the plurality of data packets, the service level router is configured to:
• identify a connection from which the data packet was received, wherein the connection determiner determines a connection identifier of the connection;
• identify protocol information for the data packet;
• determine a session identifier for a session associated with the data packet based on the identified connection and identified protocol information;
• and
• determine the service level associated with the identified session identifier;
• and
• apply a service level to the data packet based on the session.