Managing a network flow using application classification information and active signaling relay

A method comprising:

• injecting, with an intermediate network device positioned between a customer device and an application server, first data into an upstream communication sent from the customer device for delivery to the application server;
• receiving, with the intermediate network device, a downstream signaling communication sent from the application server for delivery to the customer device, wherein the downstream signaling communication is (i) associated with and (ii) used in establishing delivery of a network service provided by the application server to the customer device;
• extracting second data from the downstream signaling communication with the intermediate network device, wherein the extracted second data is injected into the downstream signaling communication with the application server, wherein the extracted second data is different from the first data injected with the intermediate network device;
• forwarding, with the intermediate network device, the downstream signaling communication to the customer device;
• identifying with the intermediate network device a network flow between the application server and the customer device that is associated with the network service;
• mapping the identified network flow to a policy associated with the customer device;
• and
• controlling the delivery of the network flow to the customer device with the intermediate network device based at least in part on the extracted data by applying the policy to the network flow.

An application server device comprising:

• a memory;
• and
• one or more programmable processors configured to:
• receive an upstream signaling communication requesting a network service provided by the application server, the upstream communication being forwarded by an intermediate network device from a customer device to the application server;
• extract, from the received upstream signaling communication, first data that was injected by the intermediate network device;
• control the delivery of the network service from the application server to the customer device based on the extracted first data;
• issue a downstream communication for delivery to the customer device via the intermediate network device so as to establish a session for the delivery of the network service;
• and
• inject, within the downstream communication, second data to control application of one or more policies to the network service by the intermediate device, the injected second data being different from the extracted first data.

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium encoded with instructions that, when executed, cause one or more programmable processors of an application server to:

• receive an upstream signaling communication requesting a network service provided by the application server, the upstream communication being forwarded by an intermediate network device from a customer device to the application server;
• extract, from the received upstream signaling communication, first data that was injected by the intermediate network device;
• control the delivery of the network service from the application server to the customer device based on the extracted first data;
• issue a downstream communication for delivery to the customer device via the intermediate network device so as to establish a session for the delivery of the network service;
• and
• inject, within the downstream communication, second data to control application of one or more policies to the network service by the intermediate device, the injected second data being different from the extracted first data.