Template:Linkless-date Content processors are network processors that inspect the packet payload of an IP packet travelling through a computer network. These components allow for the design and deployment of next-generation networking systems that can make packet processing decisions based on an awareness of the packet content. Unlike knowledge based processors, which mainly target the packet header (twenty percent of the packet currently comprises the header), content processors go much further into the packet thereby determining the nature of the content in the packet itself (80% of the packet currently is data).
Applications of content processors include: layer 7 application switches and routers, unified threat management (UTM) appliances, Intrusion Detection, prevention systems (IDS/IPS), and anti-virus gateways. The various layers of the OSI model are given in the link that follows with a description of layer 7 where content processing is and will become and integral part of the intelligent network as the next generation networks mature.