ALSO CALLED: Network Analyzers, Packet Analyzer Software, Port Mirroring Software, Traffic Analyzer Software, Software Network Analyzers, Network Sniffing Software, Protocol Analyzer Software, Sniffer Software, Packet Sniffer Software, Network Protocol Analyzer Software, Network Traffic Analyzer Software, and Port Spanning Software
DEFINITION: Deep packet inspection (DPI) is an advanced method of packet filtering that functions at the Application layer of the OSI (Open Systems Interconnection) reference model. The use of DPI makes it possible to find, identify, classify, reroute or block packets with specific data or code payloads that conventional packet filtering,  … 
Definition continues below.

NETWORK ANALYZER SOFTWARE DEFINITION (continued): …  which examines only packet headers, cannot detect.

Using DPI, communications service providers can allocate available resources to streamline traffic flow. For example, a message tagged as high priority can be routed to its destination ahead of less important or low-priority messages or packets involved in casual Internet browsing. DPI can also be used for throttled data transfer to prevent P2P (peer-to-peer) abuse, improving network performance for most subscribers. The security implications of DPI are widespread because the technology makes it possible … 
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