当数据包进入网络设备时，这些芯片会对其进行检查，识别其所属的连接及所支持的应用。随后，芯片会查询客户购买的服务类型，并据此处理每个数据包——例如，将其放入优先级队列以限制延迟，或者在网络拥塞且客户购买的是低成本“尽力而为”（best-effort）服务时，直接丢弃该数据包。These chips look into packets as they enter network equipment and figure out what connection they belong to and what application they’re supporting. Then they look up what sort of service the customer has paid for and deal with each packet accordingly – for instance, putting it into a priority queue to limit latency, or dropping it altogether if the network is congested and the customer has bought a low-cost, best-effort service.过去，系统供应商通常自行开发专用集成电路（ASIC）来处理这些流量管理任务。但如今，越来越多的半导体制造商开始提供现成的解决方案，声称这不仅能大幅缩短开发周期，还能降低成本。部分网络处理器也