The DS 4100 advanced FlowThrough architecture enables complete host CPU offload for both security and compression. The DS 4100 FlowThrough engines perform security policy processing, security context look-up and cryptography and compression all without impact to the host platform processor. The DS4100 generates savings in both host software complexity as well as processor cycles, since packets exit the host network interface as they would in a normal clear text environment before being automatically transformed by the DS4100. In addition, the establishment of IPsec security associations can be offloaded from the host CPU and performed transparently by running the optional on chip IKE software stack. Outgoing cleartext packets will automatically start IKE negotiations and establish complete security contexts without host involvement. In addition to saving valuable CPU overhead, the powerfull FlowThrough architecture enables quick, easy system integration, and fast time to market.