A method for processing network information may include performing by one or more processors and/or circuits integrated within a single chip, classifying a header portion of a received packet based on connection context information within the received packet. The connection context information may be acquired by the single chip from a memory external to the single chip. The connection context information for the received packet may be updated based on the classifying. At least a payload portion of the received packet may be communicated to a destination, based on the updated connection context information. The classifying, updating and communicating may be performed asynchronously. The header portion of the received packet may be parsed and/or validated. The connection context information of the received packet may be evaluated.