1. A method comprising: differentiating at least one service class in a kernel to perform service differentiation based on content in at least one data packet, including the steps of: capturing said at least one data packet until a complete application header is detected; parsing said complete application header to determine at least one application tag; matching said at least one application tag to at least one matching rule; determining a presence of at least one match with said at least one matching rule; and performing service differentiation action based on said at least one matching rule.