1. A method comprising: receiving, by a network protection device, a first rule set and a second rule set; preprocessing, by the network protection device, the first rule set and the second rule set to optimize performance of the network protection device for processing packets in accordance with at least one of the first rule set or the second rule set; configuring at least two processors of the network protection device to process packets in accordance with the first rule set; after the preprocessing and the configuring, receiving, by the network protection device, a plurality of packets; processing, by the network protection device and in accordance with the first rule set, a portion of the plurality of packets; signaling, each processor of the at least two processors, to process packets in accordance with the second rule set; and configuring, each processor of the at least two processors, to responsive to the signaling to process packets in accordance with the second rule set: cease processing of one or more packets; cache the one or more packets; reconfigure to process packets in accordance with the second rule set; signal completion of reconfiguration to process packets in accordance with the second rule set; and responsive to receiving signaling that each other processor of the at least two processors has completed reconfiguration to process packets in accordance with the second rule set, process, in accordance with the second rule set, the one or more packets.