3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the classification information is received at the classification aggregator each time the first traffic classifier generates new classification information.
1. A method for performing collaborative application classification in a system including a classification aggregator communicatively coupled to a plurality of traffic classifiers, the plurality of traffic classifiers including a first and second traffic classifier, the method comprising: receiving, at the classification aggregator, classification information from the first traffic classifier, the classification information including a destination Internet protocol (IP) address, a destination port number, a protocol and a first application name associated with a first communication flow classified by the first traffic classifier; storing the classification information in a data store of the classification aggregator, the data store containing multiple entries, each of the entries mapping a group of characteristics, including a destination IP address, a destination port number and a protocol, to a corresponding application name; receiving, at the classification aggregator, a query requesting an application name associated with a second communication flow from a second classifier; and providing the first application name, in response to determining that the second communication flow is associated with the first application name, to the second classifier, wherein determining that the second communication flow is associated with the first application name is based on one or more of the entries of the data store of the classification aggregator.