The invention pertains to utilizing a data packet with a header extended to contain information dealing with the payload. Specifically, IEEE 802.1Q standard contains an extendable header which is normally utilized to contain information regarding a VLAN. However, these fields can also be utilized to provide information about the payload of the data packet. In this manner, networking devices which are primarily concerned with layer 2 data-link layer protocols can transmit information according to the information being transmitted by the packet.