Huawei Technologies Huawei Technologies The Application-aware Networking (APN) framework defines that application-aware information (i.e. APN attribute) including APN identification (ID) and/or APN parameters (e.g. network performance requirements) is encapsulated at network edge devices and carried in packets traversing an APN domain in order to facilitate service provisioning, perform fine-granularity traffic steering and network resource adjustment. This document defines the extension of the APN framework for the application side. In this extension, the APN resources of an APN domain is allocated to applications which compose and encapsulate the APN attribute in packets. When the network devices in the APN domain receive the packets carrying APN attribute, they can directly provide fine-granular traffic operations according to these APN attributes in the packets.