a method and associated apparatus for automating the filtration and generation of information in a packetized communication system . a filtration table includes entries used in recognizing a valid packet received at a node in a communication system . a mask field in each entry is applied to appropriate fields in the packet to determine the validity of the packet with regard to the receiving node . rules in a field of each entry further qualify the recognition of a received packet by testing the reception of the packet against other logical rules . action fields in each record permit definition of actions to be invoked automatically in response to receipt and recognition of a particular packet . the set of packets recognized by the receiving node may be modified by adding , deleting , or modifying the entries in the filtration table . the programmable filtration thereby permits simple modifications to the protocol supported by the receiving node . programmable generation capabilities of the present invention permit rapid integration of additional packets transmitted in response to perceived packets in the receiving node . programmable parameters in the receiving node permit automatic generation and transmission of packets in accordance with the parameter settings at the time of packet transmission .