摘要 |
A content search system includes multiple pipelined search engines that implement different portions of a regular expression search operation. For some embodiments, the search pipeline includes a DFA engine, an NFA engine, and a token stitcher that combines partial match results generated by the DFA and NFA engines. The token stitcher can be configured to implement unbounded sub-expressions without utilizing resources of the DFA or NFA engines. The token stitcher may comprise a flag bank for storing a number of flags. Each flag may identify a sub-expression that matches the input string. The flag bank may be configured to discard one or more flags upon satisfaction of a predetermined condition for purposes of recapturing hardware resources to provide a certain level of performance. |