Multicast address search including multiple search modes

摘要

An information handling system (IHS) includes a network adapter having a hardware address store that stores multicast addresses and a device driver that stores multicast addresses in a software address store. When there is no more storage space available in the hardware address store for multicast addresses, the device driver stores multicast addresses in the software address store. When the IHS receives a multicast information packet, the network adapter searches the hardware address store for a multicast address corresponding to that multicast information packet. If the search of the hardware address store does not find that multicast address, then the device driver searches the software address store for that multicast address. The IHS may prioritize the multicast addresses in the hardware address store and the software address store on a most frequently used basis, a most recently used basis or a most popular basis. For example, the hardware address store may store addresses that are more frequently used than those in the software address store.