| 摘要 |
A system and method provide for efficient classification of long strings of data, such as network messages. The system, which may be a classification engine for use in a network device, is configured to include one or more stages having one or more banks of ternary content addressable memories (TCAMs). The TCAM banks of each stage are organized into one or more groups and each group processes the network messages for a different set of the network device's ports. The system further includes at least one memory resource that is shared by the TCAM banks of all groups. That is, the parallel banks of TCAMs operate in a distributed fashion while the shared memory resource operates in a centralized fashion. Accordingly, the system can process network messages at high speed while minimizing the number of required components.
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