High-speed and low-power network search engine using adaptive block-selection scheme

A new approach for using block-selection scheme to increase the search throughput of multi-block TCAM-based network search engines is proposed. While the existing methods try to counter and forcibly balance the inherent bias of the Internet traffic, our method takes advantage of it. Our method improves flexibility of table management and gains scalability towards high rates of change in traffic bias. It offers higher throughput than the current art and a very low average power consumption. One of the embodiments of the proposed model, using four TCAM chips, can deliver over six times the throughput of a conventional configuration of the same TCAM chips.