Patent ID: 9569561
Date: 2017-02-14
CPC Classifications: G06F,G11C,H04L

Claim:
1. An apparatus, comprising: a Label Masked Addressable Memory (LMAM) to receive an input key related to Layer 2 and Layer 3 packet switching protocols, the input key including fields that define a port of a network device, a network interface, and a virtual local area network (VLAN), the LMAM comprising: multiple mask modules each configured to mask one or more of the port, the network interface, and the VLAN fields of the input key with a respective programmable mask, to produce multiple masked keys; multiple hash modules, each corresponding to a respective one of the masked keys and including a hash table having entries each to store both a data value and an associated masked key related to the Layer 2 and Layer 3 switching protocols, each of the hash modules configured to: a selector to select among the found data values and the associated masked keys and output both the selected data value and the associated masked key; and a priority encoder configured to assign distinct priorities to the masks and, correspondingly, the found data values, and to cause the selector to select among two or more of the found data values and the associated masked keys based on the assigned priorities.