Patent ID: 7315547
Filing Date: 2008-01-01
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. A packet forwarding device comprising: an input line through which a packet is input; a plurality of output lines through which packets are output; a routing table search unit which comprises a plurality of routing entries containing destination address conditions set to designate matching conditions for bits of destination addresses and forwarding information set for the destination address conditions, searches for the destination address condition to match a destination address of the packet input through the input line, and sets a destination of the packet matching the destination address condition in forwarding information corresponding to the destination address condition; and a packet forwarding unit which forwards the packet to one of the plurality of output lines corresponding to the forwarding information, wherein the routing table search unit comprises: a TCAM which comprises a first TCAM entry to set high order bits of the destination address conditions; a first search unit which compares high order bits of the destination address of the input packet with the first TCAM entry to search for a matching destination address condition; a second search unit which searches for a matching destination address condition based on low order bits of the destination address of the packet when no destination address condition corresponding to the high order bits of the destination address is uniquely decided based on a result of the searching; and a forwarding information storage which sets forwarding information of the packet based on a destination address condition uniquely corresponding to the destination address of the packet retrieved by one of the first and second search units.