A method of managing a flow table, comprising: storing, by a hardware memory module coupled to a network component, a flow table including a plurality of entries, each entry corresponding to a network flow; providing on the network component, a flow table age cache configured to store a set of recently active network flows; providing on the network component, a flow table management module configured to manage a duration for which respective entries in the flow table remain in the flow table by: upon processing, by the network component, a data packet associated with a network flow, updating the flow table age cache with information indicating activity associated with the network flow; periodically conducting a scan of the entries in the flow table, the scan including for each entry in the flow table: looking up the network flow associated with the entry in the flow table age cache; in response to the network flow associated with the entry being found in the flow table age cache, updating timer information for the network flow stored in the memory module; and in response to the network flow associated with the entry not being found in the flow table age cache, evaluating an age of the entry based on information stored in the hardware memory module and removing the entry from the flow table in response to the age of the entry exceeding a threshold time value associated with the network flow; and wherein evaluating an age of the entry based on information stored in the hardware memory module comprises evaluating, by the flow table management module, the age of each entry based on a status of the network flow associated with the entry and the respective age thresholds that correspond to possible statuses of the network flow. storing, by a hardware memory module coupled to a network component, a flow table including a plurality of entries, each entry corresponding to a network flow; providing on the network component, a flow table age cache configured to store a set of recently active network flows; providing on the network component, a flow table management module configured to manage a duration for which respective entries in the flow table remain in the flow table by: upon processing, by the network component, a data packet associated with a network flow, updating the flow table age cache with information indicating activity associated with the network flow; periodically conducting a scan of the entries in the flow table, the scan including for each entry in the flow table: looking up the network flow associated with the entry in the flow table age cache; in response to the network flow associated with the entry being found in the flow table age cache, updating timer information for the network flow stored in the memory module; and in response to the network flow associated with the entry not being found in the flow table age cache, evaluating an age of the entry based on information stored in the hardware memory module and removing the entry from the flow table in response to the age of the entry exceeding a threshold time value associated with the network flow; and wherein upon processing, by the network component, a data packet associated with a network flow, updating the flow table age cache with information indicating activity associated with the network flow; periodically conducting a scan of the entries in the flow table, the scan including for each entry in the flow table: looking up the network flow associated with the entry in the flow table age cache; in response to the network flow associated with the entry being found in the flow table age cache, updating timer information for the network flow stored in the memory module; and in response to the network flow associated with the entry not being found in the flow table age cache, evaluating an age of the entry based on information stored in the hardware memory module and removing the entry from the flow table in response to the age of the entry exceeding a threshold time value associated with the network flow; and wherein looking up the network flow associated with the entry in the flow table age cache; in response to the network flow associated with the entry being found in the flow table age cache, updating timer information for the network flow stored in the memory module; and in response to the network flow associated with the entry not being found in the flow table age cache, evaluating an age of the entry based on information stored in the hardware memory module and removing the entry from the flow table in response to the age of the entry exceeding a threshold time value associated with the network flow; and wherein evaluating an age of the entry based on information stored in the hardware memory module comprises evaluating, by the flow table management module, the age of each entry based on a status of the network flow associated with the entry and the respective age thresholds that correspond to possible statuses of the network flow.