Patent ID: 7975097

Claim:
A router device comprising: a memory that stores a plurality of data entries, where a particular number of the plurality of data entries are searchable in parallel; an input/output unit to receive a data unit; and a processor to: sort the plurality of data entries based on likelihoods, respectively, that the plurality of data entries, will be requested by the processor, where the memory further includes a plurality of count values, where each of the plurality of count values indicates a number of times that the processor has previously accessed a corresponding one of the plurality of data entries, and where the likelihoods, that the plurality of data entries will be requested by the processor, are based on corresponding ones of the plurality of count values, extract, from the received data unit, a network address, search, in response to extracting the network address, a first group, of the plurality of data entries, for data corresponding to the extracted network address, where the first group includes the particular number of the sorted plurality of data entries that are more likely, relative a second group, to be requested, if the data corresponding to the extracted network address is not in the first group, search the second group for the data, where the second group includes ones, of the plurality of data entries, that are not included in the first group, and process the data unit according to the data corresponding to the extracted network address.