Patent ID: 7613775

Claim:
In a packet controller having an input, hash logic, pattern matching logic coupled to the hash logic, and control logic coupled to the hash logic and the pattern matching logic, a method comprising: receiving a message at an input of the packet controller; providing the message to the hash logic which performs a hash function on the message to provide a hash result; providing the message to the pattern matching logic which performs pattern matching on the message to provide a pattern match result, wherein performing pattern matching to provide the pattern match result comprises: determining whether a pattern match exists within the received message based on pattern match data which indicates at least one pattern and pattern match control corresponding to the pattern match data, wherein the pattern match result indicates whether the pattern match exists, and wherein when the pattern match result indicates that the pattern match exists, the pattern match result further indicates whether the received message is one of accepted, rejected, and neither accepted nor rejected; and the control logic selectively accepting the message based at least on the pattern match result.