Patent ID: 7257643

Claim:
A method to search for routing information, comprising: receiving a packet having a network address comprising a plurality of aggregation identifiers and an interface identifier; retrieving a first value from said network address, said first value associated with one or more of said aggregation identifiers based on a level of aggregation at which said packet is received; comparing said first value with a predetermined value comprising a unique prefix based on the level of aggregation; retrieving a second value from said network address if said first value matches said predetermined value, said second value comprising at least all of said interface identifier and one or more of said plurality of aggregation identifiers not associated with said first value; generating an address identifier based on said network address using only said second value if said first value matches said predetermined value, said address identifier comprising fewer bits than said network address; and searching for routing information for said packet using said address identifier instead of said network address.