Patent ID: 7437354

Claim:
An architecture for a network search engine (NSE) comprising: one or more levels of a splitting engine configured for dividing a database of prefix entries into multiple sub-databases, each bounded in size between a minimum value and a maximum value; and an array of data processing units (DPUs) coupled to the splitting engine for storing the multiple sub-databases, wherein the one or more levels of the splitting engine are further configured for forming a hierarchical tree structure of the database, wherein the hierarchical tree structure comprises a plurality of nodes extending between a root node and a plurality of leaf nodes, and wherein each of the plurality of leaf nodes corresponds to one of the multiple sub-databases of prefix entries wherein the one or more levels of the splitting engine form the hierarchical tree structure by assigning a pointer entry to each of the plurality of nodes within the hierarchical tree structure; wherein a first portion of the pointer entries are stored within a first level of the splitting engine in a first storage device, wherein a second portion of the pointer entries are stored within a second level of the splitting engine in a second storage device, and wherein a third portion of the pointer entries, overlapping the first and second portions, are stored within the first and the second storage devices; and wherein each of the pointer entries residing within the first and third portions comprises a number of bits that is dependent on the level of the hierarchical tree structure at which the pointer entries respectfully reside.