Patent ID: 7307988

Claim:
An address search apparatus in an ethernet switch, said apparatus comprising: a plurality of ports; a plurality of local search blocks corresponding to each of said plurality of ports, each of said plurality of local search blocks configured to analyze a destination address of an input packet received in the port thereof and to search for a transmission port of said ethernet switch and provide a source address thereof; a main search block configured to analyze said source address to establish an address data structure of said plurality of local search blocks, said main search block being also configured to respond to a destination address request from at least one of said plurality of local search blocks by providing said requested destination address to a corresponding local search block by using said address data structure upon said main search unit having said destination address, said main search block being further configured to respond to a destination address request from at least one of said plurality of local search blocks by sending a “no port” signal to said at least one of said plurality of local search blocks upon said main search block not having said destination address; and a scheduler for controlling said local search blocks and said main search block to enable an interface therebetween.