Abstract: A content-based information retrieval architecture is herein disclosed that can achieve correct and predictable high speed lookups while taking advantage of inexpensive conventional memory components. A content-based information retrieval architecture is herein disclosed that can achieve high speed lookups with a constant query time while taking advantage of inexpensive conventional memory components. In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, the architecture comprise a hashing module, a first table of encoded values, a second table of lookup values, and a third table of associated input values. The input value is hashed a number of times to generate a plurality of hashed values, the hashed values corresponding to locations of encoded values in the first table. The encoded values obtained from an input value encode an output value such that the output value cannot be recovered from any single encoded value.

Abstract: When a network element receives a request for an increase in bandwidth via a resource management (RM) cell, the network element determines the rate that it can support. If the rate that the network element can support is less than the requested rate, rather than simply rejecting the requested rate, the network element overwrites the rate encoded in the appropriate field in the arriving RM cell with a lower rate than requested. If the network element can support the requested rate, the rate encoded in the RM cell is left unchanged and the RM cell is transmitted to the network along the connection.