Abstract: The present invention relates to a method and system for managing a plurality of multi-field classification rules. The method includes providing a first table that includes a plurality of entries corresponding to a plurality of rules relating to an ingress context and providing a second table that includes a plurality of entries corresponding to a plurality of rules relating to an egress context. The method also includes utilizing the first table and the second table to identify any rules relating to the ingress context and any rules relating to the egress context that match a search key.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method and system for compressing a tree structure. The method of the present invention includes providing a compressed format block for representing a plurality of levels of the tree structure, where the plurality of levels comprises a set of nodes. The method also includes compressing each node in the set of nodes into the compressed format block, such that the plurality of levels is traversed in a single memory access.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method and system for storing a plurality of multi-field classification rules in a computer system. Each multi-field classification rule includes a rule specification that itself includes a plurality of fields and a plurality of field definitions corresponding to the fields. The method of the present invention includes providing a virtual rule table, where the table stores a plurality of field definitions, and for each of the plurality of multi-field classification rules, compressing the rule specification by replacing at least one field definition with an associated index into the virtual rule table. The method also includes storing each of the compressed rule specifications and the virtual rule table in a shared segment of memory.

Abstract: The classification system of a network device includes a cache in which a mapping between predefined characteristics of TCP/IP packets and associated actions are stored in response to the first “Frequent Flyer” packet in of a session. Selected characteristics from subsequent received packets of that session are correlated with the predefined characteristics and the stored actions are applied to the received packets if the selected characteristics and the predefined characteristics match, thus reducing the processing required for subsequent packets. The packets selected for caching may be data packets. For mismatched characteristics, the full packet search of the classification system is used to determine the action to apply to the received packet.

Abstract: A process control method and system including partitioning transmit decisions and certain measurements into one logical entity (Data Plane) and partitioning algorithm computation to update transmit probabilities into a second logical entity (Control Plane), the two entities periodically communicating fresh measurements from Data Plane to Control Plane and adjusted transmit probabilities from Control Plane to Data Plane. The transmit probability may be used in transmit/discard decisions of packets or instructions exercised at every arrival of a packet or instruction. In an alternative embodiment, the transmit probability may be used in transmit/delay decisions of awaiting instructions or packets exercised at every service event.

Abstract: A system for reducing the size of a database includes a memory in which the database configured in a ternary matrix array structure is stored. A processor executing at least one reduction algorithm scans the database tagging superfluous entries that are subsequently deleted. The tagging and deleting are done in such a way that the logical contents of the original database is unchanged, even though the size of the database is reduced.