Abstract: A network appliance includes a first and second compliance checker and an action identifier. Each compliance checker includes a first and second lookup operator. Traffic data is received by the network appliance. A field within the traffic data is separated into a first and second subfield. The first lookup operator performs a lookup operation on the first subfield of the traffic data and generates a first lookup result. The second lookup operator performs a lookup operation on the second subfield of the traffic data and generates a second lookup result. A compliance result is generated by a lookup result analyzer based on the first and second lookup results. An action is generated by an action identifier based at least in part on the compliance result. The action indicates whether or not additional inspection of the traffic data is required. The first and second lookup operators may perform different lookup methodologies.

Abstract: An apparatus (1) for implementing a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) error detection methodology to compute a CRC error detection code for data according to the methodology, comprising computation means (2) which uses parallel computation (4) to compute the CRC error detection code, and configurator means (3) which uses the CRC error detection methodology to determine a configuration of the computation means required to compute the CRC error detection code, and configures (25) the computation means accordingly, wherein the configurator means is able to use each of a plurality of CRC error detection methodologies to determine a configuration of the computation means required for parallel computation of a CRC error detection code according to each of the methodologies, and the computation means is configurable to allow configuration thereof for parallel computation of each CRC error detection code.

Abstract: A sorting apparatus and method for sorting units into a unit storage structure in accordance with a pre-determined order, the sorting apparatus comprising a unit search structure containing a record of units in the unit storage structure, and a unit location pointer structure containing location pointers for units in the unit storage structure, wherein the sorting apparatus receives a unit being sorted, the unit search structure reads the unit being sorted, uses its record of units in the unit storage structure to search for a closest matching unit to the unit being sorted, accesses the unit location pointer structure and retrieves a location pointer for the closest matching unit, and the sorting apparatus uses the location pointer of the closest matching unit to access the unit storage structure and to place the unit being sorted into the unit storage structure in an appropriate position in accordance with the pre-determined order.

Abstract: An apparatus (1) for implementing a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) error detection methodology to compute a CRC error detection code for data according to the methodology, comprising computation means (2) which uses parallel computation (4) to compute the CRC error detection code, and configurator means (3) which uses the CRC error detection methodology to determine a configuration of the computation means required to compute the CRC error detection code, and configures (25) the computation means accordingly, wherein the configurator means is able to use each of a plurality of CRC error detection methodologies to determine a configuration of the computation means required for parallel computation of a CRC error detection code according to each of the methodologies, and the computation means is configurable to allow configuration thereof for parallel computation of each CRC error detection code.

Abstract: A method of detecting patterns in a plurality of data blocks, comprising generating a first database comprising a first subset of patterns of a set of selected patterns, generating a second database comprising a second subset of remaining patterns of the set of selected patterns, receiving the plurality of data blocks, and, for each data block, using the data, block and a hash function to generate a key, using the key to search the first database, locating an entry of the first database corresponding to the key, reading the content of the entry which comprises zero or a selected pattern that generates the key, if the content of the entry comprises zero, determining that the data block does not comprise a selected pattern, and outputting a first output indicating that the data block does not comprise a selected pattern.

Abstract: A sorting apparatus and method for sorting units into a unit storage structure in accordance with a pre-determined order, the sorting apparatus comprising a unit search structure containing a record of units in the unit storage structure, and a unit location pointer structure containing location pointers for units in the unit storage structure, wherein the sorting apparatus receives a unit being sorted, the unit search structure reads the unit being sorted, uses its record of units in the unit storage structure to search for a closest matching unit to the unit being sorted, accesses the unit location pointer structure and retrieves a location pointer for the closest matching unit, and the sorting apparatus uses the location pointer of the closest matching unit to access the unit storage structure and to place the unit being sorted into the unit storage structure in an appropriate position in accordance with the pre-determined order.