Abstract: The configuration of a CAM device can be set in various manners depending on a system in which CAM having different configurations is needed. The CAM device includes a CAM array including a plurality of physical banks, a logical bank-physical bank converter for setting the assignment between logical banks and physical banks, and for outputting a control signal to set the configuration of a physical bank assigned to the logical bank, depending on a logical bank signal indicating a logical bank to be searched, a priority circuit for outputting search results in accordance with predetermined priority, and a cascade circuit for performing a logical operation on the search results output from the priority circuit of the present CAM device and a search results supplied from a higher-order CAM device, and transmitting the results of the logical operation to a lower-order CAM device.

Abstract: The configuration of a CAM device can be set in various manners depending on a system in which CAM having different configurations is needed. The CAM device includes a CAM array including a plurality of physical banks, a logical bank-physical bank converter for setting the assignment between logical banks and physical banks, and for outputting a control signal to set the configuration of a physical bank assigned to the logical bank, depending on a logical bank signal indicating a logical bank to be searched, a priority circuit for outputting search results in accordance with predetermined priority, and a cascade circuit for performing a logical operation on the search results output from the priority circuit of the present CAM device and a search results supplied from a higher-order CAM device, and transmitting the results of the logical operation to a lower-order CAM device.

Abstract: Resources possessed by a computer are registered in a resource table. A resource supply judging portion, in answer to a resource utilization request generated in its own computer or the computer in the preceding stage, judges whether or not it is possible to supply the resource from its own computer by reference to the resource table. When the resource is judged suppliable in the judgment, a resource supplier brings the corresponding resource into a utilizable state. A utilization request transmitter, when the resource was judged unsuppliable, transmits the resource utilization request to the computer in the following stage and, at the same time, sets up a resource supply path. With the described arrangement, utilization of a resource of another computer is made possible without having resources managed by a plurality of computers in a centralized manner.