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Content search mechanism that uses a deterministic finite automata (DFA) graph, a DFA state machine, and a walker process

  • US 8,560,475 B2
  • Filed: 09/12/2005
  • Issued: 10/15/2013
  • Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2004
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A network services processor comprising:

  • a processor;

    a memory storing a Deterministic Finite Automata (DFA) graph having a plurality of nodes, each node of the plurality representing a state of a DFA state machine, from each state of the DFA state machine there is one valid state transition, the DFA graph having at least one node associated with a command that allows the processor to interpret the state of the DFA state machine represented by a subject node;

    the processor executing a walker process to traverse the DFA graph to search for a match defined by a regular expression in an input stream, the walker process having an associated walker state;

    upon the walker process reaching the at least one node associated with the command, the processor executing the command to set or check the walker state, the walker state being set or checked is different and in addition to the states of the DFA state machine represented by the plurality of nodes; and

    the processor interpreting the state of the DFA state machine represented by the subject node based on the walker state set or checked by the executed command.

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