Content Address Memory

We see many in previous post, now we can see other applications of CAM.
1. MPLS switching at core and edge routers. MPLS switching involves label look up in place of an IP address look up. MPLS label consists of label value, QoS, stack flag and TTL (time to live). When a look up for such a data [...]

Let us see how CAM works in hardware. As mentioned earlier CAM can be binary or ternary.
Binary CAM cell
CAM logic will simply have the storage circuitry and comparator logic to provide the match information for the searches performed. In this case a XOR gate is used to compare between the stored [...]

Hardware search engines are faster than algorithmic approaches for search intensive applications. Also, the turnaround time of a hardware CAM would be highly deterministic while that of software would depend on how efficiently the search-tree balancing algorithm is implemented. However, software [...]

Content Addressable Memorys (CAM’s) in their most trivial form, work in a way opposite to conventional memories. While a random access memory (RAM) returns data upon providing the address, a CAM provides address when data is supplied. So effectively a CAM is a search tool that looks for the data [...]