Fast packet classification using field-level trie

Abstract

Packet classification plays an important role in next-generation Internet routers in providing various services such as packet filtering, policy routing, traffic policing, and load balancing. In this paper, we propose an original field-level trie classification (FLTC) scheme that accommodates classifier (rule database) with multiple fields specified in different forms (prefix and range). The FLTC achieves a high classification speed with reasonable storage. It is also highly scalable regarding the size and the number of fields of classifiers.