Content-Addressable Memory (CAM) and its applications

For communications system designers, using and understanding content addressable memory, CAM, has taken on a new importance. This is because CAM, is ideally suited for many functions, including ethernet address look-up, data compression, pattern-recognition, cache tags, high-bandwidth address filtering, and fast look-up of routing, user privilege, security or encryption information on a packet-by-packet basis for high-performance data switches, firewalls, bridges and routers. This article discusses several of these applications as well as hardware options for using CAM.