Fast and scalable pattern matching for content filtering

High-speed packet content inspection and filtering devices rely on a fast multi-pattern matching algorithm which is used to detect predefined keywords or signatures in the packets. Multi-pattern matching is known to require intensive memory accesses and is often a performance bottleneck. Hence specialized hardware-accelerated algorithms are being developed for line-speed packet processing. While several pattern matching algorithms have already been developed for such applications, we find that most of them suffer from scalability issues. To support a large number of patterns, the throughput is compromised or vice versa. We present a hardware-implementable pattern matching algorithm for content filtering applications, which is scalable in terms of speed, the number of patterns and the pattern length. We modify the classic Aho-Corasick algorithm to consider multiple characters at a time for higher throughput. Furthermore, we suppress a large fraction of memory accesses by using Bloo...

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2005
• Where: ANCS
• Authors: Sarang Dharmapurikar, John W. Lockwood
• Keywords: ANCS 2005, Matching Algorithm, Pattern Matching, Pattern Matching Algorithm