Increasing Internet Protocol Version 6 Host Table Scalability in Top of Rack Switches for Data Center Deployments

A method comprising:

• at a switch device in a network, receiving a data packet from a source host in the network;
• determining from the data packet an address associated with a target host in the network, wherein the address comprises a first address component and a second address component;
• examining a first database of the switch device to determine whether the first address component of a target host address is stored in the first database;
• if the first address component is determined to be stored in the first database, retrieving from the first database an index value that is mapped to the first address component and examining a second database of the switch device to determine whether the index value and the second address component are stored in the second database.

An apparatus comprising:

• a plurality of network ports;
• a switch unit coupled to the plurality of network ports;
• a memory;
• and
• a processor coupled to the switch unit and the memory, and configured to:
• receive a control packet from a source host in the network;
• determine from the control packet an address associated with a host in the network, wherein the address comprises a first address component and a second address component;
• store the first address component in a first database;
• map the first address component to an index value and store the index value in the first database;
• and
• store the index value and the second address component in a second database.

A computer-readable storage media encoded with software comprising computer executable instructions and when the software is executed operable to:

• receive a control packet from a source host in the network;
• determine from the control packet an address associated with a host in the network, wherein the address comprises a first address component and a second address component;
• store the first address component in a first database of the switch device;
• map the first address component to an index value and store the index value in the first database;
• and
• store the index value and the second address component in a second database of the switch device.