Adaptive cache for caching context and for adapting to collisions in a session lookup table

A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon a computer program, the computer program being executable by a computer for causing the computer to:

• partition an on-chip cache of a network processor chip into a plurality of segments, each of said segments being associated with one of a plurality of pre-defined network protocols, wherein a capacity of at least one of said segments is modified based upon a usage of said on-chip cache;
• allocate an entry in a designated one of said segments for an active network connection, said designated segment being determined in response to a protocol of said active network connection;
• select connection data associated with said active network connection from a memory external to said network processor chip;
• and
• store at least a portion of connection data associated with a new network connection in a data cache portion of an overflow entry in said designated segment in response to an identifier associated with said new network connection being equal to an identifier associated with said active network connection.

A system for processing communication information, the system comprising:

• a network processor chip that comprises an on-chip cache and a cache controller wherein:
• one or more segments of said on-chip cache are allocated such that a type of entry associated with each of said one or more segments of said on-chip cache is based on which of a plurality of pre-defined protocols are associated with one or more active network connections;
• said network processor chip is operable to select a network connection context associated with a particular one of said one or more active network connections from a transport control array in a memory external to said network processor chip;
• said cache controller is operable to store at least a portion of a network connection context associated with a new network connection in a data cache portion of an overflow entry in a designated one of said one or more segments of said on-chip cache in response to an identifier associated with said new network connection being equal to an identifier associated with said particular active network connection, said designated segment being determined based on a protocol associated with said particular active network connection;
• and
• said cache controller is further operable to adjust capacities of said one or more segments in response to usage of said on-chip cache.