Fast hardware processing of regular expressions containing sub-expressions

1. A computer useable information storage medium storing computer readable program code for causing a computer to perform the steps of:

storing information regarding one or more regular expressions, each containing one or more sub-expressions;

comparing data to the stored information regarding the regular expressions and the sub-expressions in only a single pass through the data;

determining from the comparison the location within the data of the beginning and end of each sub-expression, and the end of the regular expression; storing the location; and

identifying from such determination the presence within the data of any one or more stored regular expressions containing one or more sub-expressions.

2. The computer useable information storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the storing information regarding regular expressions comprises converting a regular expression to tables stored in memory.

3. The computer useable information storage medium of claim 2 , wherein the determining step comprises saving, upon the start or end of a sub-expression, an identification of a rule with which the sub-expression is associated, an identification of the sub-expression within the rule, and an identification of whether it is the start or end of a sub-expression.

4. The computer useable information storage medium of claim 3 , wherein the saving comprising storing the identifications in an addressable memory.

5. The computer useable information storage medium of claim 4 , further comprising keeping track of the next location within the addressable memory for storing an identification.

6. The computer useable information storage medium of claim 3 , wherein the means for saving step comprising storing the byte offset of the data which comprises the start or end of a sub-expression.

7. The computer useable information storage medium of claim 2 , wherein there is one table for each regular expression containing one or more sub-expressions.

8. The computer useable information storage medium of claim 7 , wherein the table of each regular expression containing one or more sub-expressions comprising a quantity of elements equal to at least twice the maximum number of sub-expressions in the rule, so that the start and end of each sub-expression can be separately stored.

9. A method for processing regular expression containing one or more sub-expressions, comprising:

storing information regarding one or more regular expressions, each containing one or more sub-expressions, including converting a regular expression to tables stored in memory, wherein there is one table for each regular expression containing one or more sub-expressions, and wherein such tables each comprise a quantity of elements equal to at least twice the maximum number of sub-expressions in the rule, so that the start and end of each sub-expression can be separately stored in a table;

comparing data to the stored information regarding expressions in only a single pass through the data;

determining from the comparison, for any stored expression, the location within the data of the beginning and end of each sub-expression, and the end of the regular expression, wherein the determining step includes saving upon the start or end of a sub-expression, an identification of a rule with which the sub-expression is associated, an identification of the sub-expression within the rule, and an identification of whether it is the start or end of a sub-expression, and wherein the saving comprises means for storing the byte offset of the data which comprises the start or end of a sub-expression in an addressable memory;

identifying from such determination the presence within the data of any one or more stored regular expressions containing one or more sub-expressions; and

keeping track of the next location within the addressable memory for storing an identification.

10. A system for processing regular expressing containing one or more sub-expressions using a deterministic finite state automation comprising:

means for storing information regarding one or more regular expressions, each containing one or more sub-expressions;

means for comparing data to the stored information regarding the regular expressions and the sub-expressions in only a single pass through the data;

means for determining from the comparison the location within the data of the beginning and end of each sub-expression, and the end of the regular expression storing location; and

means for identifying from such determination the presence within the data of any one or more stored regular expressions containing one or more sub-expressions.