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A network device includes a receive module, a port filter, an action generator, processing logic, and a transmit module. The receive module receives a packet and detects whether the packet includes a router media access control (MAC) destination address. The port filter stores Internet Protocol (IP)

A network device includes a receive module, a port filter, an action generator, processing logic, and a transmit module. The receive module receives a packet and detects whether the packet includes a router media access control (MAC) destination address. The port filter stores Internet Protocol (IP) source and destination addresses, determines whether an IP destination address associated with the packet has been stored, and identifies policy handling information for the packet. The action generator generates, based on the policy handling information, forwarding information for the packet. The forwarding information includes at least a port vector, and, when the IP destination address associated with the packet has been stored, a replacement MAC destination address. The processing logic determines a replacement MAC destination address when the IP destination address associated with the packet has not been stored. The transmit module transmits the packet based on the replacement MAC destination address.

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What is claimed is: 1. A method for transferring data in a network device, comprising: receiving a packet including a router media access control (MAC) destination address and an Internet Protocol (IP) destination address; determining, when the packet includes a router MAC destination address, a r

What is claimed is: 1. A method for transferring data in a network device, comprising: receiving a packet including a router media access control (MAC) destination address and an Internet Protocol (IP) destination address; determining, when the packet includes a router MAC destination address, a replacement MAC destination address based on the IP destination address, the determining including: determining whether the IP destination address has been previously stored, selecting a MAC destination address corresponding to the IP destination address as the replacement MAC destination address when the IP destination address has been previously stored, routing the packet to a local processor when the IP destination address has not been previously stored, and performing an address resolution operation to determine the replacement MAC destination address; and routing the packet using the replacement MAC destination address. 2. The method of claim 1 further comprising: programming the IP destination address and the replacement MAC destination address when the IP destination address has not been previously stored. 3. The method of claim 1 further comprising: determining whether a time to live (TTL) value in the packet is zero; and discarding the packet when the TTL value is zero. 4. The method of claim 3 further comprising: routing the packet to a local processor when the TTL value is not zero. 5. The method of claim 4 further comprising: decrementing the TTL value in the packet prior to routing the packet. 6. A network device comprising: at least one receive module configured to receive a packet and detect whether the packet includes a router media access control (MAC) destination address; a port filter configured to store Internet Protocol (IP) source and destination addresses, determine whether an IP destination address associated with the packet has been stored, and identify policy handling information for the packet; an action generator configured to generate, based on the policy handling information, forwarding information for the packet, the forwarding information including at least a port vector, and, when the IP destination address associated with the packet has been stored, a replacement MAC destination address; processing logic configured to determine a replacement MAC destination address when the IP destination address associated with the packet has not been stored; and at least one transmit module configured to transmit the packet based on the replacement MAC destination address. 7. The network device of claim 6 wherein the port filter includes an IP content addressable memory configured to store the IP source and destination addresses. 8. The network device of claim 7 wherein the processing logic is further configured to: store, when the IP destination address associated with the packet has not been stored, the IP destination address and an IP source address associated with the packet in the IP content addressable memory. 9. The network device of claim 8 wherein the processing logic is further configured to: store MAC destination and source addresses, corresponding to the IP destination address and the IP source address associated with the packet, in a memory in the action generator. 10. The network device of claim 6 wherein the action generator includes: a memory configured to store MAC addresses corresponding to the IP source and destination addresses stored in the port filter. 11. The network device of claim 10 wherein, when generating the forwarding information, the action generator is further configured to: select, when the IP destination address associated with the packet has been stored in the port filter, a corresponding MAC address from the memory as the replacement MAC destination address. 12. The network device of claim 6 wherein the action generator is further configured to: determine whether a time to live (TTL) value in the packet is zero, and set a bit in the forwarding information to indicate that the packet is to be dropped. 13. The network device of claim 12 wherein the processing logic is further configured to: decrement the TTL value associated with the packet prior to the packet being transmitted. 14. The network device of claim 6 wherein, when determining the replacement MAC destination address, the processing logic is further configured to: determine the MAC destination address based on the IP destination address associated with the packet. 15. In a network device, a system for transferring data between subnets, comprising: a plurality of receiver modules configured to receive packets, detect, for each packet, whether the packet includes a router media access control (MAC) destination address, and transmit a detection signal when a packet includes a router MAC destination address; a port filter configured to receive the detection signal, determine whether an Internet Protocol (IP) destination address associated the packet has been stored in a memory within the port filter, and transmit packet handling information based on the determining; an action generator configured to receive the packet handling information and generate forwarding information for the packet, the forwarding information including a replacement MAC destination address when the IP destination address associated with the packet has been stored; processing logic configured to determine a replacement MAC destination address for the packet when the IP destination address associated with the packet has not been stored; and a plurality of transmit modules configured to receive the packet and transmit the packet based on the replacement MAC destination address. 16. The system of claim 15 wherein the processing logic is further configured to: store the IP destination address associated with the packet in the memory when the IP destination address associated with the packet has not been stored. 17. The system of claim 16 wherein the action generator includes: a memory configured to store a MAC address corresponding to each IP address stored in the port filter, and wherein the processing logic is further configured to: store the replacement MAC destination address in the memory of the action generator when the port filter determines that the IP destination address associated with the packet has not been stored. 18. The system of claim 15 wherein the processing logic is further configured to: decrement a time to live (TTL) value associated with the packet prior to the packet being transmitted.