TCAM (Ternary Content Addressable Memory) and CAM (Content Addressable Memory) are both types of memory used in networking devices for high-speed data searches, but they serve different purposes and operate in distinct ways: * CAM is primarily used for Layer 2 forwarding decisions. It is a type of memory that allows for fast searching of data such as MAC addresses, which are used to forward frames within a local area network (LAN). CAM performs exact match searches, which is ideal for MAC address tables where an exact match is necessary to determine the outgoing port for a frame1. * TCAM is used for more complex searches such as Layer 3 address lookups, Access Control Lists (ACLs), and Quality of Service (QoS) policies. TCAM supports a third state in addition to 0 and 1, known as "don't care" or wildcard, which allows for more flexible and pattern-based searching. This is particularly useful for IP routing where a range of IP addresses might be searched at once, and for ACLs where rules might apply to a range of addresses or ports1.