Distribution of communication load over multiple paths based upon link utilization
First Claim
1. A method of selecting a communication path over which to send a communication load between a first and a second station in a communication network, the communication network having a plurality of possible communication paths between the first and second stations, the method comprising the steps of:
- identifying at least one of the possible communication paths between the first and second stations, wherein each of the at least one identified communication paths includes at least one link in the communication network;
determining a first path metric for each identified path, including;
determining a first link metric for each link of each identified path based on usage, an administrative cost, and an intrinsic bandwidth of the respective link; and
combining the first link metrics for each link of the respective identified path; and
selecting one of the at least one identified paths based on the value of the first path metric for each identified path.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method for selecting a communication path over which to send a communication load between a first station and a second station in a communication network, in which the communication network has a plurality of possible communication paths between the first and second stations. The method comprises identifying at least one of the possible communication paths between the first and second stations, determining a first path metric for each identified path, the first path metric having a value that may vary as distribution of the load across the network varies and selecting one of the at least one identified paths based on the value of the first path metric for each identified path.
136 Citations
41 Claims
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1. A method of selecting a communication path over which to send a communication load between a first and a second station in a communication network, the communication network having a plurality of possible communication paths between the first and second stations, the method comprising the steps of:
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identifying at least one of the possible communication paths between the first and second stations, wherein each of the at least one identified communication paths includes at least one link in the communication network; determining a first path metric for each identified path, including; determining a first link metric for each link of each identified path based on usage, an administrative cost, and an intrinsic bandwidth of the respective link; and combining the first link metrics for each link of the respective identified path; and selecting one of the at least one identified paths based on the value of the first path metric for each identified path. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A method of transmitting a communication load between a first and a second station in a connection-oriented communication network, the communication network having a plurality of possible communication paths between the first and second stations, the method comprising the steps of:
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(a) defining a connection between the first and the second stations, including; identifying at least one of the possible communication paths between the first and second stations; calculating a dynamic first path metric for each identified path, the first path metric having a value responsive to changes of the distribution of communication loads across the network; and selecting one of the at least one identified paths based on the value of the first path metric for each identified path; (b) transmitting at least a portion of the communication load on the defined connection; (c) repeating steps (a) and (b) until the transmission of the communications load is complete or the transmission is terminated. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. An apparatus for transmitting a communication load between a first and a second station in a connection-oriented communication network, the communication network having a plurality of possible communication paths between the first and second stations, the apparatus comprising:
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means for defining a connection between the first and second stations, including; means for identifying at least one of the possible communication paths between the first and second stations; means for calculating a dynamic first path metric for each identified path, including means for determining a first link metric for each link of each identified path and means for combining the first link metrics for each link of the respective identified path, wherein the first link metric is based on a total number of connections that are currently defined on the network that include the respective link; and means for selecting one of the at least one identified paths based on the value of the first path metric for each identified path; and means for transmitting the communication load on the defined connection. - View Dependent Claims (18)
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19. A method of selecting a communication path over which to send a communication load between a first and a second station in a communication network, the communication network having a plurality of possible communication paths between the first and second stations, the method comprising:
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identifying at least one of the possible communication paths between the first and second stations; calculating a dynamic first path metric for each identified path, the first path metric having a value responsive to changes of the distribution of communication loads across the network; and selecting one of the at least one identified paths based on the value of the first path metric for each identified path. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
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30. An apparatus for selecting a communication path over which to send a communication load between a first and a second station in a communication network, the communication network having a plurality of possible communication paths between the first and second stations, the apparatus comprising:
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means for identifying at least one of the possible communication paths between the first and second stations; means for calculating a dynamic first path metric for each identified path, the first path metric having a value responsive to changes of the distribution of communication loads across the network; and means for selecting one of the at least one identified paths based on the value of the first path metric for each identified path. - View Dependent Claims (31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41)
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Specification