Deterministic network bandwidth aware multicast flow provisioning

A system comprising:

• a network controller overseeing and connected to network devices in a network, the network devices connecting a source network endpoint to destination network endpoints, wherein the network controller is distinct from the network devices, the source network endpoint, and the destination network endpoints, and wherein the network controller comprises a computer processor configured to:
• provide provisioned multicast flow information identifying one or more multicast flows provisioned on the network;
• provide available link bandwidth information identifying available link bandwidths of network links of the network that remain after provisioning the one or more multicast flows;
• identify, for a new multicast flow from the source network endpoint to the destination network endpoints to be provisioned, a maximum multicast flow bandwidth;
• identify at least a given network device of the network devices as an island node based on the available link bandwidth information and the maximum multicast flow bandwidth;
• identify, for the new multicast flow, a multicast distribution tree comprising a plurality of network paths through the network by identifying a subset of the network links of the network based on the maximum multicast flow bandwidth for the new multicast flow not exceeding the available link bandwidths of the subset of the network links and based on a network topology of the network that omits the given network device;
• and
• provision the new multicast flow on the network based on the multicast distribution tree.

A system comprising:

• a network controller overseeing and connected to network devices in a network, the network devices connecting a source network endpoint to destination network endpoints, wherein the network controller is distinct from the network devices, the source network endpoint, and the destination network endpoints, and wherein the network controller comprises a computer processor configured to:
• obtain network device state for each of the network devices;
• derive a network topology map of the network based on the network state for each of the network devices, wherein the network topology map identifies the network devices as nodes and identifies network links between the network devices as edges;
• provide an available link bandwidth table that includes an available link bandwidth for each of the network links;
• receive a multicast flow provisioning request to provision a new multicast flow from the source network endpoint to the destination network endpoints on the network, the multicast flow provisioning request identifying the new multicast flow and including a maximum multicast flow bandwidth for the new multicast flow;
• identify, for the new multicast flow, a multicast distribution tree comprising a plurality of network paths that include at least a portion of the network devices and at least a portion of the network links based on the maximum multicast flow bandwidth in the multicast flow provisioning request not being exceeded by each of the available link bandwidths included in the available link bandwidth table for at least the portion of the network links in the plurality of network paths, wherein the plurality of network paths include one or more overlapping network links;
• and
• provision the new multicast flow on at least the portion of the network devices based on the multicast distribution tree.