Methods, systems, and computer program products for managing network bandwidth capacity

A computer program product for managing the bandwidth capacity of a network that includes a plurality of traffic destinations, a plurality of nodes, and a plurality of node-to-node links, the computer program product comprising a storage medium readable by a processing circuit and storing instructions for execution by the processing circuit for facilitating a method comprising:

• determining an amount of traffic sent to each of the plurality of traffic destinations for each of a plurality of traffic classes including at least a higher priority class and a lower priority class;
• disabling one or more nodes, or disabling one or more node-to-node links;
• determining, for each of the plurality of traffic classes, a corresponding traffic route to each of the plurality of traffic destinations and not including the one or more disabled nodes or disabled node-to-node links;
• determining bandwidth capacities for each of the corresponding traffic routes to ascertain whether or not sufficient bandwidth capacity is available to route each of the plurality of traffic classes to each of the plurality of traffic destinations wherein, if sufficient bandwidth capacity is not available, additional bandwidth is added to the network, or traffic is forced to take a route other than one or more of the corresponding traffic routes, or both.

A system for managing the bandwidth capacity of a network that includes a traffic destination, a plurality of nodes, and a plurality of node-to-node links, the system including:

• a monitoring mechanism for determining an amount of traffic sent to the traffic destination for each of a plurality of traffic classes including at least a higher priority class and a lower priority class;
• a disabling mechanism, operably coupled to the monitoring mechanism, and capable of selectively disabling one or more nodes or one or more node-to-node links;
• a processing mechanism, operatively coupled to the disabling mechanism and the monitoring mechanism, and capable of determining a corresponding traffic route to the traffic destination for each of the plurality of traffic classes, such that the corresponding traffic route does not include the one or more disabled nodes or disabled node-to-node links;
• wherein the monitoring mechanism determines bandwidth capacities for each of the corresponding traffic routes, the processing mechanism ascertains whether or not sufficient bandwidth capacity is available to route each of the plurality of traffic classes to the traffic destination and, if sufficient bandwidth capacity is not available, additional bandwidth is added to the network, or the processing mechanism forces traffic to take a route other than one or more of the corresponding traffic routes.