US 2010/0149979 A1Published application

System and method for implementing adaptive load sharing to balance network traffic

AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation

InventorsLionel Denecheau, Ludovic Hazard, M. Stephen Sauer

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Abstract

A method for implementing adaptive load sharing to balance network traffic. The method begins by identifying all paths in a network between a first provider edge and a second provider edge. Next determining jitter, packet delay, and packet loss for each identified path in the network. Then utilizing the jitter, packet delay, and packet loss values, calculating a usage value for each path in the network. The usage value corresponds to the percentage of all network traffic which a specific path in the network may manage. When data is received by the first provider edge, the provider edge selects the appropriate path for the data. The appropriate path being the path with the largest usage value which is currently not managing a percentage of the network traffic that is equal to its usage value.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A method for implementing adaptive load sharing to balance network traffic, said method comprising:

identifying paths Pi for i=1, 2, . . . , I, each path Pi beginning at a first provider edge and ending at a second provider edge, both said first provider edge and said second provider edge residing in a network, said index I being a total number of paths in said network and being a positive integer greater than 1;
identifying jitter Ji for i=1, 2, . . . , I where Ji corresponds to jitter on path Pi, said jitter Ji being a measurement of time;
identifying packet delay Di for i=1, 2, . . . , I where Di is a packet delay on path Pi, said packet delay Di being a measurement of time;
identifying packet loss Li for i=1, 2, . . . , I where Li is a packet loss on path Pi, said packet loss Li being an integer having a value greater than zero;
calculating path usage Ui for i=1, 2, . . . , I where Ui is a maximum percentage of network traffic path Pi may transmit, said Ui being a function of said Ji and said Di and said Li;
and
sending data received by said first provider edge to said second provider edge via path Pi where path Pi has both a largest path usage Ui value selected from U1, U2, . . . , UI and said path Pi does not already transmit a percentage of network traffic equal to said Ui.

4 more elements

A computer program product, comprising a computer-usable storage medium having a computer-readable program code stored therein, said computer-readable program code containing instructions that when executed by a processor of a computer system implement a method for implementing adaptive load sharing to balance network traffic, said method comprising:

identifying paths Pi for i=1, 2, . . . , I, each path Pi beginning at a first provider edge and ending at a second provider edge, both said first provider edge and said second provider edge residing in a network, said index I being a total number of paths in said network and being a positive integer greater than 1;
identifying jitter Ji for i=1, 2, . . . , I where Ji corresponds to jitter on path Pi, said jitter Ji being a measurement of time;
identifying packet delay Di for i=1, 2, . . . , I where Di is a packet delay on path Pi, said packet delay Di being a measurement of time;
identifying packet loss Li for i=1, 2, . . . , I where Li is a packet loss on path Pi, said packet loss Li being an integer having a value greater than zero;
calculating path usage Ui for i=1, 2, . . . , I where Ui is a maximum percentage of network traffic path Pi may transmit, said Ui being a function of said Ji and said Di and said Li;
and
sending data received by said first provider edge to said second provider edge via path Pi where path Pi has both a largest path usage Ui value selected from U1, U2, . . . , UI and said path Pi does not already transmit a percentage of network traffic equal to said Ui.

4 more elements

A computing system comprising a processor coupled to a computer-readable memory unit, said memory unit comprising a software application, said software application comprising instruction that when executed by said processor, implement a method for implementing adaptive load sharing to balance network traffic, said method comprising:

identifying paths Pi for i=1, 2, . . . , I, each path Pi beginning at a first provider edge and ending at a second provider edge, both said first provider edge and said second provider edge residing in a network, said index I being a total number of paths in said network and being a positive integer greater than 1;
identifying jitter Ji for i=1, 2, . . . , I where Ji corresponds to jitter on path Pi, said jitter Ji being a measurement of time;
identifying packet delay Di for i=1, 2, . . . , I where Di is a packet delay on path Pi, said packet delay Di being a measurement of time;
identifying packet loss Li for i=1, 2, . . . , I where Li is a packet loss on path Pi, said packet loss Li being an integer having a value greater than zero;
calculating path usage Ui for i=1, 2, . . . , I where Ui is a maximum percentage of network traffic path Pi may transmit, said Ui being a function of said Ji and said Di and said Li;
and
sending data received by said first provider edge to said second provider edge via path Pi where path Pi has both a largest path usage Ui value selected from U1, U2, . . . , UI and said path Pi does not already transmit a percentage of network traffic equal to said Ui.

4 more elements

A process for supporting computer infrastructure, said process comprising providing at least one support service for at least one of creating, integrating, hosting, maintaining, and deploying computer-readable code in a computing system, wherein said code in combination with the computing system is capable of implementing a method for implementing adaptive load sharing to balance network traffic, said method comprising:

identifying paths Pi for i=1, 2, . . . , I, each path Pi beginning at a first provider edge and ending at a second provider edge, both said first provider edge and said second provider edge residing in a network, said index I being a total number of paths in said network and being a positive integer greater than 1;
identifying jitter Ji for i=1, 2, . . . , I where Ji corresponds to jitter on path Pi, said jitter Ji being a measurement of time;
identifying packet delay Di for i=1, 2, . . . , I where Di is a packet delay on path Pi, said packet delay Di being a measurement of time;
identifying packet loss Li for i=1, 2, . . . , I where Li is a packet loss on path Pi, said packet loss Li being an integer having a value greater than zero;
calculating path usage Ui for i=1, 2, . . . , I where Ui is a maximum percentage of network traffic path Pi may transmit, said Ui being a function of said Ji and said Di and said Li;
and
sending data received by said first provider edge to said second provider edge via path Pi where path Pi has both a largest path usage Ui value selected from U1, U2, . . . , UI and said path Pi does not already transmit a percentage of network traffic equal to said Ui.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.