Swan: achieving high utilization in networks

A method of allocating a network service, the method comprising the steps of:

• receiving requests for the network service, the requests comprising requests to transfer elastic data in a time-specified manner and requests to transfer background data in an opportunistic manner;
• receiving information about the network providing the network service;
• estimating a utilization of the network service by interactive data bypassing the allocations;
• and
• generating packet labeling and packet forwarding rules, the packet labeling rules identifying at least one collection of packets to be labeled with a first label and the packet forwarding rules specifying at least one link through which to transmit packets labeled with the first label, the generated packet labeling and packet forwarding rules allocating a remaining network service first to the elastic data transfer requests and then to the background data transfer requests.

A method of reconfiguring a network, the method comprising the steps of:

• selecting a second configuration into which to reconfigure a network currently in a first configuration differing from the second configuration;
• selecting a next incremental configuration, differing from both the first configuration, the second configuration and a preceding incremental configuration, the next incremental configuration differing from the preceding incremental configuration and thereby causing at least one link to receive an increased utilization, the increased utilization consuming either excess capacity of the link or capacity of the link freed up by the stopping of utilization of the link capacity by background data transfers;
• and
• repeating the selecting the next incremental configuration until the network is configured in the second configuration.