Routing packets using distance classes

A non-transitory machine readable storage medium comprising instructions executable by a routing engine of a network device of a plurality of network devices in a fully connected multidimensional network to:

• in response to reception of a packet in the network device, determine all possible candidate output ports for the packet to be routed to the destination network device, the candidate output ports corresponding to minimal paths and non-minimal paths between the network device and the destination network device along all remaining unaligned dimensions of the fully connected multidimensional network;
• select an optimal output port among all the candidate output ports;
• and
• route the packet to a next hop in the network through the optimal output port and using a next distance class selected from a group comprising virtual channels (VC) and packet buffers.

A system comprising:

• a network device having at least one routing engine and at least one output port, wherein the routing engine is to:
• receive a packet that is to be routed to a destination network device through a plurality of network devices in a fully connected multidimensional network;
• determine, all possible candidate output ports for the packet to be routed to the destination network device, the candidate output ports corresponding to candidate minimal paths and candidate non-minimal paths between the network device and the destination network device along all remaining unaligned dimensions of the fully connected multidimensional network;
• select an optimal output port among all the candidate output ports;
• and
• route the packet to a next hop in the network though the optimal output port and using a next distance class.