Automated traffic engineering for multi-protocol label switching (MPLS) with link utilization as feedback into the tie-breaking mechanism

A network element for improved load distribution in a multi-protocol label switching (MPLS) network that includes the network element, wherein the network element is one of a plurality of nodes in the MPLS network, wherein a topology of the MPLS network includes a plurality of nodes and links between the nodes, the network element comprising:

• a topology database to store link information for each link in the MPLS network;
• a label information database to store label information for each port of the network element, wherein the label information database indicates where to forward each forwarding equivalency class (FEC) incoming to the network clement;
• a control processor coupled to the topology database and the label information database, the network processor configured to process data traffic, wherein the network processor comprises:
• an MPLS management module configured to forward data traffic over label switch paths (LSPs);
• a label distribution protocol (LDP) module configured to establish LSPs in the MPLS network;
• a shortest path search module configured to determine at least one shortest path between each MPLS node pair in the MPLS network by executing a shortest path search algorithm on the topology database, wherein the shortest path search module is configured to send, for each of the MPLS node pairs with a plurality of equal cost shortest paths, the equal costs shortest paths to a load distribution module;
• a sorting module configured to rank each of the plurality of equal cost shortest paths based on a path utilization value derived from link utilization values associated with each path in the plurality of equal cost shortest paths;
• and
• the load distribution module configured to select, from the plurality of equal cost shortest paths received, a first subset of the plurality of equal cost shortest paths for that MPLS node pair to be used to share data traffic load between the MPLS node pair and to select, based on the path utilization value, a second subset from the plurality of equal cost shortest paths for that MPLS node pair to be used to share data traffic load with the first subset for that Ethernet Bridge pair,
• whereby the selection of the second subset in light of the path utilization value minimizes the standard deviation of load distribution across the entire MPLS network.