vStack enhancements for path calculations

A computer program product for selecting an optimum route for transmission of a traffic flow of captured data packets, the computer program product comprising:

• one or more computer-readable storage devices and a plurality of program instructions stored on at least one of the one or more computer-readable storage devices, the plurality of program instructions comprising:
• program instructions to exchange configuration information between a network captured traffic distribution device communicatively coupled to a topology of stacked network captured traffic distribution devices and at least one additional network captured traffic distribution device, wherein the network captured traffic distribution device comprises a transit network captured distribution device or an egress network traffic distribution device and wherein the configuration information includes instructions regarding a plurality of filters configured or created by a user;
• program instructions to determine a target destination of a captured traffic flow received by the network captured traffic distribution device;
• program instructions to determine a plurality of routes through the stacked topology from the network captured traffic distribution device to the determined target destination;
• program instructions to determine an amount of available filtering capacity associated with each network captured traffic distribution device along each of the plurality of determined routes by performing a filter count operation, wherein the program instructions to perform the filter count operation comprise program instructions to determine a product of a filtering amount associated with the plurality of filters configured or created by the user and a number of input ports available on an ingress network captured traffic distribution device associated with a particular route under consideration from the determined plurality of routes;
• and
• program instructions to select an optimum route through the stacked topology from the plurality of determined routes based on the determined amounts of available filtering capacity.

A method for selecting an optimum route for transmission of a traffic flow of captured data packets, the method comprising:

• exchanging configuration information between a network captured traffic distribution device communicatively coupled to a topology of stacked network captured traffic distribution devices and at least one additional network captured traffic distribution device, wherein the network captured traffic distribution device comprises a transit network captured distribution device or an egress network traffic distribution device and wherein the configuration information includes instructions regarding a plurality of filters configured or created by a user;
• receiving, at the network captured traffic distribution device a traffic flow of captured data packets;
• determining, by the network captured traffic distribution device, a target destination of the received traffic flow of captured data packets;
• determining, by the network captured traffic distribution device, a plurality of routes through the stacked topology from the network captured traffic distribution device to the determined target destination;
• determining, by the network captured traffic distribution device, an amount of available filtering capacity associated with each network captured traffic distribution device along each of the plurality of determined routes by performing a filter count operation, wherein the filter count operation comprises determining a product of a filtering amount associated with the plurality of filters configured or created by the user and a number of input ports available on an ingress network captured traffic distribution device associated with a particular route under consideration from the determined plurality of routes;
• and
• selecting, by the network captured traffic distribution device, an optimum route from the plurality of determined routes based on the determined amounts of available filtering capacity.