| CPC H04L 45/38 (2013.01) [H04L 45/121 (2013.01); H04L 45/123 (2013.01); H04L 45/24 (2013.01)] | 20 Claims |
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1. A method comprising:
receiving a packet from a source node at an ingress port of a first network switch, the packet destined for a destination node connected to a second network switch, the first network switch and the second network switch being within a network;
identifying egress ports of the first network switch that are candidates for forwarding the packet towards the destination node via the network, the egress ports comprising non-minimal candidate egress ports, the non-minimal candidate egress ports being candidates for forwarding the packet towards the destination node via non-minimal routes of the network;
obtaining traffic congestion information for the egress ports, the traffic congestion information comprising minimal route congestion metrics for the non-minimal candidate egress ports, the traffic congestion information further comprising non-minimal route congestion metrics for the non-minimal candidate egress ports, the minimal route congestion metrics representing congestion of minimal routes of the network for queued packets at the non-minimal candidate egress ports, the non-minimal route congestion metrics representing congestion of non-minimal routes of the network for the queued packets at the non-minimal candidate egress ports;
selecting a target egress port of the non-minimal candidate egress ports by favoring the non-minimal candidate egress ports with lower values of the minimal route congestion metrics over the non-minimal candidate egress ports with higher values of the minimal route congestion metrics, wherein the target egress port is one of the favored non-minimal candidate egress ports; and
forwarding the packet to the target egress port.
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