Patent ID: 9729450
Date: 2017-08-08
CPC Classifications: H04L

Claim:
1. A method of managing congestion while transmitting a stream of data packets through a multi-path network having a plurality of network elements arranged in a plurality of switch stages, and having a plurality of network links interconnecting the network elements, the method comprising the steps of: Detecting congestion on a network link of the plurality of network links interconnecting an output port of a first network element of the plurality of network elements with a first input port of a second network element of the plurality of network elements, the first network element being in a first switch stage of the plurality of switch stages and the second network element being in a subsequent switch stage of the plurality of switch stages; Communicating the detection of congestion from the first network element to the second network element by attaching a congestion tag to the header of a subsequent data packet intended for transmission to the second network element on the congested network link; In response to receipt of said subsequent data packet by said second network element, identifying an uncongested network link of the plurality of network links connected to a second input port of said second network element; and Determining a new route across the multi-path network which includes the identified uncongested network link and directing future data packets in the stream of data packets along the new route.