Patent ID: 9225545
Filing Date: 2015-12-29
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. A method of determining a path for network traffic between a source compute node and a destination compute node in a parallel computer, the source and destination compute nodes included in an operational group of compute nodes, the compute nodes connected for data communications in a point to point data communications network, each compute node connected in a network topology to an adjacent compute node in the point to point data communications network through a link, the method comprising: identifying a group of compute nodes by a messaging module of the source compute node in dependence upon a topological network location of the source compute node, a topological network location of the destination compute node, and the network topology of the point to point data communications network, wherein the group of compute nodes includes the source and destination compute nodes, each compute node in the group of compute nodes has a topological network location included in a predefined topological shape, and each compute node receive and forward network traffic thereby creating possible paths for network traffic between the source and destination compute nodes; selecting, from the predefined topological shape by the messaging module of the source compute node, in dependence upon a global contention counter stored on the source compute node, a path on which to send a data communications message from the source compute node to the destination compute node, the global contention counter representing network contention currently on all links among the compute nodes in the operational group; and sending, by the messaging module of the source compute node, the data communications message along the selected path for network traffic between the source and destination compute nodes.