Patent ID: 6778495
Filing Date: 2004-08-17
Classification: H04L,Y02D

Abstract:
A method of load balanced transmission of packets through a bundle of data communication links, the method comprising the steps of:distinguishing packets for best-efforts service from packets forming a plurality of delay-sensitive flows; fragmenting a plurality of the packets for best-efforts service; for each fragmented packet, transmitting the fragments over a plurality of the data communication links of the bundle; for each packet of a first one of the delay-sensitive flows, calculating a first hash value from predetermined packet header data; for each packet of a second one of the delay-sensitive flows, calculating a second hash value from predetermined packet header data, the second hash value differing from the first hash value; assigning each packet for the first delay-sensitive flow to a first one of the data communication links as a function of the first hash value; assigning each packet for the second delay-sensitive flow to a second one of the data communication links as a function of the second hash value; and transmitting packets of the first and second delay-sensitive flows over the assigned first and second data communication links interleaved together with the fragments transmitted on the first and second data communication links.