Patent ID: 6175870
Filing Date: 2001-01-16
Classification: H04L,H04Q

Abstract:
In a network comprising a set of nodes connected by a set of links, said network characterized by a network state, wherein a set of virtual circuits has been previously routed through said network, a method for operating said network comprising the steps of:receiving a request to route a virtual circuit on a path through said network between an origination node and a destination node,determining the load on each link in a subset of said set of links in said network due to said request, anddetermining a respective cost for routing said request over possible paths between said origination and said destination nodes, said cost a function of the network state wherein:the possible paths comprise links in said subset of said set of links; and the step of determining a routing cost for each possible path comprises:(a) obtaining a number L which is derived, in part, by counting the links in at least some of the virtual circuits that have already been routed,(b) using L to determine the value of a link-cost parameter .mu.; and(c) evaluating a respective cost factor for each link of the current path, wherein said cost factor is a function of .mu..