Patent ID: 6728770
Filing Date: 2004-04-27
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
A path balancing apparatus that balances the path usage over a plurality of paths from at least one first device to a plurality of second devices, comprising:a controller that accumulates a total path usage for each of the plurality of paths; a path balancing device that performs path balancing if a difference in a total path usage of a path having a highest path usage and a total path usage of a path having a lowest path usage is more than a threshold usage amount; identifying a highest path from the plurality of paths, the highest path having a highest total path usage; identifying a lowest path from the plurality of paths, the lowest path having a lowest total path usage; calculating a difference between the total path usage of the highest path and the lowest path; wherein each of the plurality of second devices is associated with at least one of the plurality of paths and wherein the path balancing device moves a second device from the highest path to the lowest path based on the difference; and wherein the path balancing device does not move the second device if a number of moved second devices is equal to or greater than a move limit.