Patent ID: 8213334

Claim:
A method of optimizing a physical data communications topology between a plurality of computing nodes, the physical data communications topology including physical links configured to connect the plurality of nodes for data communications, the method carried out repeatedly at a predetermined pace and comprising: detecting network packets transmitted through the links between each pair of nodes in the physical data communications topology, each network packet characterized by one or more packet attributes; assigning, to each network packet, a packet weight in dependence upon the packet attributes for that network packet; determining, for each pair of nodes in the physical data communications topology, a node pair traffic weight in dependence upon the packet weights assigned to the network packets transferred between that pair of nodes; and physically reconfiguring the physical links between each pair of nodes in dependence upon the node pair traffic weights; wherein physically reconfiguring the physical links between each pair of nodes in dependence upon the node pair traffic weights further comprising: repeatedly for each pair of nodes from the pair of nodes having the highest node pair traffic weight to the pair of nodes having the lowest node pair traffic weight: determining whether that pair of nodes can support an additional physical link; allocating at least one additional physical link for that pair of nodes in dependence upon the node pair traffic weights if that pair of nodes can support an additional physical link; and linking that pair of nodes through one or more intermediary nodes if that pair of nodes cannot support an additional physical link.