Patent ID: 8711689

Claim:
A network device, comprising: a network interface having a plurality of switch ports; and a processor in communication with the network interface, the processor operable to perform actions comprising: receiving network traffic over the plurality of switch ports; categorizing at least some of the network traffic into a flow based in part on a same flow characteristic; selecting a first switch port from the plurality of switch ports based on a prediction of a load usage flow; sending at least a portion of the flow over the selected first switch port; determining that the selected first switch port is congested when an amount of traffic within the flow is above a predictive adaptive threshold that is determined based in part on an other amount of network traffic predicted to be communicated over a non-selected switch port in the plurality of switch ports and is further determined based on a percentage of a next highest network traffic associated with the non-selected switch port; and when the selected first switch port is determined to be congested, switching the flow to a second switch port in the plurality of switch ports based on an other prediction of the load usage flow.