Patent ID: 8098658

Claim:
A method for routing network traffic in a data network having a plurality of network switches and a plurality of resources for performing workloads, said method comprising: identifying network traffic to be routed in the data network; employing one or more models to evaluate multiple options for provisioning a plurality of workloads on the plurality of resources in the data network, wherein employing one or more models to evaluate the multiple options comprises generating the multiple options through simulations of the one or more models to evaluate multiple options for one or more of consolidating, redirecting, and placing the workloads on one or more of the plurality of resources and evaluating at least one of power consumption, performance, and availability of the plurality of network switches corresponding to the multiple options; selecting one option from the multiple options for provisioning the plurality of workloads based on at least one predetermined policy, wherein the at least one predetermined policy comprises at least one of desired power consumption, performance, and availability of resources; and controlling the plurality of network switches to route the workloads to the plurality of resources based on the selected option by controlling at least one of the plurality of network switches through which data is at least one of reduced and not communicated into a power conserving state.