Patent ID: 7599385

Claim:
A method for providing a composite link assignment for a network having a plurality of arcs, comprising: receiving via a server a plurality of weights for said plurality of arcs and a load for said network; receiving via said server an objective function for minimization; and determining via said server said composite link assignment to handle said load while said objective function is minimized, where said composite link assignment comprises a plurality of different link types for at least one of said plurality of arcs, wherein said objective function comprises at least one of: a heuristic that favors a use of as much as possible of a biggest capacity link type from said plurality of different link types without exceeding said load, a heuristic that minimizes a network cost that is defined by a sum of costs of said plurality of arcs, a heuristic that minimizes a network cost with a constraint of a specific number of said plurality of different link types, or a heuristic that minimizes a number of copies of a link type from said plurality of different link types that is used to satisfy said load.