Patent ID: 8611245

Claim:
A method comprising: transmitting, by a network device, one or more packets on a plurality of paths, the one or more packets being transmitted based on a request to initiate a data transfer; receiving, by the network device, one or more responses to the transmitted one or more packets; determining, by the network device, a manner in which to initiate the data transfer based on: one or more response times associated with the received one or more responses, and information identifying packet loss associated with at least one of the one or more packets; and initiating, by the network device, the data transfer based on a result of determining the manner in which to initiate the data transfer, the data transfer being initiated on a first path, of the plurality of paths, when the one or more response times, associated with the received one or more responses, do not exceed a threshold, or the data transfer being initiated on a second path, of the plurality of paths, when one or more response times, associated with one or more responses to one or more additional packets, do not exceed the threshold, the one or more additional packets being transmitted on the plurality of paths based on the information identifying the packet loss when the one or more response times, associated with the received one or more responses, exceed the threshold.