Patent ID: 8694634

Claim:
A method for upgrading a first network configuration having a first set of network devices, operating at a first network arrival rate to a second network configuration having a second set of network devices, operating at a second network arrival rate, comprising: providing a first set of device utilizations measured for the first set of network devices at the first network arrival rate; selecting a ratio of the second network arrival rate to the first network arrival rate; calculating a second set of device utilizations for the second set of network devices from the first set of device utilizations and the ratio; calculating a set of relative load device population from the second set of device utilizations, wherein a relative load device population in the set of relative load device populations is a mean number of jobs in the second network configuration for a device in the second set of network devices; calculating a first sum of the set of relative load device populations, and, changing the first network configuration to the second network configuration based on the first sum.