Patent ID: 7757017

Claim:
A method, in a data processing device, for balancing data traffic across a plurality of data traffic lanes, comprising: retrieving, at an input/output (I/O) hub, data traffic measurement information for a plurality of ports of the I/O hub; determining, by the I/O hub, if a data traffic lane is over-utilized based on the retrieved data traffic measurement information; identifying, by the I/O hub, at least one I/O bridge associated with an over-utilized data traffic lane, in response to a determination that a data traffic lane is over-utilized, which can be reconfigured to direct data flow to an under-utilized data traffic lane of the plurality of data traffic lanes; and reconfiguring, by the I/O hub, the at least one I/O bridge associated with the over-utilized data traffic lane to utilize a different data traffic lane in response to identifying the at least one I/O bridge, wherein the at least one I/O bridge is part of a plurality of I/O bridges coupled to the I/O hub in a loop configuration such that each I/O bridge is coupled to at least one other I/O bridge in the plurality of I/O bridges, wherein identifying at least one I/O bridge associated with an over-utilized data traffic lane which can be reconfigured to direct data flow to an under-utilized data traffic lane of the plurality of data traffic lanes comprises: identifying I/O bridges utilizing the over-utilized data traffic lane to communicate with the I/O hub; and identifying an I/O bridge that is furthest away from a port of the I/O hub utilizing the over-utilized data traffic lane, and wherein reconfiguring the at least one I/O bridge comprises reconfiguring the I/O bridge that is furthest away from the port of the I/O hub utilizing the over-utilized data traffic lane to use the different data traffic lane.