Patent ID: 8014291

Claim:
A method, comprising: configuring a target bandwidth for a constrained path; configuring a lower boundary constraint on bandwidth for the constrained path that is less than the target bandwidth; configuring an upper boundary constraint on cost for the constrained path; computing a set of paths, by a node in a computer network, from the source to one or more destinations that is within the lower bandwidth boundary and upper cost boundary constraints; determining whether the set of paths contains one or more paths; if the set of paths contains one or more paths, selecting a path of the set having a bandwidth value that is closest to the target bandwidth to use as the constrained path; and if the set of paths contains no paths, selecting a path that is outside of the lower bandwidth boundary or upper cost boundary constraints, and that has either a bandwidth or cost that is closest to one of the lower bandwidth boundary or the upper cost boundary or both the lower bandwidth boundary and the upper cost boundary, to use as the constrained path.