Patent ID: 7126910

Claim:
A method of implementing load balancing in a resilient packet ring (“RPR”) network comprising a plurality of nodes and first and second rings each comprising a plurality of links for carrying information between the nodes in a clockwise direction and a counterclockwise direction, respectively, wherein adjacent ones of the nodes are connected by two of the links, the method comprising the steps of, for one of the nodes: determining whether a load imbalance exists at the node in connection with a first class of service, using a technique selected from the group consisting of measuring and comparing delays experienced by a marked packet sent from the node to a second node via the first and second rings, respectively, and comparing a number of dropped packets on the first and second rings with a preselected maximum value; and responsive to a determination that a load imbalance exists: changing Bandwidth Broker (“BB”) parameters at the node for the first class of service to cause new flows to be diverted from a more heavily loaded one of the rings to a less heavily loaded one of the rings; and changing Quality of Service (“QoS”) parameters at the node for the first class of service to improve traffic performance on the more heavily loaded one of the rings, while increasing bandwidth utilization on the less heavily loaded one of the rings.