Patent ID: 8031614

Claim:
A computer-implemented method for inter-nodal packet routing in a parallel computer system, said parallel computer system comprising a plurality of nodes arranged in a regular lattice network of node-to-node communications links for inter-nodal communications, each node comprising at least one processor and a nodal memory, said method comprising the steps of: executing an application in parallel on a first plurality of nodes of said parallel computer system, each node of said first plurality of nodes executing a respective application sub-process of said application in the respective at least one processor of the respective node, wherein each of at least some of said application sub-processes generates respective data for transmission, in one or more respective packets using said regular lattice network, to respective one or more other said application sub-processes each executing in a respective node of said first plurality of nodes of said parallel computer system; periodically obtaining respective local usage data from each node of a second plurality of nodes of said parallel computer system, said second plurality of nodes including at least some nodes of said first plurality of nodes, each said local usage data representing current utilization of one or more components of the corresponding node by current network traffic, said respective local usage data from each node of said second plurality of nodes being combined to form composite network usage data with respect to usage of said regular lattice network of node-to-node communications links, said composite network usage data comprising respective data representing current utilization of each of a plurality of components of said regular lattice network by current network traffic; periodically providing said composite network usage data to each node of said second plurality of nodes of said parallel computer system; at each of at least some of said second plurality of nodes of said parallel computer system, concurrently analyzing most recently obtained said composite network usage data to identify a respective optimum path for each of a respective plurality of said packets within the corresponding node, each said packet being transmitted on said regular lattice network from a respective source node to a respective target node, wherein not all packets are transmitted to the same respective target node, wherein at least some of said packets must traverse one or more respective intermediate nodes between the respective said source node and the respective said target node; and routing each said packet on said regular lattice network according to its respective optimum path as determined by said concurrently analyzing step.