Patent ID: 8107458

Claim:
A method for routing network traffic in a data network having a plurality of network switches, comprising: identifying network traffic to be routed in the data network; employing one or more models to evaluate multiple options for allocating at least one data path through the plurality of network switches in the data network to handle the identified network traffic, wherein employing the one or more models to evaluate the multiple options further comprises generating the multiple options through simulations of the one or more models to evaluate at least one of power consumption, performance, and availability of the plurality of network switches corresponding to the multiple options; selecting one option from the multiple options for data-path allocation based on at least one predetermined policy, wherein the at least one predetermined policy comprises at least one of desired power consumption, performance, and availability of resources; and controlling the plurality of network switches based on the selected option by controlling at least one of the plurality of network switches through which data transmission is at least one of reduced and not communicated into a power conserving state.