Patent Document ID: 8837470
Application ID: 13358835
Patent Flag: 1

Claim One:
1. A multi-stage network, comprising: a first stage comprising a first plurality of switches; a second stage comprising a second plurality of switches; a predetermined number of links between each of the switches in the first stage and each of the switches in the second stage, wherein a first number of links between a first switch in the first stage and a first switch in second stage is not equal to: (i) a second number of links between the first switch in the first stage and a second switch in the second stage, or (ii) a third number of links between a second switch in the first stage and the first switch in the second stage; wherein the first switch in the first stage comprises a first plurality of data ports coupled to the first number of links and a second plurality of data ports coupled to the second number of links; and each of the first plurality of data ports and the second plurality of data ports is assigned a weight such that the first switch in the first stage is adapted to distribute traffic among the first and second switches in weighted proportion to at least the first number of links; and wherein the weight assigned to the first plurality of data ports is a ratio of the lesser of the first number of links and the third number of links, over the first number of links.