Patent Document ID: 9887777
Application ID: 15045407
Patent Flag: 1

Claim One:
1. A method for configuring a computer network having a plurality of network elements, the network elements including a plurality of nodes interconnected by network links, the method comprising: obtaining a network topology specifying a topology of the network elements and interconnections by the network elements; obtaining an affinity topology that includes at least one predefined affinity descriptor requirement pertaining to communications between first and second affinity elements of respective first and second affinity groups, wherein each affinity group includes an affinity port and wherein the first and second affinity elements correspond to first and second application components that communicate therebetween over at least one affinity link, the at least one predefined affinity descriptor requirement being at least one of: i) a total number of single points of failure in the network involving the communications between the first and second affinity groups upon the occurrence of which the affinity ports for communication between the first and second affinity groups are disconnected; ii) a limitation on oversubscription of a network element in a path between the first and second affinity groups; iii) a requirement for isolation of at least one of: (a) predetermined communications originating from one or more network elements from utilization of the at least one affinity link; or (b) a physical machine hosting the first application component from hosting a third distinct application component; iv) a maximum hop count limitation for communications between affinity ports in the first and second affinity groups; and v) a specification pertaining to latency for communications between the first affinity element in the first affinity group and the second affinity element in the second affinity group; computing an affinity-network topology that represents a logical combination of the network topology and the affinity topology that satisfies the at least one predefined affinity descriptor requirement; and configuring the plurality of nodes in accordance with the computed affinity-network topology so that a communication between the first affinity element and the second affinity element satisfies the at least one predefined affinity descriptor requirement.