Load balancing among network links using an efficient forwarding scheme

摘要

A network element includes multiple output ports and circuitry. The multiple output ports are configured to transmit packets over multiple respective network links of a communication network. The circuitry is configured to receive from the communication network, via one or more input ports of the network element, packets that are destined for transmission via the multiple output ports, to monitor multiple data-counts, each data-count corresponding to a respective output port, and is indicative of a respective data volume of the packets forwarded for transmission via the respective output port, to select for a given packet, based on the data-counts, an output port among the multiple output ports, and to forward the given packet for transmission via the selected output port.