This invention relates to the field of data network routing. More particularly, this invention is a method for routing data in networks where processing speed is a limiting factor by using a new measure of merit, termed a node metric. With reference to Fig. 2, the nodes (210) in the network (200) are characterized by their limited bandwidths. Each node (210) can communicate with only one other node (210) at a time via communication links (220). The sum of the traffic rates on the links (220) of a node (210) is limited by the capacity of the node (210). For each node (210) a node metric is computed based on factors such as future traffic to and from the node (210). For any path between any two nodes (210), a path metric, which represents congestion, is computed as the sum of the node metrics of the nodes (210) along the path. Path metrics are then used for routing of the traffic through the network.
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