Dynamically adjusting multiprotocol label switching (MPLS) traffic engineering tunnel bandwidth

摘要

A method and apparatus for an improved Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) system for traffic engineering is described. The improved MPLS system determines the actual traffic flow within a traffic engineering (TE) tunnel and dynamically adjusts the bandwidth to reflect the actual traffic flow. The actual traffic flow may be ascertained by accessing an average byte counter, which keeps track of the traffic flowing through the TE tunnel. Once the actual traffic flow is known the bandwidth is updated in accordance with the actual traffic flow. This allows the MPLS system to automatically maximize the bandwidth resources while minimizing operator intervention.