Priority-Based Load Balancing for Network Teaming
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Solution Overview
Problem
Network team configurations with dissimilar port characteristics are often underutilized or not utilized effectively in load balancing, leading to inefficient use of available bandwidth in information handling systems.
Innovation Solution
Assigning priorities to each communication port in a network team based on quality of service (QOS) and performance criteria such as network throughput, CPU utilization, and reliability, with the ability to dynamically adjust these priorities, allows for optimized load distribution across ports.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If load balancing evenly distributes communications load across each port in a network team, then simplicity of implementation is improved, but utilization of available bandwidth deteriorates when ports have dissimilar characteristics
Solution Approach 1:
The patent assigns different priority weights to different ports in the network team based on their individual characteristics (speed, reliability, QOS requirements). Instead of uniform load distribution, each port receives a customized priority assignment that reflects its local capabilities, thereby optimizing overall bandwidth utilization while maintaining manageable complexity.
2Device complexity
If a dedicated port is selected to carry the full communications load, then device complexity is reduced, but productivity deteriorates due to underutilization of other ports
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic load balancing where the network team controller continuously monitors port characteristics and adjusts priority assignments in real-time. This allows the system to adaptively distribute load across multiple ports based on current conditions, maximizing bandwidth utilization while maintaining relatively simple device architecture through centralized control.
3Productivity
If priority assignments are dynamically adjusted based on changing port characteristics, then productivity is improved through optimized bandwidth utilization, but device complexity increases due to dynamic control mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The network team controller implements feedback mechanisms that continuously monitor port characteristics (throughput, reliability, QOS metrics) and use this information to dynamically adjust priority assignments. This closed-loop control system optimizes bandwidth utilization while keeping complexity manageable through automated decision-making based on real-time feedback rather than manual configuration.
4Reliability
If priority is assigned based on multiple QOS and performance criteria, then communications performance is optimized, but ease of operation deteriorates due to configuration complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables ports to effectively self-configure by automatically evaluating their own characteristics (speed, reliability, current load) and having the network team controller assign priorities based on these self-reported metrics. This reduces manual configuration complexity while still achieving optimized communications performance through multi-criteria evaluation, as the system performs the complex assessment automatically rather than requiring manual input.
Data Source
AI summary
For a network team having a plurality of communication ports, each one of the plurality of communication ports is assigned a priority, the priority assigned being based on at least one criteria. A communications load of the network team is distributed between each one of the plurality of communication ports in accordance with its corresponding priority.