Hash based ECMP load balancing with non-power-of-2 port group sizes

摘要

The invention is directed to optimizing load balancing for equal cost multiple path (ECMP) network routing by improving the load balancing of network data traffic across multiple equal cost next hop egress network links that have the same next hop routing cost. At least one of the various embodiments may enable improve load balancing of egress network links by programming network routing tables and conducting diagnostic processes and testing to determine if a programmed network routing table optimally load balances the outgoing the network data traffic among the equal cost next hop egress network links. If an embodiment determines that a programmed network routing table is load balancing less effectively than desired, it may re-program the network routing table(s).

主权项

1. A method for load balancing data flow for a network device, comprising:
programming, for each of a plurality of switching chips within a network device, a routing table with respective routing table entries to load balance forwarded data, wherein a first set of routine table entries corresponding to a first switching chip in the plurality of switching chips differs from a second set of routing table entries corresponding to a second switching chip in the plurality of switching chips; receiving data from an ingress network link at the network device; employing the network device to determine an identifier value based in part on the received data; determining, by one of the plurality of switching chips using the corresponding respective routing table, one of a plurality of egress network links available to the network device with at least a calculation based on the identifier value and an amount of the plurality of egress network links, wherein the amount is not a power of 2; and forwarding the received data to a next hop over the determined one of the plurality of egress network links.