Directed cost protocol

摘要

One embodiment disclosed relates to a method of cost determination for paths between switches in a mesh. A set of paths between each pair of the mesh switches is defined, and start-up costs for the paths are calculated. The costs for the previously defined paths are subsequently recalculated using a directed cost protocol. The directed cost protocol may include generating at a first switch a cost packet with path information associated with a specific path, and unlasting the cost packet via the specific path to a second switch.