Probe packet discovery of entropy values causing specific paths to be taken through a network

• Main Authors: BRYANT STEWART FREDERICK, FROST DANIEL C
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 28.07.2015
• Subjects: ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE; ELECTRICITY; TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHICCOMMUNICATION

In one embodiment, probe-packet discovery of entropy values causing specific paths to be taken through a network is performed. One embodiment sends, from a first network node to a second network node in a network, a plurality of Equal Cost Multipath (ECMP) path-taken probe packets, each with a different entropy label, to determine a particular entropy label for each particular ECMP path of a plurality of different ECMP paths between the first network node and the second network node that will cause a packet including the particular entropy label to traverse said particular ECMP path. The ECMP paths taken by the plurality of ECMP path-taken probe packets is analyzed to determine one or more entropy labels for each different ECMP path of the plurality of different ECMP paths that will cause a packet including one of said one or more entropy labels to traverse said different ECMP path.