Data Plane Resource Optimization For Multipath Flows

Many contemporary networks, such as datacenters, optical networks, and MultiProtocol Label Switching (MPLS) make it impossible or inefficient to supply a traffic flow with a certain bandwidth need via a single network link. In these instances, it is often feasible to increase network bandwidth utilization by distributing traffic over numerous efficient channels. While employing numerous pathways for the same data flow improves network efficiency, it uses costly forwarding resources from network nodes, such as TCAM, Ethernet/MPLS switch entries and optical switch wavelengths/lightpaths. In this work, we identify many challenges related to dividing a traffic flow across several pathways while using as few forwarding resources as possible, and we offer efficient methods for handling these difficulties.