Mechanism for enabling load balancing to be achieved in a loop-free switching path, reverse path learning network

摘要

A mechanism is disclosed for enabling load balancing to be achieved in a loop-free switching path, reverse path learning network, such as an Ethernet network. The network is divided into a plurality of virtual networks, with each virtual network providing a different path through the network. When it comes time to send a set of information through the network, one of the plurality of virtual networks, and hence, one of the plurality of paths, is selected. The set of information is then updated to indicate the selected virtual network, and sent into the network to be transported along the selected path. With multiple paths, and with the ability to select between the multiple paths, it is possible to balance the load imposed on the multiple paths.