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Enhanced forwarding strategy in metro Ethernet networks

Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) is an approved standard protocol that provides a tree forwarding topology in Ethernet networks. Tree topology ensures a unique path from any node to every other node in the network. One of the main disadvantages of STP is its poor load balancing capabilities that results in uneven load distribution and bottlenecks. In our previous work, we have suggested Shortcut Switching Strategy (SSS) to overcome this problem. SSS improves load balancing by using some blocked links to forward traffic. In this paper, we propose a novel forwarding strategy named Enhanced Forwarding Strategy (EFS) that enhances the performance of SSS. Simulation results show that this new strategy decreases the traffic load on links and switches and has a good load balancing performance.