US Patent 7733776 Altering switch behavior based on statistical data

This document describes tools that enable a switch to temporarily alter its forwarding behavior when statistical data characterizing the switch satisfies a user-specified condition. To do so, the tools may monitor chronological sets of statistical data associated with the switch over a period of time. If the tools determine at one point during the period of time that one set of statistical data satisfies the user-specified condition, the tools alter the forwarding behavior of the switch for the remainder of the period of time. At the conclusion of the period of time, the tools restore the original forwarding behavior to the switch.