System and method for reducing hardware table resources in a multi-stage network device

1. A multi-stage network, comprising:

a first stage comprising a first plurality of switches;

a second stage comprising a second plurality of switches;

a predetermined number of one or more links between each of the switches in the first stage and each of the switches in the second stage, wherein a first number of links between a first switch in the first stage and a first switch in second stage is not equal to a second number of links between the first switch in the first stage and a second switch in the second stage; and

wherein at least one second switch in the first stage also has the first number of links to the first switch in the second stage and the second number of links to the second switch in the second stage.

2. The multi-stage network of claim 1 , further comprising host devices coupled to the first switch in the first stage and the at least one second switch in the first stage, wherein the host devices frequently communicate with each other through the first switch in the first stage and the at least one second switch in the second stage.

3. The multi-stage network of claim 2 , wherein the host devices are designated to run the same application.

4. The multi-stage network of claim 1 , wherein each of the first plurality of switches includes a forwarding table.

5. The multi-stage network of claim 4 , wherein the forwarding table includes entries for performing weighted cost multi-path (WCMP) flow distribution.

6. The multi-stage network of claim 5 , wherein the forwarding table comprises entries corresponding to one or more WCMP groups, the one or more WCMP groups comprising weights assigned to egress ports of a first stage switch for distribution of data to the plurality of second stage switches.

7. The multi-stage network of claim 6 , wherein the first switch in the first stage includes one WCMP group for traffic destined to the at least one second switch in the first stage.

8. The multi-stage network of claim 1 , wherein the first plurality of switches comprise routers.

9. The multi-stage network of claim 1 , wherein the first plurality of switches comprise switching chips.

10. A multi-stage network, comprising:

a first stage comprising a first plurality of network switching devices, the first plurality of network devices being classified into switching groups;

a second stage comprising a second plurality of network switching devices;

a linking configuration comprising a plurality of links between the first plurality of network switching devices and the second plurality of network switching devices, wherein each first stage network switching device in a given switching group includes the same number of links to any given second stage network switching device as each other first stage network switching device in that group, wherein a first switching group contains first stage network switching devices with a first number of one or more links to a given second stage network switching device and a second switching group contains first stage network switching devices with a second number of one or more links to the given second stage network switching device, the second number being different from the first number.

11. The network of claim 10 , further comprising a plurality of host devices coupled to the first plurality of network switching devices.

12. The network of claim 11 , wherein host devices that communicate with each other more frequently than they communicate with other host devices are coupled to first stage network switching devices in the same switching group.

13. The network of claim 11 , wherein the first plurality of network switching devices comprise one of: switches, routers, and switching chips.