Adaptive Cross-Point Switch Network for Data Center Latency
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional data center networks face issues such as increased latency due to structured architectures, underutilization of resources, difficulty in horizontal scaling, and limitations in packet switch ASIC bandwidth growth, which are exacerbated by growing data bandwidth demands from 5G and IoT devices.
Innovation Solution
An adaptive communication network utilizing cross-point switches with Port Aggregation Groups (PAGs) that dynamically rearrange bandwidth without packet loss, using a flat-topology architecture with packet processing only at the edges and a pure circuit switch layer for interconnection, allowing for efficient bandwidth management and scalability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If structured network architectures (Fat Tree, Clos) are used to interconnect switches, then network connectivity and scalability are improved, but latency increases due to many hops and buffer filling
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic port aggregation groups that can be created, modified, and dissolved based on real-time traffic conditions. Unlike static structured architectures, the PAGs adapt dynamically to changing network demands, allowing traffic to be rerouted through different paths to avoid congestion and reduce latency while maintaining connectivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The network traffic is segmented into different Port Aggregation Groups that can be independently managed. This segmentation allows specific traffic flows to be directed through optimized paths, avoiding the uniform routing of structured architectures and reducing the number of hops for specific traffic patterns.
2Ease of manufacture
If discrete implementation sizes are used in structured architectures, then deployment is simplified, but higher layer ports go unused in underfilled networks causing resource underutilization
Solution Approach 1:
The system allows dynamic adjustment of Port Aggregation Group sizes and compositions based on actual traffic demands. Rather than being constrained to fixed implementation sizes, the network can optimize resource utilization by creating PAGs that match actual traffic patterns, ensuring that ports are actively used when needed without requiring over-provisioning.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent enables changing network parameters such as aggregation group size, port assignment, and traffic distribution dynamically. This allows the network to adapt to varying load conditions, maximizing resource utilization across different deployment scales without being locked into discrete implementation sizes.
3Productivity
If multiple layers are added to structured architectures for horizontal scaling, then network capacity increases, but the number of required ASICs increases super-linearly causing cost and complexity to explode
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple port functions into Port Aggregation Groups, allowing a single physical link to serve multiple logical purposes. This consolidation reduces the number of individual ASIC ports needed while maintaining or increasing overall network capacity, breaking the super-linear relationship between capacity and ASIC count.
Solution Approach 2:
The PAG infrastructure provides multi-functionality, serving as both physical and logical interconnects, and enabling various routing patterns without requiring additional hardware. This universal infrastructure supports horizontal scaling while keeping ASIC requirements manageable.
4Productivity
If packet switch ASIC port counts are increased to meet growing bandwidth demands, then bandwidth capacity increases, but CMOS lithography and packaging pin limits constrain further growth
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of increasing port counts in the traditional dimensional sense, the patent introduces a new dimension of logical port aggregation. Multiple physical ports are grouped to provide increased capacity without requiring proportionally more physical ports on each ASIC, effectively bypassing pin count limitations through logical multiplication.
Solution Approach 2:
The bandwidth capacity is segmented across multiple PAGs that can be independently managed and scaled. This allows bandwidth capacity to grow by adding PAGs rather than by increasing individual ASIC port counts, circumventing lithography and packaging constraints.
5Productivity
If optical circuit switches are used to establish direct connections, then bandwidth efficiency improves, but centralized control is required limiting flexibility and adaptability
Solution Approach 1:
The PAG system operates in a self-service manner, automatically creating, modifying, and dissolving aggregation groups based on local traffic conditions without requiring centralized control. Each network element can independently participate in PAG formation and traffic routing decisions, maintaining optical-level efficiency while achieving packet-level flexibility.
Data Source
AI summary
A cross-point switch system forming an adaptive communication network between a plurality of switches includes a plurality of ports connected to the plurality of switches, wherein the plurality of switches are connected to one another via a Port Aggregation Group (PAG) comprising multiple ports with a same set of endpoints between two switches; and a cross-point switch fabric configured to connect the plurality of ports between one another, wherein the cross-point switch fabric is configured to rearrange bandwidth in a PAG due to congestion thereon without packet loss.