Modular Switch Fabric Expansion via Non-Parallel Midplane
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Solution Overview
Problem
Distributed switch fabrics, such as Clos networks, require a large number of cable connections between stages, making expansion difficult without shutting down the system and reconfiguring cables, which is inefficient and costly.
Innovation Solution
A modular switch architecture that uses a midplane to connect interface cards between stages at non-parallel angles, reducing the need for direct cable connections and allowing for expansion from a three-stage to a five-stage configuration without downtime, using a combination of interface cards and midplanes to facilitate data transfer.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a distributed switch fabric is expanded to include additional inputs and/or stages, then the network capacity is improved, but the number of cables required increases significantly and the system must be shut down for reconfiguration
Solution Approach 1:
The switch fabric is divided into modular interface cards that can be independently added to existing housings. Each interface card contains a complete set of switching modules, allowing the system to be expanded by simply inserting new cards without reconfiguring existing cables or shutting down the network.
Solution Approach 2:
The housing structure is designed to accommodate multiple interface cards with different configurations. The same housing can support various combinations of interface cards, allowing flexible expansion from three-stage to five-stage configurations using the same physical infrastructure and cable connections.
2Reliability
If traditional cable connections are used between switch fabric stages, then connectivity is achieved, but the number of cables required becomes prohibitively large for expansion
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple cable connections are merged into a single integrated interface card. Each interface card consolidates the connectivity functions for multiple stages into one unit, reducing the total number of cables from the theoretical many-to-many connections to a manageable set of standardized connections between cards.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the switch fabric is expanded by adding stages, then the network becomes more capable, but the existing connections must be rearranged requiring system shutdown
Solution Approach 1:
The interface cards are pre-configured with the necessary connectivity interfaces and switching modules before being inserted into the housing. This preliminary preparation allows new cards to be added without requiring any reconfiguration of existing connections, enabling hot-add expansion without system shutdown.
Data Source
AI summary
In some embodiments, an apparatus includes a first housing, a second housing and at least one cable. The first housing includes a first interface card of a switch fabric. The second housing includes a second interface card of the switch fabric and a third interface card of the switch fabric. The second interface card of the switch fabric is operatively and physically coupled to the third interface card of the switch fabric via a midplane. The second interface card defines a plane that is nonparallel to the a plane defined by the third interface card and a plane defined by the midplane. The plane defined by the third interface card is nonparallel to the plane defined by the second interface card and the plane defined by the midplane. The cable is configured to operatively couple the first interface card to the second interface card.