Multi-hop Mesh Packet Switch Fabric Scalability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional single-hop mesh switching fabrics face scalability limitations and lack redundancy, making them inefficient in supporting increased bandwidth and network complexity, particularly due to the need for direct connections between all nodes, which leads to high costs and vulnerability to path failures.
Innovation Solution
A multi-hop mesh fabric that provides multiple paths between nodes, including single-hop and multi-hop connections, allowing for efficient traffic distribution and redundancy, enabling scalable network infrastructure with improved bandwidth utilization and redundancy across different hardware levels.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a single-hop mesh fabric is used to provide direct connections between all nodes, then bandwidth and connectivity are improved, but device complexity and cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the direct single-hop connection requirement into multiple segments by introducing intermediate nodes. Instead of requiring direct connections between all node pairs, traffic is segmented into multiple hops through intermediate switching elements, reducing the complexity of direct connections while maintaining overall connectivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces intermediate switching elements as mediators between source and destination nodes. These intermediaries handle the routing and switching functions that would otherwise require direct point-to-point connections, thereby reducing device complexity while preserving network connectivity.
2Productivity
If direct connections between all nodes are implemented, then bandwidth utilization is improved, but scalability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the network into multiple hierarchical levels with intermediate switching elements. This segmentation allows the network to scale by adding nodes at different levels without requiring reconfiguration of all existing direct connections, thereby improving scalability while maintaining bandwidth utilization through efficient routing.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from a flat single-hop topology to a multi-dimensional hierarchical structure with multiple switching levels. This dimensional change enables scalable network growth by organizing nodes in layers, allowing bandwidth-efficient routing while accommodating increasing network size.
3Speed
If single-hop paths are used, then transmission speed is improved, but redundancy and fault tolerance worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by providing different path options locally at each switching element. While single-hop paths are used when available for maximum speed, the architecture locally provides alternative multi-hop paths through intermediate nodes, ensuring redundancy and fault tolerance without sacrificing transmission speed in normal operating conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent prepares alternative routing paths in advance through the multi-hop architecture. When a single-hop path fails, the system can immediately switch to pre-configured alternative paths through intermediate nodes, providing fault tolerance and redundancy without affecting normal high-speed transmission.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention provides a multi-hop mesh fabric that allows existing systems to be more effectively scaled to increase bandwidth and the number of nodes within the fabric. The multi-hop mesh fabric also provides redundancy for each of the connections between nodes. The multi-hop mesh fabric may be realized in various different architectures including the maximum number of hops within the fabric and the layout of the fabric (e.g., full mesh vs. sparse mesh). The multi-hop mesh fabric may further improve its efficiency by employing various load balancing techniques, different scheduling methods, and other traffic management technologies known by one of skill in the art. Furthermore, the multi-hop mesh fabric may be realized in different environments including intra-devices, inter-device intra-blade, intra-blade intra-system, and inter-system intra-cluster.