Optical Network Topologies for Data Center Latency Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional data center networks experience high latency and complexity due to hierarchical architectures, leading to inefficient data communication and resource provisioning, which can result in data bottlenecks and impaired application performance.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of optical network topologies with optical nodes and an affinity-network topology database, allowing for centralized control and provisioning of computing resources based on network and application component topologies to optimize bandwidth allocation and reduce physical interconnectivity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If hierarchical network architecture with multiple layers (access, aggregation, core) is used, then network coverage and connectivity are improved, but latency and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the hierarchical network into flattened layers using optical circuit switching at the access layer, allowing direct optical paths between servers while maintaining logical hierarchy benefits. This segmentation reduces the number of routing hops and switch traversals, thereby reducing latency while preserving network coverage.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces optical circuit switches as intermediary devices that establish dedicated optical paths between servers, acting as mediators that eliminate the need for multiple electronic switch hops through the aggregation and core layers. This intermediary optical switching layer reduces transmission time while maintaining network topology flexibility.
2Adaptability or versatility
If hierarchical network architecture with multiple switches and routers is used, then network connectivity is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the routing and switching functions from the deep hierarchical structure and consolidates them at the optical circuit switching layer. By taking out the complex electronic switching logic from multiple layers and replacing it with simplified optical circuit establishment, the patent reduces device complexity while maintaining connectivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent substitutes electronic packet switching and routing mechanisms with optical circuit switching. This replacement eliminates the need for complex electronic processing at each hop, replacing it with simpler optical path establishment and maintenance, thereby reducing overall network device complexity.
3Ease of manufacture
If point-to-point Ethernet links are used for interconnections, then ease of implementation is improved, but bandwidth efficiency and scalability worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements universal optical circuit switching capabilities that can dynamically establish multiple types of connections (point-to-point, point-to-multipoint, multicast) over the same optical infrastructure. This multi-functionality allows the network to efficiently handle various bandwidth requirements and traffic patterns without requiring separate dedicated links, thereby improving bandwidth efficiency while maintaining implementation simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces dynamic optical circuit establishment and reconfiguration capabilities, allowing the network to adapt bandwidth allocation in real-time based on application requirements. This dynamic resource allocation improves bandwidth efficiency by allowing flexible path establishment and capacity adjustment without requiring static point-to-point links for all possible connections.
4Adaptability or versatility
If multiple switches and routers are used in hierarchical architecture, then network coverage is improved, but data bottlenecks and impaired application performance occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces optical circuit switches as intermediary devices that create dedicated high-speed optical paths between servers, eliminating the need for data to traverse multiple electronic switches and routers. This intermediary optical layer acts as a high-performance conduit that preserves application performance while maintaining network coverage through logical hierarchy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent substitutes electronic packet switching with optical circuit switching for critical data paths, replacing the bottleneck-prone electronic processing and routing mechanism with high-bandwidth optical transmission. This substitution eliminates data bottlenecks at switch and router interfaces, thereby improving application performance while preserving network coverage.
Data Source
AI summary
Data center network architectures that can reduce the cost and complexity of data center networks. The data center network architectures can employ optical network topologies and optical nodes to efficiently allocate bandwidth within the data center networks, while reducing the physical interconnectivity requirements of the data center networks. The data center network architectures also allow computing resources within data center networks to be controlled and provisioned based at least in part on a combined network topology and application component topology, thereby enhancing overall application program performance.