Reserved Spine Ports for Expandable Distributed Core Architectures
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing distributed core architectures in data centers require significant recalculation and reconfiguration efforts for expansion, often necessitating the addition of unnecessary switches and connections, leading to increased costs and inconvenience.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a distributed core network system with reserved unused ports on spine and leaf switches, allowing for future expansions without disturbing current wire mappings, facilitated by a distributed core manager or software tool that calculates and configures the exact number of additional switches needed, using protocols like OSPF for interconnections.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If distributed core architecture is customized for immediate specific application, then system components and configuration can be optimized for current needs, but future expansion requires significant recalculation and reconfiguration efforts
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-calculating and pre-configuring multiple possible distributed core architectures in advance, covering various future expansion scenarios. The system stores these pre-computed configurations and can quickly retrieve and deploy the appropriate one when expansion is needed, eliminating the need for recalculation at expansion time.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a universal expansion framework that can accommodate multiple different expansion scenarios using a single system. The pre-calculated configurations cover various numbers of spine and leaf switches, allowing the system to serve multiple future needs without requiring custom calculations for each specific expansion case.
2Productivity
If additional spines and leafs are added to expand distributed core architecture, then system capacity increases, but unnecessary switches may be added increasing costs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies partial action by providing tools that calculate the exact minimum number of spine and leaf switches needed for a given expansion requirement. Rather than adding excessive switches, the system computes the precise quantity required, allowing administrators to add only the necessary components to achieve the desired capacity increase.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses parameter changes by allowing flexible input of expansion requirements (number of ports, bandwidth needs, etc.) and automatically adjusting the configuration to match these parameters. The system can optimize for different parameters such as minimizing switch count versus minimizing cabling, providing flexible trade-offs based on specific needs.
3Adaptability or versatility
If distributed core architecture is reconfigured for expansion, then system can accommodate new requirements, but existing wire mappings are disturbed causing inconvenience
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by separating the control plane (software-based configuration management) from the data plane (physical wire mappings). The expansion calculation and configuration management are handled separately from the physical connectivity, allowing the system to compute new configurations without requiring physical rewiring of existing connections. Existing wire mappings remain stable while new components are integrated through software configuration.
4Manufacturing precision
If customized determination is made for each expansion, then system can be precisely optimized, but significant effort in recalculation is required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies copying by creating reusable configuration templates and models that can be replicated for different expansion scenarios. Once a configuration is calculated and validated for one scenario, it can be copied and adapted for similar scenarios, eliminating the need to perform complex recalculations from scratch for each expansion.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements self-service through automated expansion calculation tools that perform the complex optimization calculations without requiring manual intervention. The system automatically computes the optimal configuration based on input parameters, eliminating the need for experts to manually perform recalculation and reducing the complexity burden on operators.
Data Source
AI summary
A network system for an expandable distributed core architecture (“DCA”) includes multiple spine switches, multiple leaf switches coupled thereto, and a plurality of interconnections coupling each of the spine switches to each of the leaf switches. Servers, storage, and other system items and resources can be coupled to the leafs via downlinks and uplinks. Each of the plurality of spine switches includes at least one unused spine port that is reserved for a future expansion of the DCA in order to accommodate the addition of at least one other separate leaf switch to the at least one unused spine port. Additional ports can be unused and reserved for future expansion additions of more leafs and/or more spines. Also, a computing system assists in the design of the specific number and configuration of spines, leafs and interconnections based upon user inputs regarding current and future system needs.