Virtual Switch Fabric for Low-Latency Network Communication
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current data network switching methods, such as mesh and ring networks, face challenges in latency and congestion, especially in high-traffic volumes, with mesh networks being costly and complex to implement and ring networks experiencing data congestion and increased latency due to single connection limitations.
Innovation Solution
A virtual switch fabric method using network devices with multiple interfaces and a switching module, coupled with fabric and virtual fabric interface controllers, segments and reassembles packet data across multiple network devices via SERDES for efficient load balancing and reduced latency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If a mesh network is used to achieve low latency communication, then communication speed is improved, but device complexity and implementation cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The invention segments the switch fabric into multiple virtual switch fabrics, each handling specific traffic flows. This segmentation allows complex mesh-like connectivity to be achieved through simpler, modular virtual fabrics, reducing overall device complexity while maintaining low-latency communication capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces a virtualization dimension to the physical network architecture. By creating virtual switch fabrics that can be configured to emulate mesh topology over simpler physical connections, it achieves mesh network performance without the physical interconnection complexity.
2Device complexity
If a ring network is used to reduce interconnection complexity, then device complexity is reduced, but data congestion and latency increase
Solution Approach 1:
The switch fabric is segmented into multiple virtual switch fabrics that can operate independently. This allows traffic to be distributed across multiple virtual paths, preventing congestion that would occur in a single ring network while maintaining simpler physical connections.
Solution Approach 2:
The virtual switch fabric architecture provides multi-functionality, allowing the same physical infrastructure to operate in different topologies (ring, mesh, or hybrid) depending on traffic requirements. This enables the system to achieve low-latency mesh-like performance over simpler physical connections.
3Ease of manufacture
If a ring network is used to simplify connections, then ease of manufacture is improved, but reliability decreases due to data congestion and packet loss
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the switch fabric into multiple virtual switch fabrics, the invention creates multiple independent data paths. This segmentation prevents single points of failure and congestion, improving reliability while maintaining the simplicity of ring-like physical connections.
Solution Approach 2:
The virtual switch fabric acts as an intermediary layer between the simple physical ring connections and the complex data transmission requirements. It provides traffic management, load balancing, and error handling that improves reliability without requiring complex physical infrastructure.
4Adaptability or versatility
If mesh network connections are increased to support more nodes, then adaptability is improved, but device complexity and cost increase prohibitively
Solution Approach 1:
The invention segments the network fabric into virtual components that can be independently configured and scaled. This allows the network to adapt to different node configurations and traffic patterns without requiring each node to maintain N-1 physical connections, thereby improving scalability while controlling complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
By introducing virtualization as an additional dimension, the invention enables network scalability without proportional increases in physical connections. Virtual switch fabrics can be dynamically created, modified, and deleted to accommodate changing network requirements, providing adaptability independent of physical topology complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and apparatus for processing packet data are disclosed. An example apparatus includes a plurality of network interfaces configured to send and receive packet data. The example apparatus further includes a switching module coupled with the plurality of network interfaces, the switching module being configured to communicate the packet data to and from the plurality of network interfaces. The example apparatus still further includes a fabric interface controller coupled with the switching module. The example apparatus also includes a virtual fabric interface controller coupled with the fabric interface controller.