Novel flat datacenter network architecture based on scalable and flow-controlled optical switch system

We propose and demonstrate an optical flat datacenter network based on scalable optical switch system with optical flow control. Modular structure with distributed control results in port-count independent optical switch reconfiguration time. RF tone in-band labeling technique allowing parallel processing of the label bits ensures the low latency operation regardless of the switch port-count. Hardware flow control is conducted at optical level by re-using the label wavelength without occupying extra bandwidth, space, and network resources which further improves the performance of latency within a simple structure. Dynamic switching including multicasting operation is validated for a 4x4 system. Error free operation of 40 Gb/s data packets has been achieved with only 1 dB penalty. The system could handle an input load up to 0.5 providing a packet loss lower that 10 and an average latency less that 500ns when a buffer size of 16 packets is employed. Investigation on scalability also indicates that the proposed system could potentially scale up to large port count with limited power penalty. ©2014 Optical Society of America OCIS codes: (060.4259) Networks, packet-switched; (060.6719) Switching, packet; (200.4650) Optical interconnects. References and links 1. S. Sakr, A. Liu, D. Batista, and M. Alomari, “A survey on large scale data management approaches in cloud environments,” IEEE Commun. Surv. Tutorials 13(3), 311–336 (2011). 2. M. Meeker and L. Wu, “2013 internet trends,” Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Technical Report (2013). 3. G. Astfalk, “Why optical data communications and why now?” Appl. Phys. A Mater. Sci. Process. 95(4), 933– 940 (2009). 4. S. Kandula, S. Sengupta, A. Greenberg, P. Patel, and R. Chaiken, “The nature of data center traffic: measurements and analysis,” in Proceedings of the 9th ACM SIGCOMM Conference on Internet Measurement (ACM, New York, 2009), pp. 202–208. 5. J. Oltsik, B. Laliberte, and B. Lundell, “Research report: Data center networking trend,” Enterprise Strategy Group (2006). 6. L. A. Barroso and U. Hölze, The Datacenter as a Computer: An Introduction to the Design of Warehouse-Scale Machines (Morgan and Claypool, 2009). 7. P. Gill, N. Jain, and N. Nagappan, “Understanding network failures in data centers: measurement, analysis, and implications,” in Proceedings of the ACM SIGCOMM 2011 Conference (ACM, New York, 2011), pp. 350–361. 8. C. Kachris, K. Bergman, and I. Tomkos, Optical Interconnects for Future Data Center Networks (Springer, 2013), Chap. 1. 9. A. Benner, “Optical interconnect opportunities in supercomputers and high end computing,” in Optical Fiber Communication Conference, Technical Digest (CD) (Optical Society of America, 2012), paper OTu2B.4. 10. C. Kachris and I. Tomkos, “A survey on optical interconnects for data centers,” IEEE Commun. Surv. Tutorials 14(4), 1021–1036 (2012). 11. O. Liboiron-Ladouceur, A. Shacham, B. A. Small, B. G. Lee, H. Wang, C. P. Lai, A. Biberman, and K. Bergman, “The data vortex optical packet switched interconnection network,” J. Lightwave Technol. 26(13), 1777–1789 (2008). 12. X. Ye, Y. Yin, S. J. B. Yoo, P. Mejia, R. Proietti, and V. Akella, “DOS: a scalable optical switch for datacenters,” in Proceedings of the 6th ACM/IEEE Symposium on Architectures for Networking and Communications Systems (ACM, New York, 2010), pp. 1–12. #200765 $15.00 USD Received 7 Nov 2013; revised 23 Dec 2013; accepted 23 Dec 2013; published 29 Jan 2014 (C) 2014 OSA 10 February 2014 | Vol. 22, No. 3 | DOI:10.1364/OE.22.002465 | OPTICS EXPRESS 2465 13. J. Gripp, J. E. Simsarian, J. D. LeGrange, P. Bernasconi, and D. T. Neilson, “Photonic terabit routers: The IRIS project,” in Optical Fiber Communication Conference, Technical Digest (CD) (Optical Society of America, 2010), paper OThP3. 14. J. Luo, H. J. S. Dorren, and N. Calabretta, “Optical RF tone in-band labeling for large-scale and low-latency optical packet switches,” J. Lightwave Technol. 30(16), 2637–2645 (2012). 15. W. Miao, S. Di Lucente, J. Luo, H. Dorren, and N. Calabretta, “Low latency and efficient optical flow control for intra data center networks,” in European Conference and Exhibition on Optical Communication (Optical Society of America, 2013), paper Th.1.A.2. 16. J. Luo, S. Di Lucente, J. Ramirez, H. J. S. Dorren, and N. Calabretta, “Low latency and large port count optical packet switch with highly distributed control,” in Optical Fiber Communication Conference, Technical Digest (CD) (Optical Society of America, 2012), paper OW3J.2. 17. T. Benson, A. Anand, A. Akella, and M. Zhang, “Understanding data center traffic characteristics,” ACM SIGCOMM Comput. Commun. Rev. 40(1), 92–99 (2010).