Physical-layer network coding for passive optical interconnect in datacenter networks.

Area of Science:

• Computer Science
• Optical Networking
• Data Center Architecture

Background:

• Passive Optical Interconnects (POI) are crucial for high-bandwidth datacenter networks.
• Traditional network architectures face challenges with increasing traffic loads and latency.
• Physical-layer network coding (PLNC) offers a potential solution for enhancing network efficiency.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce and evaluate the application of Physical-Layer Network Coding (PLNC) within a Passive Optical Interconnect (POI) architecture.
• To assess the performance gains of PLNC in datacenter networks at various speeds.
• To investigate the impact of PLNC on key network performance metrics like packet drop and delay.

Main Methods:

• Experimental validation of PLNC implementation in a POI at 2.5 Gb/s and 10 Gb/s.
• Simulation-based analysis of network-layer performance improvements.
• Comparative study of PLNC-enabled POI against traditional architectures.

Main Results:

• PLNC implementation in POI was successfully demonstrated at 2.5 Gb/s and 10 Gb/s.
• Wavelength utilization in the POI can be reduced by up to 50% with PLNC.
• Significant reductions in packet delay were observed, particularly under high traffic conditions.
• Negligible packet drop rates were achieved with the proposed PLNC-over-POI system.

Conclusions:

• PLNC is a viable technique for enhancing Passive Optical Interconnects in datacenters.
• Employing PLNC in POI architectures leads to substantial improvements in network efficiency and performance.
• The findings suggest PLNC can enable more scalable and efficient future datacenter networks.