Scalable matrix ring data center interconnect based on FSO technology.

Area of Science:

• Computer Science
• Network Engineering
• Optical Communications

Background:

• Escalating data center traffic and scalability challenges necessitate innovative network architectures.
• Traditional data center networks (DCNs) face limitations in handling high bandwidth demands and minimizing latency.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose and evaluate a novel hybrid data center network (DCN) architecture utilizing free-space optics (FSO) technology.
• To reduce cabling complexity and end-to-end delay in data centers.

Main Methods:

• Introduction of a three-layer matrix ring topology combining wired intra-layer links and wireless FSO inter-layer connections.
• Implementation of an optimized FSO link allocation strategy based on priority principles.
• Performance evaluation through simulations and comparative analysis against traditional leaf-spine architectures.

Main Results:

• Simulations show a significant reduction in network delay (up to 35.7%) with the integration of FSO links.
• The proposed matrix ring topology demonstrates superior performance compared to leaf-spine architectures, particularly under high traffic loads.
• Markedly better and more predictable delay distributions were observed under traffic bursts.

Conclusions:

• The hybrid DCN architecture employing FSO offers a flexible, efficient, and scalable solution for future data centers.
• The matrix ring topology with optimized FSO link allocation effectively addresses data center traffic and scalability issues.
• This approach presents a promising direction for enhancing data center network performance and reliability.