Next-Generation Data Center Core Switches

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Next-generation Data Center Core Switches Public

2012-11-26 HUAWEI Confidential Page 1, Total 9

Next-generation Data Center Core Switches

By Mark Wu

Introduction

Since the introduction of cloud computing technology in 2006, it has developed so

rapidly that almost all enterprise IT services have migrated, or are in the process of

migrating, to cloud-computing platforms.

Data centers are seeing an annual growth rate of over 40% in network devices.

Among all network devices in a data center, core switches are the key nodes in the

architecture of the entire cloud-computing network.

The reasons behind the development of Data Center Core Switches

The development of data center core switches can be attributed to many factors. The

primary driving force is the revolutionary transition from the client/server traffic

model to the server/server traffic model. During this transition, Incast and multicast

traffic models are more widely used on networks than previous unicast traffic models.


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As more and more core enterprise services migrate to IT platforms, enterprises are

increasing their spend on IT system construction. Development of data center

technologies, such as large-scale server clusters, virtualization, and big data, also

bring higher requirements for data center networks.

Service

(application)

driving

forces

Cloud

ComputingScalability

Multi-service

Integration

High

Reliability

Application

virtualization

Fast expansion of

data centers (scale up

and scale out)

Ethernet, SAN,

and high-speed

computing

Core services

on IT

platforms,

cluster

systems

Technical(vendor)

driving

forces

Network

adaptation to

virtualization

Innovation inhigh-performance

hardware-platforms +

control protocols

Everything overEthernet

(requiring10GE

100GE access)

ISSU, microkernel,

distributed

network

The preceding table shows that the key to the success of data center switches is to

combine service requirements with mature technologies. Huawei follows this

principle when developing next-generation data center core switches.

Characteristics of Current Data Center Core Switches

Currently, the data center core switches of mainstream vendors have the following

characteristics:

1. High scalabilityUsage

Scenario

For rapid expansion of

data centersFor VM migration

For more flexible

network architecture

scaling


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More accessible

servers, higher

accessibility, and

higher throughput

Scalable large L2

network to support

VM migration

Modular scaling for

data center networks,

for easier network

deployment,

maintenance andmanagement

Matching

technology

Higher-performance

hardware

New protocols and

hardware

components

Pod-based network

design

Chips with higher

processing

capabilities, interfaces

with higher speeds

(40GE/100GE), andnetwork devices with

higher port densities

New L2 protocol

TRILL (VLAN

anywhere but not

every where), and L2

interconnection

between data centers

New data center

network design

fulfilling network

requirements for scaleup and scale out

2. Virtualization capabilities

Usage

Scenario

To simplify network

topology and facilitate

network maintenance

To implement

resource sharing

and flexible

resource

allocation

To support migration

of VMs and detection

VMs

Matching

technology

Two (multi)-node

clusterVirtual switch

802.1BR, 802.1Qbg,

out-of-band NMS

Well developed

two-node cluster

technology and

two-node cluster

solutions for

mainstream vendors.

Multi-node clustertechnology is more

difficult and is still

under development.

Matrix expansion and

virtual stacking

technologies used on

access switches can

also establish clusters.

Virtual switch

technology helps

faster network

deployment and

improves

efficiency ofresource

utilization,

including

equipment rooms,

power supply

systems, and line

cards.

All these technologies

are currently under

development, and

major vendors have

their own solutions. It

is still uncertain

which technology will

become predominant.


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3. Support for multi-service integration and network convergence

UsageScenario

For complex

network services

For integration of

traditional servicesFor network convergence

Multi-tenant,

mobile IP, VPN,

etc.

Integration offirewall, network

analysis, and load

balancing services

Convergence oftraditional FC network

and HPC network with

Ethernet networks

Matching

technology

New protocols

and chips (VPN

technologies,

VxLAN/NvGRE,

IPv6, and so on)

Integrated service

line cards

Everything Over

Ethernet

New chips have

higher processing

capabilities and can

process complex

services.

Mainstream

vendors have just

started the

development of

new chips, and

none of these chipsare widely used.

Complex services

cannot be integrated

on ASIC. Therefore,

these services are

integrated into one

single device by

using integrated

service line cards.

New technologies, such

as 10GE access and DCB,

enable data from

heterogeneous networks

to be transmitted over

Ethernet, for example,

FCoE and RDMAoE.

Deficiencies of Current Data Center Core Switches

Although data center core switches have made many breakthroughs in services and

technologies, they still have the following deficiencies:

1. Insufficient network scalability

At present, very few data center core switches can provide scalability thatsupports network expansion for the next five to 10 years. This is because the

device architecture cannot keep pace with the rapid network expansion.

Server virtualization also brings great demand in L2 data switching. However,L2 networks and nodes are not very scalable due to defects of the L2

networks.

Traditional L2 protocols, such as STP, only solve the problem of L2 loops anddo not determine how to establish a large L2 network. There are still no mature


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solutions for L2 VM migration between data centers.

2. Separate network virtualization and service virtualization

Services and applications become more flexible and dynamic after servicevirtualization.

It is a big challenge for virtual networks to dynamically change configurationsand deployments to adapt to changes in services and applications.

3. Insufficient openness to network behavior

As network application environments become more complex, many customerswant to customize their own network behaviors. However, customer networks

have their own characteristics and requirements, and standard devices cannot

meet the special requirements of all customers. To address this problem, some

vendors have introduced the idea of using open standard interfaces to control

network behavior.

Openflow, OpenStack, and SDN technologies were developed following thisidea. They share network control details with external applications to support

the customization of network behavior. Although these technologies still need

improvement and have not been widely used on network devices, these

technologies may be the way of the future.

Other than technologies that separate service control from forwarding,customization of network behavior can also be implemented through APIs

provided by network devices or through middleware provided by an open

platform. The need for network behavior customization cannot be ignored

regardless of the technology used.

4. Duplicate investment on core switches of data centers and campus networks

Separate core switches for data centers and campus networks ensure networksecurity. However, deploying two groups of core switches increases

investment on physical devices and raises costs of device management and

maintenance.

For customers, using the same hardware platform for data center and campus


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network services allows the implementation of uniform service management

and the facilitation of network deployment, operation, and maintenance. The

core of the data center and campus network are physically coupled through

virtual switch technology.

Technically, it is an inevitable trend for a data center and campus network toshare the same group of core switches.

5. High electricity costs

New core switches use more power than old core switches. Traditional powersupply systems in the data center equipment rooms cannot meet the

requirements of these new switches. High power consumption results in high

temperatures, which may degrade the reliability of the device.

New switches use more power because they use complex, high-frequencychips to provide complex services.

Therefore, it is important to reduce the power consumption of data center coreswitches. Energy-saving core switches improve device reliability, save energy,

and have lower requirements for data center equipment rooms.

Huaweis Next-generation Data Center Core Switches

Huawei is dedicated to offering competitive data center core switches and data

center network solutions for customers around the world. Huawei has developed the

CloudEngine 12800 series, its next-generation data center core switches, which

provide the following features to meet service requirements of customers in the

cloud-computing era:


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CE12812 CE12808 CE12804

1. Scalable network: higher scalability

By 2012, the largest switching capacity of a data center core switch will be480 Gbps per slot because the maximum capacity of a switch panel is 48 x

10GE. If the expected service life of a core switch is five years, the switch

must support a bandwidth upgrade to at least eight times the current

bandwidth. That is, the switching capacity must increase to about 4 Tbps per

slot in five years.

Huawei CE12800 supports standard Layer 2 protocols, such as TRILL, usedto build large Layer 2 networks. In addition, the Layer 2 TRILL network can

seamlessly connect to standard IP networks, allowing customers to flexibly

deploy services on a large network.

2. Virtual network: close coupling of application and network

In-band protocols between server network adapters and network devices canquickly detect the migration of a large number of VMs, and network devices

can also respond to VM migration. However, this is not enough for

cloud-computing applications.

To respond to changes in virtualized services, many devices, including loadbalancing devices and WAN routers, need to adjust their configurations. The


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configuration adjustment may even involve multiple data centers.

Therefore, network virtualization needs to be closely coupled with servicechanges using out-of-band network management interfaces. Inbound

protocols can combine with out-of-band network management interfaces to

implement end-to-end virtualization.

3. Open network: comprehensive customization capabilities

Huawei supports Openflow, OpenStack, and SDN technologies. Huawei also provides open service platforms with standard APIs or

middleware to overcome defects in standard protocols. An open service

platform allows customers to quickly deploy their own network services.

4. Resource-sharing: one group of core switches for data centers and campus

networks

Huaweis CE12800 supports virtual switch technology, which can virtualize asingle switch into a maximum of eight local switches (the number will

increase to 16 in the future). The excellent forwarding performance of the

CE12800 will provide an integrated service platform supporting both data

center services and campus network services.

Physical coupling of core nodes helps customers realize uniformmanagement and deployment of services and a simplified operations and

maintenance, which reduces a customers capital and operating expenditures.

5. Environmentally-friendly design: build a green data center

Huawei's next-generation data center switches are installed withenergy-saving ASIC chips and transceivers and offer the industry's most

efficient digital power modules. Power consumption of key components can

be adjusted based on traffic volume, which reduces power consumption per

unit of transmission speed.

Expanding the service life of network devices is an effective way to protectthe environment because abandoning a core switch would result in high

carbon emissions, which is much more costly than the power fees of a core


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switch. Huawei's next-generation data center switches support a capacity

upgrade to at least eight times the current capacity. This scalability can

support a service life of up to five to 10 years, saving resources and

protecting customer investment.

Huawei CE12800: Next-generation Data Center Core Switches

Huaweis CE12800 series of are designed for cloud-computing data centers and

super-large virtualized data center networks. The CE12800 has high bandwidth

scalability and is capable of upgrading bandwidth from 1 Tbps to 4 Tbps per slot.

Compared with other core switches, CE12800 is highly competitive in terms of its

scalability, virtualization, openness, usability, and energy efficiency. The

CE12800 series offer core switches for future-oriented data centers.

Documents

Next-Generation Data Center Core Switches