NeTS: Large: Collaborative Research: HCPN: Hybrid Circuit/Packet Networking

越来越大的数据中心正在推动云计算革命，但这些安装的规模目前受到提供足够内部网络连接的能力的限制。提供可扩展的分组交换互连，以支持数十万服务器之间不断增长的数据速率，这是一个极具挑战性的问题，而且只会变得更加困难。该项目利用微秒级光电路交换技术开发一种混合交换范例，跨越传统电路交换和成熟的分组交换之间的差距，实现前所未有的性能和规模。这将产生一种混合交换机，其光交换容量比电分组交换机大几个数量级，但从端到端的角度来看，其性能与巨型(电)分组交换机基本没有区别。研究为跨越广泛的当前和未来技术的混合网络设计提供了定量基准。该项目将由五个部分组成：i)业务特性，以识别电路交换机可以支持的网络业务的类别，以及在电路和网络的分组部分之间划分业务；ii)电路调度，以使电路交换机能够在大的数据中心业务流集合中快速多路复用一组电路；iii)业务调节，以减少终端主机上的业务的可变性，减轻对交换机调度的要求；iv)原型混合网络，其可以使用比现有解决方案快三个数量级的光电路交换机；以及v)趋势分析，以了解潜在的未来技术进步带来的权衡。这项工作将极大地改善数据中心网络，显著降低运营成本并提高能源效率。研究材料将被纳入课程，帮助培养下一代计算机网络科学家和工程师。PIs还将继续通过加州大学圣迭戈分校的COSMOS暑期计划和在当地高中发表的演讲，继续向高中生伸出援手。

Ever-larger data centers are powering the cloud computing revolution, but the scale of these installations is currently limited by the ability to provide sufficient internal network connectivity. Delivering scalable packet-switched interconnects that can support the continually increasing data rates required between literally hundreds of thousands of servers is an extremely challenging problem that is only getting harder. This project leverages microsecond optical circuit-switch technology to develop a hybrid switching paradigm that spans the gap between traditional circuit switching and full-fledged packet switching, achieving a level of performance and scale not previously attainable. This will result in a hybrid switch whose optical switching capacity is orders of magnitude larger than the electrical packet switch, yet whose performance from an end-to-end perspective is largely indistinguishable from a giant (electrical) packet switch.The research provides a quantitative baseline for hybrid network design across a wide range of present and future technologies. The project will consist of five parts: i) traffic characterization to identify the class of network traffic that a circuit switch can support as well as the partitioning of the traffic between the circuit and packet portions of the network; ii) circuit scheduling to enable the circuit switch to rapidly multiplex a set of circuits across a large set of data center traffic flows; iii) traffic conditioning to reduce the variability of traffic at the end hosts, easing the demands placed on switch scheduling; iv) a prototype hybrid network that can use an optical circuit switch that operates three orders of magnitude faster than existing solutions; and v) a trend analysis to understand the tradeoffs resulting from potential future technology advances.The work stands to dramatically improve data center networks, significantly reducing operating costs and increasing energy efficiency. The research material will be incorporated into courses, helping to train the next generation of computer networking scientists and engineers. The PIs will also continue ongoing outreach to high school students, both through the UCSD COSMOS summer program and through talks delivered at local high schools.