Abstract
Applying optical switching to data center networks can greatly expand network bandwidth and reduce electrical power consumption, both of which are needed to meet the explosive traffic increase. The optical switch offers large bandwidth switching capability, and so eliminates the multistage switch network architecture needed with electrical switching. Furthermore, the single stage architecture of the optical switch greatly simplifies operating costs, which include cabling, while substantially reducing the number of transponders needed. Data center networks place very different demands on optical systems than communication networks. Grasping the right direction to proceed is of paramount importance. To realize the full potential of optical switches, such as scalability and cost effectiveness, we analyze the role of large-scale optical circuit switches and discuss the realization technologies that combine the two dimensions of space and wavelength. Our recent advances in large port-count optical switches are presented.
Highlights
T HE intra data center traffic is estimated to be about four times the global Internet traffic and the CAGR is about 30% [1]
Traffic flow is changing from NorthSouth to East-West, that is between servers/storages within a data center rather than inbound/outbound traffic [2]
For large data centers the number of switching stages is more than 2 (3 stages including top-of-rack switches (ToRs)) [16], [19], [20] and optical switches reduce the number of transceivers by more than 75%, which substantially simplifies network configuration
Summary
T HE intra data center traffic is estimated to be about four times the global Internet traffic and the CAGR is about 30% [1]. This paper discusses the realization and application of large-port count optical switches that will match the data center requirements. It is explained how large-scale fast optical switches can resolve the problem and the requirements for optical switches are analyzed.
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