Recent advances in the design of optical wireless data center networks

Abstract

Most Data Center Networks (DCNs) deployed today can be classified as wired DCNs in which copper and optical fiber cables are used for intra- and inter-rack connections in the network. Despite recent advances, wired DCNs face two inevitable problems; cabling complexity and hotspots. To address these problems, recent research works suggest the incorporation of wireless communication technology into DCNs. Wireless links can be used to either augment conventional wired DCNs, or to realize a pure wireless DCN. Moreover, wireless links can be fixed or reconfigurable. Optical Wireless Communication (OWC) [also known as free space optical (FSO) communication] and 60 GHz radio frequency (RF) are the two key candidate technologies for implementing wireless links in DCNs. In this paper, we focus our discussion on OWC-based wireless DCNs. We review and summarize major research in this area until 2018. We also discuss open questions and future research directions in the area of OWCs.