Network Infrastructure
Data center is a pool of resources (computational, storage, network) interconnected using a communication network. Data Center Network (DCN) holds a pivotal role in a data center, as it interconnects all of the data center resources together. DCNs need to be scalable and efficient to connect tens or even hundreds of thousands of servers to handle the growing demands of Cloud computing (DCN architectures). Today’s data centers are constrained by the interconnection network.
A conventional DCN comprises: servers that manage workloads and respond to client requests; switches that connect devices together; routers that perform packet forwarding functions; controllers that manage the workflow between network devices; gateways that serve as the junctions between data center networks and the broader Internet; and clients that act as consumers of the information in data packets.
Resources on the the network share a common mapping system based on networking standards or technologies. For modern networks, this shared map is often based on Internet Protocol (IP), Ethernet, and other related networking technologies. Layer 3 IP addresses (IP routing) are designed to give intermediate forwarding agents in a network, called routers, clues as to the general direction along which to move packets to data. Using Transport Control Protocol (TCP/IP), routers pass packets of data to each other, literally in a best-guess effort.
Another common data center technology is Ethernet, which connects devices using media access control (MAC) addresses. To overcome limitations of these basic networking technologies, many additional networking protocols have been developed, including VXLAN and OpenFlow, some of which may be executed as an “overlay” that rides on top of the basic networking infrastructure.
These components form the infrastructure of the data center network. As the infrastructure evolves, no longer must any of these components’ functions be served by stand-alone, physical appliances. Virtualization enables the role of any or all of these components to be fulfilled by software.
