Renato J. Recio

Software defined networking to support the software defined environment

Software defined networking (SDN) represents a new approach in which the decision-making process of the network is moved from distributed network devices to a logically centralized controller, implemented as software running on commodity servers. This enables more automation and optimization of the network and, when combined with software defined compute and software defined storage, forms one of the three pillars of IBMs software defined environment (SDE). This paper provides an overview of SDN, focusing on several technologies gaining attention and the benefits they provide for cloud-computing providers and end-users. These technologies include (i) logically centralized SDN controllers to manage virtual and physical networks, (ii) new abstractions for virtual networks and network virtualization, and (iii) new routing algorithms that eliminate limitations of traditional Ethernet routing and allow newer network topologies. Additionally, we present IBMs vision for SDN, describing how these technologies work together to virtualize the underlying physical network infrastructure and automate resource provisioning. The vision includes automated provisioning of multi-tier applications, application performance monitoring, and the enabling of dynamic adaptation of network resources to application workloads. Finally, we explore the implications of SDN on network topologies, quality of service, and middleboxes (e.g., network appliances).

A Roadmap to 100G Ethernet at the enterprise data center

Ethernet networks operating at (100+100) Gb/s per link are showing enough technical and market viability that intense development on technical specifications and component technologies is under way. However, the route to 100 Gb/s Ethernet products is still not completely clear because the market and applications for 100 Gb/s links are quite different than for 1 Gb/s and even 10 Gb/s links. This article attempts to provide a roadmap for adoption of 100 Gb/s Ethernet in enterprise data centers, outlining the features that will affect the schedule, as well as the capabilities of Ethernet gear as it is developed. The major opportunities for 100 Gb/s Ethernet appear to be primarily oriented toward server, rather than desktop/client, applications, and toward interconnecting various types of high- performance computing gear for technical and business analytic computing, as well as for media-oriented and web applications in content development and delivery. These applications will place requirements on the timeline and technical definition of networking gear operating at 40 Gb/s and 100 Gb/s.

Server I/O networks past, present, and future

Enterprise and technical customers place a diverse set of requirements on server I/O networks. In the past, no single network type has been able to satisfy all of these requirements. As a result several fabric types evolved and several interconnects emerged to satisfy a subset of the requirements. Recently several technologies have emerged that enable a single interconnect to be used as more than one fabric type. This paper will describe the requirements customers place on server I/O networks; the various fabric types and interconnects that have been used to satisfy those requirements; the technologies that are enabling network convergence; and how these new technologies are being deployed on various network families.

A Case for Convergence Enhanced Ethernet: Requirements and Applications

Today, InfiniBand fits well in cluster convergence scenarios where performance is critical, but Ethernet fits better in mid-sized and multi-tier server fabric convergence environments where storage based on NAS and iSCSI are used. However in large enterprises where storage availability, security, quality, etc. are important, the dominant storage solution is based on fibre channel (FC), resulting in separate networks for storage, LAN, and IPC traffic. Convergence enhanced ethernet (CEE) is the name given to a set of ethernet enhancements that enable FC convergence with ethernet.

The Coming Decade of System Networking Discontinuities

The traditional Data Center Networking (DCN) model is under a transitory period, where several emerging technologies may cause significant discontinuities and result in a new dominant model. Clients are seeking: optimized fabrics that are flat and converged, simpler network control and management, automated network virtualization services and a platform for which to run agile network services. This presentation will cover the client requirements that are influencing the demand side of these new solutions, as well as some of the emerging technologies

Leveraging Collaborative Technologies in the IO Requirements Process

The process of clearly defining a strategic roadmap that anticipates and sets industry directions depends on requirements input from a diverse set of folks and disciplines. The input spans several key factors: customer, market and application workloads and requirements; basic and derivative technology trends; competitor directions; business model innovations; applicable new and substitute technologies; riskanalysis; and the team’s capabilities. To perform this level of analysis requires dynamic collaboration by a diverse group of thought leaders, as well as input from the wider community that will share the responsibility for carrying out the mission from start through release and into field support. When the influx of feedback and ideas is not limited or restricted, more perspectives and backgrounds can be leveraged to make the more comprehensive predictions and fine tuning that are required of a cohesive strategic roadmap. In many cases this type of process will not lead to consensus, in which case the thought leader(s) must weigh the factors and make a decision. This paper will provide an overview of the teams involved in creating IBM’s Systems IO and DataCenter Networking (DCN) technologies and products. It will describe the roles each team plays in turning requirements into products. A key part of this processis the IO Technical Community (IOTC), which provides a collaboration medium that spans all ofthese teams. It will also describe the technologies and methods used by these teams. It ends with a summary of the keys to leveraging an active technical community in turning requirements into products.

Out of User Space Storage and RDMA

User space applications must invoke kernels calls in order to have the operating system handle file system and device driver processing for storage requests. There is a high overhead associated with such calls, including the processing of suspending, scheduling and dispatching threads, interrupts, cache misses, etc. The overhead contributes to wasted processor cycles because all work on the thread being switched is stopped until the task switch is complete. The problem is worse for applications with a high storage I/O to compute ratio. Alternatives to enable user space applications to pass storage requests directly to I/O adapters without run-time involvement from the operating system would eliminate this overhead