High Performance Datacenter Networks : Architectures, Algorithms, and Opportunities

Datacenter networks provide the communication substrate for large parallel computer systems that form the ecosystem for high performance computing (HPC) systems and modern Internet applications. The design of new datacenter networks is motivated by an array of applications ranging from communication intensive climatology, complex material simulations and molecular dynamics to such Internet applications as Web search, language translation, collaborative Internet applications, streaming video and voice-over-IP. For both Supercomputing and Cloud Computing the network enables distributed applications to communicate and interoperate in an orchestrated and efficient way. This book describes the design and engineering tradeoffs of datacenter networks. It describes interconnection networks from topology and network architecture to routing algorithms, and presents opportunities for taking advantage of the emerging technology trends that are influencing router microarchitecture. With the emergence of "many-core" processor chips, it is evident that we will also need "many-port" routing chips to provide a bandwidth-rich network to avoid the performance limiting effects of Amdahl's Law. We provide an overview of conventional topologies and their routing algorithms and show how technology, signaling rates and cost-effective optics are motivating new network topologies that scale up to millions of hosts. The book also provides detailed case studies of two high performance parallel computer systems and their networks. Table of Contents: Introduction / Background / Topology Basics / High-Radix Topologies / Routing / Scalable Switch Microarchitecture / System Packaging / Case Studies / Closing Remarks

Dennis Abts is a Member of Technical Staff at Google, where he is involved in the system architecture and design of next-generation large-scale clusters. His research interests include scalable interconnection networks, parallel computer system design, and fault tolerant computing. Prior to joining Google, Dennis was a Sr. Principal Engineer and System Architect for Cray Inc. where he was principally involved with the architecture and design of several large-scale parallel computers over the span of his 10+ year tenure at Cray. Including, the Cray XT3 (Red Storm) and XT4, Cray X1, Cray BlackWidow (XT5), and next-generation systems sponsored by the DARPA HPCS initiative. Abts received his Ph.D. in computer science from University of Minnesota. Dennis Abts is a Member of Technical Staff at Google, where he is involved in the system architecture and design of next-generation large-scale clusters. His research interests include scalable interconnection networks, parallel computer system design, and fault tolerant computing. Prior to joining Google, Dennis was a Sr. Principal Engineer and System Architect for Cray Inc. where he was principally involved with the architecture and design of several large-scale parallel computers over the span of his 10+ year tenure at Cray. Including, the Cray XT3 (Red Storm) and XT4, Cray X1, Cray BlackWidow (XT5), and next-generation systems sponsored by the DARPA HPCS initiative. Abts received his Ph.D. in computer science from University of Minnesota.