How To Build a 100,000-Port Ethernet Switch 174
BobB-nw writes "University of California at San Diego researchers Tuesday are presenting a paper (PDF) describing software that they say could make data center networks massively scalable. The researchers say their PortLand software will enable Layer 2 data center network fabrics scalable to 100,000 ports and beyond; they have a prototype running at the school's Department of Computer Science and Engineering's Jacobs School of Engineering. 'With PortLand, we came up with a set of algorithms and protocols that combine the best of layer 2 and layer 3 network fabrics,' said Amin Vahdat, a computer science professor at UC San Diego. 'Today, the largest data centers contain over 100,000 servers. Ideally, we would like to have the flexibility to run any application on any server while minimizing the amount of required network configuration and state... We are working toward a network that administrators can think of as one massive 100,000-port switch seamlessly serving over one million virtual endpoints.'"
Shiny! But... (Score:1, Interesting)
It's still ethernet.
Re:How many LEDs is that? How much power in LEDs? (Score:1, Interesting)
Dude, mA, kA and kW, not ma, Ka and Kw. Besides, nobody drives front panel LEDs with 20mA unless they're trying to blind somebody.
Comment removed (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:How many LEDs is that? How much power in LEDs? (Score:3, Interesting)
So true. We installed an 8 port IP-KVM switch in a rack recently, and the on light was _bright_ blue, to the point that 20m away it felt like it was boring a hole in my head. I cut some paper into ~1cm square pieces and taped a stack of 3 over it, and it still looked excessively bright. I don't know what the designers were thinking.
NATting layer two. (Score:5, Interesting)
They're basically NATting the layer two protocols. Combined with a super spanning tree for the natted addresses they're practically boosting layer two into layer three.
Before I read the paper I was thinking that it would be easier to just run all your services NATted at layer three, even using something like PPPoE (which is how cable networks solve the same basic problem, with something like half a million end-points on the same subnet). I guess it's more efficient to work with the simpler layer two protocols instead.
Re:Rehashing of long-abandoned ideas (Score:4, Interesting)
That sounds like a law office I spec'd a job for. The law office manager knew me from her previous place where I was the "IT" guy. So this law office is having ALL sorts of network, computer and server problems, and asks me for a bid to fix it.
I scope the joint, prepare a bid, and I figure it is (using numbers from memory) it was $25,000 for everything installed setup and running: new HW, Server, computers and wiring (small office). EVERYTHING was BRAND NEW.
Their existing guy (I won't even call him IT) under bid me by $10K. They asked me to requote, and I told them no thanks. Obviously I didn't get the job.
Well, a few months later they called me back to try to fix what was done by this other guy. I look, and his wiring was flat phone cable (cat 2???) stapled to the wall in pretty "rows". Recycled home grown computers and I didn't even bother to look at the "server". I was too afraid.
I said to the Manager, "Network is flakey and nothing works right, huh?". Anyway, they ask me to requote them, and I hand them a copy of my original quote for $25,0000 and say "here".
About this time, I notice all the file cabinets are covered in blue tarps, and see the roof is leaking from the rain. The office manager tells me that they do this every winter when it rains. I ask why they don't get it fixed.
"Because when it is raining, they can't fix it, and when it isn't raining, it isn't a problem".
The funny thing is, they spent the $15K of the original quote the guy quoted, and another $20K in service fees to the same guy trying to fix the new system he just put in ... in A FEW MONTHS!!!
I came to the conclusion that many lawyers aren't that bright. They pinch pennies while pissing away C notes.
I have no idea if that law firm's network ever ran right. The office manager quit shortly afterwards.
SO, it doesn't surprise me that what you saw was in a law office.
Re:Read Dr. Vahdat's blog post (Score:3, Interesting)
Take great care not to use any MAC addresses that are already in use. One would probably need to purchase/register entire blocks of MAC addresses just as a manufacturer of network adapters must do. Or...
Or simply use the private/local range of MAC addresses (02:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx) (The MAC address equivalent of ,say, 10/8)?