written by Asterfuison
During the early stages of cloud computing development, the cloud network architecture was modeled after the traditional campus network. However, market demand has driven the cloud network to undergo significant changes over the past two decades. Today, the cloud network has surpassed the traditional campus network in terms of network architecture, hardware equipment, scalability, and operation& maintenance capabilities. If the advanced network architecture and technical highlights of the cloud are introduced to the campus, what changes will it bring?
This article will explore how Asterfusion’s new cloud cluster campus network addresses the shortcomings of the traditional stack architecture to achieve even higher reliability and scalability.
What is Stack Network Architecture?
In the traditional campus network, stacking technology is often used to provide highly reliable access services for some terminals. This method virtually combines two or multiple physical switches of the same specification into one switch, allowing terminals to be connected to different access switches through distinct lines. When a switch fails, another one automatically takes over the process of network traffic, hence assuring the connection between user devices and network. Stacking architecture can be employed on higher layer switches or even between switches at different layers.
The advantages of stacked architecture, which was introduced in 1990s, which are still very important nowadays, but as the wired, wireless and IoT devices are growing fast, traditional stack architectures are facing several drawbacks for the next-generation campus network:
Today, Asterfusion has introduced cloud-based open architecture back to campus network. The CLOS based Spine-Leaf architecture retains the advantages of stacking ones and can also solve some drawbacks of them.
This solution eliminates the need for stacking complex networking logic, device configuration, and fragile state synchronization – the entire campus device network will function like a large virtual switch with thousands of access ports, all of which can be managed unified.
After the interconnection and registration configurations finish, the cloud cluster established and the switches working in the same layer will work as a logical switch with a unified management interface (just like stacked systems), where the cluster members’ configurations are automatically synchronized.
When new members added to the cluster, only registration work is necessary. Due to the
Spine-Leaf architecture, the scale of the cluster can be very large without worry about
stacking bandwidth. For example, in a stacking system of 48-port access switch, the
maximum number of downlink ports is 48×8 (stack member limitation), but in cloud cluster,
the number can be easily extended to 48×48, even 48x48x64 in a 3-layer CLOS architecture.
In traditional layer-2 campus network, many complicated features are deployed to avoid the
risks such as ethernet loop and broadcast storm. Asterfusion cloud cluster adopts all layer-3
network to naturally avoid the above risks. Moreover, compared with the layer-2 network
running STP, it can take full use of the network resource.
For simplicity consideration, cloud cluster adopts unified BGP instead of complex IGP+EGP
structure. MP-BGP or EVPN is used to synchronize the routing information between different
subnets and distributed gateways. Using the ECMP load sharing capability of the L3 network,
all the bandwidth between switches can be fully utilized to transmit packets, making the
network performance higher.
Now we can make a simple comparison between stacking architecture and cloud cluster in
terms of deployment and O&M aspects, the obviously advantages of cloud cluster are bold
marked:
Asterfusion’s cloud-based campus network solution has not only de-stacking capabilities, but also multiple levels of innovation. With the help of open cloud network technology and architecture, we will be able to develop the campus network from architecture to construction to operation &maintenance. The owners and operators of campus networks will benefit most from all of these changes: reduce network construction costs, improve network efficiency, and support unlimited innovation.
Asterfusion Networks is the leading provider of open networking infrastructure solutions. We provide an open, disaggregated, and highly programmable network fabric for next generation data centers and campus with white-box switching.
For more information on Asterfusion’s products and solutions, please visit https://cloudswit.ch/. For sales inquiries, please send an email to [email protected]
Floor 4, Building A2, Shahutiandi, No.192 Tinglan Road, SIP
23F - E08, Dinghe Tower, Jintian Road, Futian, Shenzhen
© Asterfusion Data Technologies Co., Ltd. All rights reserved.