"Design and Optimization of VLC Enabled Data Center Network" by Yudong Qin, Deke Guo et al.

Article Title

Design and Optimization of VLC Enabled Data Center Network

Authors

Yudong Qin, the Science and Technology on Information Systems Engineering Laboratory, National University of Defense Technology, Changsha 410073, China.
Deke Guo, the Science and Technology on Information Systems Engineering Laboratory, National University of Defense Technology, Changsha 410073, China.
Xu Lin, the School of Computer Science and Technology, Xidian University, Xi’an 710000, China.
Geyao Cheng, the Science and Technology on Information Systems Engineering Laboratory, National University of Defense Technology, Changsha 410073, China.

Keywords

Data Center Network (DCN), Visible Light Communication (VLC), topology design

Abstract

Visible-Light Communication (VLC) has the potential to provide dense and fast connectivity at low cost. In this paper we propose SFNet, a novel VLC-enabled hybrid data center network that extends the design of wireless Data Center Networks (DCNs) into three further dimensions: (1) fully wireless at the inter-rack level; (2) no need for a centralized control mechanism on wireless links; and (3) no need for any infrastructure-level alterations to data centers. Previous proposals typically cannot realize these three rationales simultaneously. To achieve this vision, the proposed SFNet augments fat-tree by organizing all racks into a wireless small-world network via VLC links. The use of VLC links eliminates hierarchical switches and cables in the wireless network, and thus reduces hardware investment and maintenance costs. To fully exploit the benefits of the topology of SFNet, we further propose its topology design and optimization method, routing scheme, and online flow scheduling algorithm. Comprehensive experiments indicate that SFNet exhibits good topological properties and network performance.