Multi Root Meshed Tree Protocol for Folded-Clos Topology Data Center Networks

New architecture and topologies are being investigated to address the growing demands and challenges faced in Data Center Networks (DCN) - the communications backbone of the datacenter. We are investigating a novel Multi-Root Meshed Tree Protocol (MR-MTP) to leverage the structure in a folded-Clos topology DCN and conducted experiments to validate that it outperforms the popular protocol suite - Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) with Equal Cost Multipath Protocol (ECMP) with Bidirectional Forwarding Detection (BFD to speed up convergence). MR-MTP is a non-IP based solution that is backward compatible with IP and Ethernet. MR-MTP scales gracefully and is inherently secure as it mitigates normal IP targeted attacks. MR-MTP replaces seven protocols in the folded-Clos topology DCN router, simplifies setup through autoconfiguration and reduces costs and energy consumption due to reduced computing and memory needs. MR-MTP’s failure detection outperforms BFD. MR_MTP can be turned on/off, during the testing phase. MR-MTP addresses the growing demands for datacenters and the equally growing concerns on energy consumption and security threats faced by DCN. This technology will set a precedent for innovative non-IP network solutions, offering multiple benefits for defense and public communications, including enhanced security, efficiency, reliability and reduced costs.