SDN detailed explanation of network innovation

With Xilinx technology, design teams can now build line cards on-chip and customize hardware for their specific network services and applications.

While the communications architecture is rapidly evolving and driven by consumer demand for higher bandwidth, better, more reliable and more secure services, Xilinx is actively innovating and introducing a technology and design methodology that changes the rules of the game and is committed to helping customers. Rapidly roll out and upgrade next-generation line cards for wired and wireless networks and data centers. This new technology is its software-defined specification environment SDNet. Using a combination of Xilinx All Programmable FPGAs and SoCs, SDNet enables communications design teams to implement the next generation of soft-defined network architecture lines using Xilinx's so-called "softly" defined network ("Softly" Defined Network). Card design and upgrade.

From fixed network to SDN

Nick Possley, vice president of IP and services at Xilinx Communications, points out that over the past 20 years, communications architectures have included a fixed layer of control and data, and they have not been able to scale as network requirements evolve. If telecom operators want to expand network capabilities and increase overall bandwidth, this rigid architecture forces them to have to change equipment frequently. The line card is the core component of the system and basically uses a highly specialized combination of ASIC, ASSP and memory IC. FPGAs are used to accelerate and bridge communication between line card chips.

As demand accelerates, telecom operators and communication system companies are beginning to explore better solutions to meet relevant needs. Over the past few years, these companies have moved to software-defined networking (SDN) and network function virtualization (NFV) technologies. This architecture separates the control and data layers and adds more software virtualization to the control layer so that telecom operators can quickly deploy new applications, and network devices are easier to upgrade than in traditional networks. This helps extend service life (and thus profitability) and simplifies network management (see Figure 1).

Figure 1 – Today's software-defined network separates the control and data layers, but still uses a fixed data layer with very low differentiation and a short life cycle.

However, Possley pointed out that even the recent SDN and NFV architectures are still quite rigid, because the data layer is not programmable, and the design usually uses off-the-shelf ASSP. The line card at the heart of the network uses off-the-shelf discrete packet processors and a traffic manager ASSP connected to the optics for use with coprocessors and external memory. This line card also uses an FPGA to accelerate communication between all of these chips.

The latest version of ASSP built by many different chip manufacturers for SDN and NFV architectures does comply with the SDN specification. But because vendors are introducing generic ASSPs to all network systems companies, these chips are not competitive in terms of product differentiation or functional expansion. As a result, network system vendors are forced to lower prices to win the favor of telecom operators.

On the surface, we believe telecom operators will like the trend of lower prices for such devices. But in fact, even in the ASSP-based SDN architecture, the fixed data layer design is still very rigid. If the telecom operators find that the fixed hardware functions of the ASSP cannot meet the ever-changing applications, protocol upgrades and new features, they can only Perform expensive field line card replacement. Line card replacement requires network shutdown, and technicians are required to remove the old line card and install a new card. In addition, ASSP vendors tend to have built-in versatility in their designs, trying to get individual devices to meet many different market needs. In this way, these ASSP line cards will consume more power, causing the device to become hot, so the telecom operator must take extra measures to cool the device. Cooling costs will of course increase operating expenses, further affecting the ultimate profitability of telecom operators.

A better solution: soft-defined network

Using SDNet and Xilinx's revolutionary innovative soft-defined networking approach, Communications Systems can develop integrated low-power All Programmable line cards that are not limited to the network intelligence required for soft-defined control layers and SDN architectures. This new technology also enables vendors to differentiate their systems with software-defined data layer hardware with content intelligence capabilities. This means that the design team can customize the hardware based on the exact needs of their systems for network services and applications (see Figure 2).

Figure 2 – SDNet brings flexibility and automation to the data layer, enabling soft-defined networking for next-generation network design and upgrades

Network architects (these usually do not have a hardware design background) are accustomed to using English descriptions to express specific protocol requirements, such as Internet Request for Comments (RFC) or ISO standard documents.

They then rely on specialized engineers who are proficient in the underlying architecture of the target device to manually translate these protocol requirements into low-level implementation-specific descriptions (usually with highly specialized microcode). These hardware engineers either specify whether a general purpose processor or a dedicated network processor performs packet processing or design functions in a custom ASIC.

The network design team must then verify that the hardware can achieve the architect's original design intent, or that it can at least meet the latest protocol version requirements that the line card should use. If the line card does not meet the requirements, the design process must be repeated until it is properly operated. Because the relationship between required specifications and microcode is not intuitive enough, the process becomes more complex, while the underlying architecture performance is limited, and the functionality varies from service provider to service provider.

Home Solar Energy Storage

Powerwall Battery is a high-tech product developed to meet the requirements of the new home backup power supply. It has the characteristics of integration, miniaturization, light weight, intelligence, standardization, and environmental protection.ZTTEK-48V-100Ah has a lithium (LiFePO4) battery storage capacity of 5kWh, allowing you to stay away from the grid as you like.

Home Solar Energy Storage,Home Solar Energy Storage Battery,Home Energie Storage Batterie,Lithium Battery For Solar Energy Storage

Jiangsu Zhitai New Energy Technology Co.,Ltd , https://www.jszhitaienergy.com

This entry was posted in on