Network Communications News (NCN) October 2017 | Page 21

THE KNOWLEDGE NETWORK
Closer to the edge
‘Cloud is
driving a huge
demand for
connectivity
and
availability,
storage
and server
performance.’
Net wor ks a re bein g orga nis e d
i n new a nd dif ferent way s to
gu arantee the high ba nd wid t h ,
low latency a nd hig h u pt im e
t hat c loud computing ne e d s
to be relia bl e a nd a cce s s ib l e
from any l o cation . Tra dit io na l l y ,
d ata centre traf fic ha s m a inl y
consi sted of client-to-se r ve r
i nte raction s (n o r th – so u t h), b u t
tod ay network traf fic in l a rge
d ata centres is prima ril y s e r ve r-
to-se r ver (ea s t – wes t) t raf f ic
for cloud co mputin g a p p l ic at io ns .
T he 3 -level tree netwo r k
arc hi tecture co mmo nly u s e d in
t he pas t is buil t to a cco m m o d ate
cli ent-to -s er ver tra n s m is s io n.
H owever, this is not a s ef fe ct ive
for se r ver-to -s er ver a p p l ic at io ns ,
as i t i ntroduces laten cy a nd u s e s
u p bandwidth a n d, a s a re s u l t ,
d ata centres a re re-eva l u at ing
t hei r architectures , rig ht d own to
t he placement of s witc h e s .
According to a recent BI Intelligence
report, 79% of IT teams feel that
bringing customers closer to their
content is the main benefit of a
data centre. The fur ther away
users are from large urban areas,
the more the quality of high-
bandwidth applications may suffer.
‘Edge data centres’ can play a role
in solving this. These move the
‘edge’ of the internet fur ther away
from traditional internet hubs.
Frequently-referenced applications
and content are cached on servers
which are closer to less densely
networked or ‘tier-two’ markets.
This improves the quality of
high-bandwidth applications
outside large urban areas, adding
excellent user experience to cloud
ser vices and mobile computing.
Better ser vice can be provided,
with less physical distance and
minimal latency.
However, building an edge
network is different to building a
‘traditional’ network. Edge data
centres are generally located
in small spaces. Cabling from
servers is often directly connected
to a fibre platform in a central
network cabinet. In confined
sections, fibre must accommodate
cable twisting, moving, adding
and changing and data has to
pass through cables at awkward
angles without quality loss. This
makes expansion and rollout
of broadband networks more
efficient, faster and cost effective.
Furthermore, Ultra High Port
density is key to a successful
rollout – traditional ‘72 ports per
unit’ UHD solutions won’t suffice.
‘Edge’ or ‘access’ switches connect
directly to end-user devices. When
choosing an edge switch, high port
density and low costs per port
are desirable. If there’s ample port
capacity, the user can simply –
and cost-effectively – re-patch
devices themselves.
Further considerations
Data-hungry technology solutions
may expand rapidly, but the
cabled backbone will have to
suppor t several consecutive
generations of hardware and
bandwidth standards. Therefore,
high density – in excess of 100
por ts per rack unit – is essential.
Fibres are brought directly
from ser ver por ts to an Ultra
High Density plat form, which
could accommodate up to 50%
more fibre optic connections
inside a traditional housing.
Although cables need to have a
significantly higher fibre count,
handling should be identical
to that of smaller cables, and
termination should be as easy as
possible. Poor cable management
may result in signal inter ference
and crosstalk, damage and failure.
Adhering to good practices are
vital to avoiding per formance
issues, data transmission errors
and downtime. Edge data centres
can be widely distributed, so
automated asset management
and tracking is a prerequisite.
Today, the average edge
data centre sur face area is
around 800m 2 , with thousands
of network ports. All too many
network managers still carry out
inventory and management of
physical infrastructure with Excel
sheets – or even paper, pencil and
post-its. A specialised solution
is required to monitor all changes
to a physical network, including
switches, servers and patch
panels. Systems offering functions
for mapping, managing, analysing
and planning cabling and network
cabinets can also include asset
management, planned and
unplanned changes and alarms.
A well-specified DCIM system
can help match IT and operational
requirements and protocols to
capacity planning and needs.
Cloud is driving a huge demand
for connectivity and availability,
storage and server performance.
As a result, numerous new systems
are being built, and existing
systems are being retrofitted
quickly, too. That requires a great
deal of care, as the foundation
for today and tomorrow’s cloud
services needs to be as reliable
and robust as possible. Identifying
and addressing any gaps in
your current infrastructure and
developing a plan for allowing your
infrastructure to accommodate
cloud applications is an essential
first step.
More information: R&M rdm.com
October 2017 | 21