data center topology

Merchant Silicon

 

Data Center Topology Types

 

Merchant Silicon

In the ever-evolving landscape of technology, innovation continues to shape how we live, work, and connect. One such groundbreaking development that has caught the attention of experts and enthusiasts alike is merchant silicon. In this blog post, we will explore the remarkable capabilities of merchant silicon and its far-reaching impact across various industries.

Merchant silicon refers to off-the-shelf silicon chips designed and manufactured by third-party companies. These versatile chips can be used in various applications, offering cost-effective solutions for businesses.

Highlights: Merchant Silicon

  • Landscape Changes

Some data center vendors offer a “Debian” based operating system for network equipment. Their philosophy is that engineers should manage switches just like they manage servers with the ability to use existing server administration tools. They want networking to work as a server application. For example, Cumulus has created the first full-featured Linux distribution for network hardware. It allows designers to break free from proprietary networking equipment and utilize the advantages of the SDN Data Center.

  • Issues with Traditional Networking

Cloud computing, distributed storage, and virtualization technologies are changing the operational landscape. Traditional networking concepts do not align with new requirements and continually act as blockers to business enablers. Decoupling hardware/software is required to keep pace with the innovation needed to meet the speeds and agility of cloud deployments and emerging technologies.

 

Before you proceed, you may find the following helpful:

  1. LISP Hybrid Cloud
  2. Modular Building Blocks
  3. Virtual Switch
  4. Overlay Virtual Networks
  5. Virtual Data Center Design

 



Merchant Silicon

Key Data Center Topology Discussion Points:


  • Introduction to data center topology and what is involved.

  • Highlighting the disaggregation model that can be used in data centers.

  • Critical points on Merchant Silicon.

  • Technical details on design best practices.

  • Technical details on MLAG implementation and FHRP.

 

Back to basic with Merchant silicon

Merchant silicon is a term that is used to describe chips. Usually, ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuits) are developed by an entity, not the company selling the switches. Then we have custom silicon that is the opposite of Merchant Silicon. Custom silicon is a term used to describe chips, usually ASICs, that are custom designed and traditionally built by the company selling the switches in which they are used.

 

Benefits of Merchant Silicon:

1. Cost-Effectiveness: One of the primary advantages of merchant silicon is its cost-effectiveness. Since these chips are mass-produced, they are available at a lower cost than custom chips. This allows networking equipment manufacturers to deliver high-performance solutions at a more affordable price, making networking technology more accessible to a broader audience.

2. Flexibility and Innovation: Merchant silicon allows network equipment manufacturers to choose the best chipset. They can select chips from various vendors, offering different features and capabilities. This enables manufacturers to innovate and differentiate their products, creating a more diverse and competitive networking landscape.

3. Time-to-Market: Developing custom chips can be a time-consuming process. By leveraging merchant silicon, networking equipment manufacturers can significantly reduce their time-to-market, as they can quickly integrate pre-existing, tested chips into their products. This allows them to bring new networking solutions to market faster, meeting the ever-increasing demands of the industry.

Impact on the Networking Industry:

Merchant silicon has profoundly impacted the networking industry, transforming how networks are built and operated. Here are some key areas where merchant silicon has made a difference:

1. Performance and Scalability: With the advancements in merchant silicon, networking equipment manufacturers can now deliver higher performance and scalability in their products. These chips offer greater processing power, faster data rates, and improved packet forwarding capabilities, enabling networks to handle more traffic and meet the growing demands of bandwidth-intensive applications.

2. Openness and Interoperability: Merchant silicon promotes openness and interoperability in networking. Since network equipment manufacturers are not tied to proprietary chipsets, they can build solutions that adhere to industry standards and work seamlessly with equipment from different vendors. This fosters a more open, collaborative networking ecosystem where interoperability and compatibility are prioritized.

3. Innovation and Differentiation: By leveraging merchant silicon, networking equipment manufacturers can focus on developing innovative software solutions and features that differentiate their products in the market. This has led to new technologies, such as software-defined networking (SDN) and network function virtualization (NFV), revolutionizing how networks are designed, managed, and optimized.

 

Disaggregation Model

Disaggregation is the next logical evolution in data center topologies. Cumulus does not reinvent all the wheels; they believe that routing and bridging work well, with no reason to change them. Instead, they use existing protocols to build on the original networking concept base. The technologies they offer are based on well-designed current feature sets. Their O/S enables dis-aggregation of switching design to the server hardware/software disaggregation model.

Disaggregation decouples hardware/software on individual network elements. Today modern networking equipment is proprietary, which makes it expensive and hard to manage. Disaggregation allows designers to break free from vertically integrated networking gear. It also allows you to separate the procurement decisions around hardware and software.

 

Data Center Topology Types
Diagram: Data Center Topology Types.

 

Data center topology types and merchant silicon

Previously, we needed proprietary hardware to provide networking functionality. Now, the hardware allows many of those functions in “merchant silicon.” In the last ten years, we have seen a massive increase in the production of merchant silicon. Merchant silicon is a term used to describe the use of “off-the-shelf” chip components to create a network product enabling open networking. Currently, three major players for 10GbE and 40GbE switch ASIC are Broadcom, Fulcrum, and Fujitsu.

In addition, cumulus supports the Broadcom Trident II ASIC switch silicon, also used in the Cisco Nexus 9000 series. Merchant silicon’s price/performance ratio is far better than proprietary ASIC.

 

Routing isn’t broken – Simple building blocks.

To disaggregate networking, we must first simplify itNetworking is complicated. Sometimes less is more. Building powerful ecosystems using simple building blocks with existing layer 2 and layer 3 protocols is possible. Internet Protocol (IP) is the underlying base technology and the basis for every large data center. MPLS is an attractive, helpful alternative, but IP is a mature building block today. IP is based on a standard technique, unlike Multichassis Link Aggregation (MLAG), which is vendor-specific.

 

Multichassis Link Aggregation (MLAG) implementation

Each vendor has various MLAG variations; some operate with unified and separate control planes. MLAG offers suitable control planes: Juniper with Virtual Chassis, HP with Intelligent Resilient Framework (IRF), Cisco Virtual Switching System, and cross-stack EtherChannel. MLAG, with separate control planes, includes Cisco Virtual Port-Channel (vPC) and Arista MLAG.

With all the vendors out there, we have no standard for MLAG. Where specific VLANs can be isolated to particular ToRs, Layer 3 is a preferred alternative. Cumulus Multichassis Link Aggregation (MLAG) implementation is an MLAG daemon written in python.

The specific implementation of how the MLAG gets translated to the hardware is ASIC independent, so in theory, you could run MLAG between two boxes that are not running the same chipset. Similar to other vendor MLAG implementations, limited to two spine switches. If you require anything to scale, move to IP. The beauty of IP is that you can do much stuff without relying on proprietary technologies.

 

Data center topology types: A design for simple failures

Everyone building networks at scale is building them as a loosely simple coupled system. People are not trying to over-engineer and build exact systems. High-performance clusters are excellent applications and must be made a certain way. A general-purpose cloud is not built that way. Operators build “generic” applications over “generic” infrastructure. Designing and engineering networks with simple building blocks lead to simpler designs with simple failures. Over-engineering networks experience complex failures that are time-consuming to troubleshoot. When things fail, they should fail.

Building blocks should be constructed with straightforward rules. Designers understand you can build extensive networks with simple rules and building blocks. For example, analyzing Spine Leaf architecture looks complicated. But in terms of the networking fabric Cumulus ecosystem is made of a straightforward building block – fixed form-factor switches. It makes failures very simple.

On the other hand, if the chassis base switch fails, you need to troubleshoot many aspects. Did the line card not connect to the backplane? Is the backplane failing? All these troubleshooting steps add complexity. With the disaggregated model, when networks fail, they fail in simple ways. Nobody wants to troubleshoot a network when down. Cumulus tries to keep the base infrastructure simple and not complement every tool and technology.

For example, if you use Layer 2, MLAG is your only topology. STP is simply a fail-stop mechanism and is not used as a high convergence mechanism. Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol (RSTP) and Bridge Protocol Data Units (BPDU) are all you need; you can build straightforward networks with these.

 

Virtual router redundancy

First Hop Redundancy Protocol (FHRP) now becomes trivial. Cumulus uses Anycast Virtual IP/MAC, eliminating complex FHRP protocols. You do not need a protocol in your MLAG topology to keep your network running. They support a variation of the Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol (VRRP) known as Virtual Router Redundancy (VRR). It’s like VRRP without the protocol and supports an active-active setup. It allows hosts to communicate with redundant routers without dynamic or router protocols.

Merchant silicon has emerged as a driving force in the networking industry, offering cost-effectiveness, flexibility, and faster time-to-market. This technology has enabled networking equipment manufacturers to deliver high-performance solutions, promote interoperability, and drive innovation. As the demand for faster, more reliable networks continues to grow, merchant silicon will play a pivotal role in shaping the future of networking technology.