AWS details new RNG data center network design that boosts throughput and reliability
Amazon Web Services Inc. has started using a new data center network design that significantly improves the throughput and reliability of connections.
The cloud giant today detailed the architecture, which it calls Random Network Graph, or RNG. It’s powered by a fiber-optic cable management system that doesn’t use power and a custom network protocol.
The typical data center network is based on a so-called fat-tree design. Servers connect to the network via devices known as edge switches. Those edge switches, in turn, exchange traffic with one via a second set of switches collectively known as the core. The edge switches are linked to the core by a third set of switches.
When two servers need to exchange data via a fat-tree network, they can only do so via a limited number of network paths. If there’s congestion in those paths, traffic slows down even if the broader network has an abundance of bandwidth. There are multiple ways to address the challenge, but most of them are expensive or difficult to implement.
