A Resource Pooling Switch Architecture with High Performance Scheduler

TL;DR

This paper introduces RPSA, a novel data plane architecture utilizing a shared resource pool and a new scheduling algorithm to improve network performance and flexibility.

Contribution

It proposes the Resource Pooling Switch Architecture (RPSA) and the BSC-FIRM scheduling algorithm, enhancing resource utilization and traffic handling in network data planes.

Findings

BSC-FIRM reduces packet delay and loss rate.

RPSA improves resource flexibility and performance.

Simulation shows superiority over classical schedulers.

Abstract

With the rapid development of network-based services and applications, current data plane solutions of network node, which focus on packets forwarding traditionally, are not optimally addressing new requirements such as function flexibility, performance expansibility and resource utilization, etc. In this paper, we propose a novel data plane structure called Resource Pooling Switch Architecture (RPSA), which utilizes global shared resource pool to provide different processing functionalities and capacities to different packets/flows. As all network functions are instantiated by the resources connected to the switching fabric and constructed in the form of Service Function Chains (SFC), the traffic patterns changed a lot. We design Balanced Service Capacity based FIRM algorithm (BSC-FIRM) to overcome the deficiencies of classical scheduler in RPSA. Simulation results show that our algorithm outperforms on the aspect of packet switching delay and loss rate compared with FIRM and iSLIP algorithm.