TRANSPOSE BOX BASED NETWORK SCALING

• US 20140025843A1
• Filed: 08/09/2013
• Published: 01/23/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Marr, Michael David, Brar, Jagwinder Singh, Lamoreaux, Tyson J., Kelly, Mark N., Cohn, Daniel T., Judge, Alan M.
• Granted Patent: US 9,330,052 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/250
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/173 using an interconnection network, e.g. matrix, shuffle, pyramid, star, snowflake
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4625 Single bridge functionality, e.g. connection of two networks over a single bridge
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/45 Arrangements for providing or supporting expansion

Abstract

The deployment and scaling of a network of electronic devices can be improved by utilizing one or more network transpose boxes. Each transpose box can include a number of connectors and a meshing useful for implementing a specific network topology. When connecting devices of different tiers in the network, each device need only be connected to at least one of the connectors on the transpose box. The meshing of the transpose box can cause each device to be connected to any or all of the devices in the other tier as dictated by the network topology. When changing network topologies or scaling the network, additional devices can be added to available connectors on an existing transpose box, or new or additional transpose boxes can be deployed in order to handle the change with minimal cabling effort.

Claims

1. A method of providing scalability in a data transmission network, comprising:

providing at least a first tier and a second tier of network devices, each network device capable of receiving and transmitting data; and

connecting the network devices of the first tier to a first group of network connectors of a first network transpose box and the network devices of the second tier to a second group of network connectors of the first network transpose box, wherein a meshing of communication media implements a selected network topology for connecting the network devices of the first and second tiers,

wherein additional network devices are able to be added to the data transmission network using an available connection of the first or second group of network connectors of the first network transpose box without having to move any of already-connected network cables.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein a number of the network devices of the first tier is less than a number of the network connections of the first group and a number of the network devices of the second tier is less than a number of the network connections of the second group.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the first group of network connectors each is connected to two or more of the second group of network connectors using a meshing of communication media, and at least a portion of the second group of network connectors are each connected to two or more of the first group of network connectors using the meshing.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the network devices of the first tier are connected to one of the first group of network connectors using a single network cable and each of the second tier of network devices connected to one of the second group of network connectors using a single network cable.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more keying configurations are utilized to indicate a connection between one or more network cables and one or more network connections of the first network transpose box.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein a keying configuration includes a color coding an end of one or more network cables coupled with the network devices, and color coding at least one of the first group of network connectors of the first transpose box and the second group of network connectors of the first transpose box.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein a keying configuration includes having a first notch residing on an end of the one or more network cables coupled with the network devices, wherein the first notch corresponds with a second notch residing on one or more network connectors of the first transpose box.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

connecting one or more of the network devices of the first tier to a first group of network connectors of a second network transpose box; and

connecting one or more of the network devices of the second tier to a second group of network connectors of the second network transpose box.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

amplifying signals within the first transpose box.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

including an indicator on each connector of the first group of network connectors of the first network transpose box, wherein the indicator indicates that each connector of the first group of network connectors of the first network transpose box is a connector of the first group of network connectors of the first network transpose box; and

including an indicator on each connector of the second group of network connectors of the first network transpose box, wherein the indicator indicates that each connector of the second group of network connectors of the first network transpose box is a connector of the second group of network connectors of the first network transpose box.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

connecting a first connector of the first group of network connectors of the first network transpose box to a first connector of a first group of network connectors of a second network transpose box; and

connecting a first connector of the second group of network connectors of the first network transpose box to a first connector of a second group of network connectors of the second network transpose box.

12. A method of increasing a size of a data transmission network, comprising:

determining an additional number of network devices to add to a data transmission network, the data transmission network including at least a first tier and a second tier of network devices each capable of receiving and transmitting data, the network devices of the first tier being connected to a first group of network connectors of a first network transpose box and the network devices of the second tier being connected to a second group of network connectors of the first network transpose box,

determining an additional number of network connectors for each of the first and second group of network connectors needed to support the additional number of network devices using a network topology; and

replacing the network transpose box with a different transpose box having at least the additional number of network connectors for each of the first and second group of network connectors.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein at least a portion of the first group of network connectors each being connected to two or more of the second group of network connectors using a meshing of communication media, at least a portion of the second group of network connectors each being connected to two or more of the first group of network connectors using the meshing, the meshing of communication media implementing a selected network topology for connecting the network devices of the first and second tiers, and wherein each of a first tier of network devices connected to one of the first group of network connectors using a single network cable and each of the second tier of network devices connected to one of the second group of network connectors using a single network cable.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein each previously connected device can be connected to any other previous network device and any additional network device according to the network topology using a single cable connection from a previously-connected device to the first network transpose box.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein each of the additional network devices is able to be added to the network using a bundle of cables to connect to the first network transpose box.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

connecting the network devices of the first tier to a first group of network connectors of a second network transpose box; and

connecting the network devices of the second tier to a second group of network connectors of the second network transpose box.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the number network connectors in a first group of network connectors of a first network transpose box is a different number than the number of network connectors in a second group of network connectors of a first network transpose box.

18. A method of preventing a single point of network failure, comprising:

connecting network devices of a first tier to a first group of network connectors of a first network transpose box and connecting network devices of a second tier to a second group of network connectors of the first network transpose box, at least a portion of the first group of network connectors each being connected to two or more of the second group of network connectors using a meshing of communication media, at least a portion of the second group of network connectors each being connected to two or more of the first group of network connectors using the meshing.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

connecting the network devices of the first tier to a first group of network connectors of a second network transpose box; and

connecting the network devices of the second tier to a second group of network connectors of the second network transpose box.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

connecting a first connector of the first group of network connectors of the first network transpose box to a first connector of a first group of network connectors of a second network transpose box; and

connecting a first connector of the second group of network connectors of the first network transpose box to a first connector of a second group of network connectors of the second network transpose box.