Data-center network architecture

• US 7,643,468 B1
• Filed: 09/14/2005
• Issued: 01/05/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Portolani, Maurizio, Arregoces, Mauricio
• Primary Examiner(s): Chou; Albert T
• Application Number:
  US11/227,377
• Time in Patent Office: 1,574 Days
• Field of Search: 370/351, 370/389, 709/249, 709/229, 709/201
• US Class Current: 370/351
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/462 LAN interconnection over a bridge based backbone
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]

Abstract

A data-center network architecture. The data-center network architecture incorporates a front end having an aggregation layer exhibiting integrated service-module intelligence. A server farm connects the front end with a storage network. In a specific embodiment, the aggregation layer includes plural interconnected multilayer switches incorporating service-module intelligence implemented via one or more service modules. Plural layer-2 switches communicate with the plural multilayer switches. The server farm includes one or more servers that are dual homed or multihomed with the plural layer-2 switches. The storage network includes plural interconnected multilayer directors and one or more Fibre Channel hosts using Host Bus Adapters (HBAs) that interface one or more data-storage devices to the server farm.

Claims

1. A versatile and scalable network architecture comprising:

an Internet-edge network;

a primary data-center network;

a secondary data-center network;

one or more campus-core networks connected between the Internet edge and one or more of the primary data center and the secondary data center; and

a data-center-interconnect network connected between the primary data center and the secondary data center;

wherein the Internet-edge network further includes one or more of the following;

a firewall connected between the edge layer-2 switches and a first one of the one or more campus-core networks;

a guard module connected between the edge layer-2 switches and the one or more firewalls;

a network analysis module connected between the edge layer-2 switches and the one more firewalls;

a anomaly detector; and

an edge server farm that includes one or more Internet servers connected to the edge layer-2 switches via the one or more firewalls.

2. A data-center network comprising:

a front end having an aggregation layer exhibiting integrated service-module intelligence;

a storage network, wherein the storage network includes plural interconnected multilayer directors and one or more Fibre Channel hosts using Host Bus Adapters (HBAs); and

a server farm connected between the front end and the storage network, wherein the HBAs interface one or more data-storage devices to the server farm, and wherein the server farm includes;

plural layer-2 switches in communication with plural multilayer switches incorporated within the aggregation layer, the plural multilayer switches being layer-3 switches; and

one or more servers that are dual homed or multihomed with the plural layer-2 switches.

3. The data center of claim 2 wherein the service-module intelligence includes

functionality implemented via one or more service modules or routines incorporated within or in communication with one or more plural multilayer switches incorporated within the aggregation layer.

4. The data center of claim 3 wherein the one or more service modules include

one or more of the following:

a content-switching module, a Secure Socket Layer (SSL) service module, an intrusion-detection module, an anomaly-detection module, a firewall module, and a content engine.

5. A versatile and scalable network architecture comprising:

an Internet-edge network;

a primary data-center network;

a secondary data-center network;

one or more campus-core networks connected between the Internet edge and one or more of the primary data center and the secondary data center; and

a data-center-interconnect network connected between the primary data center and the secondary data center, wherein one or more components of the primary data-center network and the secondary data-center network are interconnected via port channel technology, and wherein Fabric Shortest Path First (FSPF) technology is employed to selectively connect modules of the scalable network architecture to facilitate load-balancing through redundant connections.

6. The network architecture of claim 5 wherein the Internet edge network includes one or more edge routers connected between one or more Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and edge layer-2 switches.

7. A network comprising:

a primary site including;

a primary data center that comprises;

an expanded multitier data center (EMDC) that comprises an EMDC front end, behind which is connected an EMDC server farm, behind which is connected an EMDC back end storage network; and

a collapsed multitier data center (CMDC) that comprises a CMDC front end, behind which is connected a CMDC server farm, behind which is connected a CMDC back end storage network;

a first core layer; and

an Internet edge and an Extranet adapted to connect to the one or more Internet service providers and the first core layer;

a secondary site including;

a secondary data center; and

a second core layer; and

a data center interconnect connected interfacing the first core layer and the second core layer and interfacing the primary data center and the secondary data center.

8. The network of claim 7 wherein the Internet edge includes one or more of the following service modules implemented at edge switches of the Internet edge:

a firewall module;

a Virtual Private Network (VPN) module;

a content-switching module;

an Secure Socket Layer (SSL) module;

an intrusion-detection module;

a network-monitoring module;

a Denial-of-Service (DOS)-mitigation module;

a DOS-detection module, a site-selection module; and

a content-caching module.

9. The network of claim 7 wherein the secondary site further includes an Interned edge and an Extranet adapted to connect to the one or more Internet service providers and the second core layer.

10. The network of claim 7 wherein at least one of the primary data center and the secondary data center includes a server farm that interfaces a server-cluster environment with a storage environment.

11. The network of claim 10 wherein the server farm further interfaces an Ethernet environment with the server-cluster environment and the storage environment.

12. The network of claim 11 wherein the server-cluster environment includes at least one of an Enet server cluster and an InfiniBand server cluster.

13. A network comprising:

a core layer adapted to connect to outside network environments;

an aggregation layer exhibiting integrated service-module intelligence;

an access layer adapted to connect to one or more servers;

a storage network comprising;

a storage-network edge layer adapted to connect to one or more servers;

a storage-network core layer adapted to connect to one or more storage arrays;

a server cluster environment comprising;

a server-cluster core layer providing gateway connectivity;

a server-cluster aggregation layer for link and switch aggregation; and

a server-cluster access layer providing connectivity to one or more servers in the server cluster environment; and

a server farm connected between the one or more storage arrays and the server cluster environment.