Abstract: Physical-layer programmability enables the network topology to be changed dynamically. In this talk, the speaker will make a case that cloud data center networks can be significantly easier to manage with physical-layer programmability. Three example network architectures will be shown as different use cases of this approach. ShareBackup enhances reliability through sharing backup switches efficiently network-wide, where a backup switch can be brought online instantaneously to recover from failures. Flat-tree solves the problem of choosing the right network topology for different cloud services by dynamically changing topological clustering characteristics of the network. OmniSwitch is a universal building block of data center networks that supports automatic device wiring and easy device maintenance. At the end of the talk, the speaker will briefly introduce an ongoing follow-up research that extends physical-layer programmability from data center networks to backbone networks.
Bio: Yiting Xia is a research scientist at Facebook, where she design and implement the Facebook network infrastructures. Before joining Facebook, she got the PhD degree from Rice University. Her past and ongoing research is on building novel networked systems using physical-layer programmability to enable faster transmission, better fault tolerance, and easier management.
