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2 | | ->[](../media/datacenter-network-infrastructure-backbone.jpg#lightbox) |
| 2 | +>[](../media/datacenter-network-infrastructure-backbone.jpg#lightbox) |
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4 | 4 | Network infrastructure forms the backbone of datacenter operations, enabling communication between servers, storage devices, external systems, and users. This includes switches, routers, firewalls, and external connectivity mechanisms. |
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6 | 6 | | Network Infrastructure | Description | Recent innovations | |
7 | 7 | | --- | --- | --- | |
8 | | -| **Switches** | Switches are critical for interconnecting devices within a datacenter. They forward data packets between servers, storage, and other switches, often organized in hierarchical architectures like leaf-spine or three-tier designs. | • High-speed Ethernet: Modern datacenters adopt switches supporting 100Gbps, 400Gbps, and even 800Gbps Ethernet to handle increasing data traffic.<br>• Smart switching: Advanced switches now integrate programmable silicon (e.g., Broadcom Trident and Tofino) to enable custom traffic management and telemetry.<br>• Zero-touch provisioning (ZTP): Automates switch deployment and configuration, reducing operational complexity.<br>• Energy-efficient design: Power-efficient switches with features like adaptive power management reduce the environmental footprint.<br>• Integration with software-defined networking (SDN): SDN enables centralized management of switches, simplifying configuration and enabling rapid response to changing network demands. | |
9 | | -| **Routers** | Routers connect datacenters to external networks, enabling communication between local and wide-area networks (LAN/WAN) and routing traffic between different subnets. | • High-capacity transport: Routers now support multi-terabit-per-second throughput, such as Cisco's NCS series and Juniper's PTX series, designed for hyperscale datacenters.<br>• Segment routing (SR): Simplifies traffic engineering by reducing the need for complex protocols while optimizing path selection.<br>• Edge routers for multi-cloud: Cloud-enabled routers facilitate seamless integration between datacenters and public cloud platforms.<br>• AI-driven routing: Leveraging AI and ML to optimize routing decisions dynamically, improving Performance and reducing latency.<br>• IPv6 support: Advanced routers fully embrace IPv6, ensuring scalability for an ever-increasing number of devices. | |
10 | | -| **Firewalls** | Firewalls secure datacenter networks by monitoring and controlling incoming and outgoing traffic based on predefined security rules. They're critical for protecting against unauthorized access, malware, and cyberattacks. | • Next-generation firewalls (NGFWs): NGFWs integrate advanced features like intrusion prevention systems (IPS), application layer filtering, and deep packet inspection (DPI).<br>• Firewall as a service (FWaaS): Cloud-based firewalls offer scalable security for hybrid and multi-cloud environments. Examples include Zscaler and Palo Alto Prisma Access.<br>• Zero trust network access (ZTNA): Firewalls now play a role in implementing zero-trust security models, where access is continuously verified.<br>• Decryption and inspection: New firewalls can decrypt and inspect encrypted traffic (e.g., TLS 1.3) to detect hidden threats.<br>• Microsegmentation: Firewalls are used to segment datacenter networks into smaller zones, limiting lateral movement of attackers. | |
11 | | -| **External connectivity** | External connectivity connects the datacenter to external networks, including other datacenters, cloud providers, and end-users. It involves high-capacity links, redundancy, and low-latency options. | • Direct cloud connectivity: Services like AWS Direct Connect, Azure ExpressRoute, and Google Cloud Interconnect enable secure, high-speed links between datacenters and cloud platforms.<br>• High-bandwidth optical links: Advances in dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) and coherent optics enable external links with capacities of up to 800Gbps per channel.<br>• 5G integration: 5G connectivity at the edge allows datacenters to support augmented IoT and low-latency applications like augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR).<br>• Submarine cable systems: Hyperscale datacenters increasingly rely on private or consortium-built undersea cables to ensure global connectivity. Examples include Meta's 2Africa and Google's Grace Hopper cables.<br>• Software-defined wide area networking (SD-WAN): SD-WAN simplifies the management of external connectivity by dynamically routing traffic over multiple links for improved performance and reliability. | |
| 8 | +| **Switches** | Switches are critical for interconnecting devices within a datacenter. They forward data packets between servers, storage, and other switches, often organized in hierarchical architectures like leaf-spine or three-tier designs. | <li>High-speed Ethernet: Modern datacenters adopt switches supporting 100Gbps, 400Gbps, and even 800Gbps Ethernet to handle increasing data traffic.<br><li>Smart switching: Advanced switches now integrate programmable silicon (e.g., Broadcom Trident and Tofino) to enable custom traffic management and telemetry.<br><li>Zero-touch provisioning (ZTP): Automates switch deployment and configuration, reducing operational complexity.<br><li>Energy-efficient design: Power-efficient switches with features like adaptive power management reduce the environmental footprint.<br><li>Integration with software-defined networking (SDN): SDN enables centralized management of switches, simplifying configuration and enabling rapid response to changing network demands. | |
| 9 | +| **Routers** | Routers connect datacenters to external networks, enabling communication between local and wide-area networks (LAN/WAN) and routing traffic between different subnets. | <li>High-capacity transport: Routers now support multi-terabit-per-second throughput, such as Cisco's NCS series and Juniper's PTX series, designed for hyperscale datacenters.<br><li>Segment routing (SR): Simplifies traffic engineering by reducing the need for complex protocols while optimizing path selection.<br><li>Edge routers for multicloud: Cloud-enabled routers facilitate seamless integration between datacenters and public cloud platforms.<br><li>AI-driven routing: Leveraging AI and ML to optimize routing decisions dynamically, improving Performance and reducing latency.<br><li>IPv6 support: Advanced routers fully embrace IPv6, ensuring scalability for an ever-increasing number of devices. | |
| 10 | +| **Firewalls** | Firewalls secure datacenter networks by monitoring and controlling incoming and outgoing traffic based on predefined security rules. They're critical for protecting against unauthorized access, malware, and cyberattacks. | <li>Next-generation firewalls (NGFWs): NGFWs integrate advanced features like intrusion prevention systems (IPS), application layer filtering, and deep packet inspection (DPI).<br><li>Firewall as a service (FWaaS): Cloud-based firewalls offer scalable security for hybrid and multicloud environments. Examples include Zscaler and Palo Alto Prisma Access.<br><li>Zero Trust network access (ZTNA): Firewalls now play a role in implementing zero-trust security models, where access is continuously verified.<br><li>Decryption and inspection: New firewalls can decrypt and inspect encrypted traffic (e.g., TLS 1.3) to detect hidden threats.<br><li>Microsegmentation: Firewalls are used to segment datacenter networks into smaller zones, limiting lateral movement of attackers. | |
| 11 | +| **External connectivity** | External connectivity connects the datacenter to external networks, including other datacenters, cloud providers, and end-users. It involves high-capacity links, redundancy, and low-latency options. | <li>Direct cloud connectivity: Services like AWS Direct Connect, Azure ExpressRoute, and Google Cloud Interconnect enable secure, high-speed links between datacenters and cloud platforms.<br><li>High-bandwidth optical links: Advances in dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) and coherent optics enable external links with capacities of up to 800Gbps per channel.<br><li>5G integration: 5G connectivity at the edge allows datacenters to support augmented IoT and low-latency applications like augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR).<br><li>Submarine cable systems: Hyperscale datacenters increasingly rely on private or consortium-built undersea cables to ensure global connectivity. Examples include Meta's 2Africa and Google's Grace Hopper cables.<br><li>Software-defined wide area networking (SD-WAN): SD-WAN simplifies the management of external connectivity by dynamically routing traffic over multiple links for improved performance and reliability. | |
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13 | 13 | ## Key trends shaping network infrastructure |
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