POINT

• Maximize cost efficiency by combining Third Party Optics and White Box
• Finisar's balance of reliability and cost is the decisive factor, driving the adoption of Third Party Optics
• Unified with Finisar to streamline network operations Simplified procurement and inventory management

Deploy 4000+ Third Party Optics at once

A wave of change is sweeping over the construction and operation of data center networks. It is a movement to build a network with optimal functions at optimal cost design, such as by adopting general-purpose hardware called white Box switches, combining network OS with necessary functions, and sometimes developing by users.

This disaggregation (separation of functions) and openness not only open the relationship between hardware and software, but also extend to the modules that make up network equipment. “Third Party Optics,” which uses third-party optical transceivers instead of the switch manufacturer's genuine products, is expanding the approach of increasing the flexibility of configuration while suppressing costs.

This trend, which originated in North America's hyperscale data centers, has now spread to Japan's cloud/data center operators and telecom operators. One of the pioneers is LINE Corporation (hereafter, LINE).

Background ≫ Merits and demerits of the new architecture “CLOS Network” Optimize initial investment and operation by introducing Third Party Optics!

LINE is currently constructing a network based on the basic design of the "CLOS Network," which is currently mainstream in large-scale data centers. Also known as “CLOS Fabric” or “IP CLOS,” this architecture has the advantage of being easy to scale horizontally and easily responding to the increase in east-west traffic generated by communication between systems and services. It also improves stability by distributing traffic over many links. Even if some switches or links fail, the rate of capacity degradation can be minimized.

The factors that made this possible were the advances in disaggregation and openness mentioned above. The ability to freely combine hardware and software with the required performance and functions has expanded the range of product selection and enabled optimal cost design.

LINE fully adopted Mellanox white Box switches from the data center that started operation in February 2018, and achieved a significant cost reduction compared to switches made by major manufacturers that had been used up to that point.

2019 is another step forward. For the new server room, 100G optical transceivers from US Finisar Corporation (currently a division of II-VI Incorporated) were adopted. A combination of white Box switches and third-party optics made it even more cost-effective.

At the same time, this was also an effort to eliminate the "biggest weakness" of CLOS Network.

While the CLOS Network has the advantage of improved scalability and stability, it has the disadvantage of increasing the number of links connecting switches as the scale increases, increasing the cost. At LINE's data center, there are more than 2,000 links per server room, and 4,000 to 5,000 optical transceivers are required to connect them. Mr. Kazumi Iijima, who is in charge of everything from equipment procurement to installation work in the IT service center network room service network team, says, "The cost of optical transceivers is very high. Even a few thousand yen reduction in unit price will have a big impact. ', he says.

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