The heart of the Internet is a network of high capacity optical fiber that spans the continents. But while the optical signals to transmit information much more efficiently than electrical signals, are more difficult to control. The routers that direct Internet traffic usually convert optical signals to electrical for processing and then back into optical signals for transmitting power, a process that takes time and energy, according to Web Trends collects 21.
One of the reasons that optical data transmission is so efficient is that different wavelengths of light loaded with different information may travel over the same fiber. However, problems arise when the optical signals arriving from different directions to a router at the same time. The conversion into electrical signals allows the router to store the data in memory until you can access them.
With the 'flow switching, "the" routers only accept signals from a single direction Although the wait is only a matter of milliseconds, a group of researchers from MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) directed by Vincent Chan, Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, has been working on a system to be able to eliminate this inefficient conversion process. Now, a new line of research seems to have found the solution to the problem. According to a statement from MIT, Chan's team has designed a new way of organizing optical networks that could make the Internet was 100 or even 1,000 times faster while reducing the amount of energy consumed.
Dubbed as "flow switching", this approach would work as follows: among the places that exchange large volumes of data, the system would establish a path through the network. For certain wavelengths of light, routers located along that road could only accept the signals coming from one direction and send in only one direction. Since there is no possibility that the signals arriving from various directions, I never would need to store them in memory.
Variable bandwidth
To some extent, something like this already exists in the current network. A major Internet company like Facebook or Google, for example, maintain large web servers in places other than the United States. The amount of data exchanged between these servers is such that the company would simply need to rent a particular wavelength at a telecommunications group that maintains fiber optic networks in the country. Thus, no other Internet traffic could use that wavelength.
The allocation of the band of broad change in terms of traffic, however, in this case, the allocation of bandwidth between the two ends is fixed. If for some reason the servers of the companies did not exchange so much data, the bandwidth will be wasted. Conversely, if the servers move a large amount of data may exceed the capacity of the link.
The MIT design, allocation of bandwidth would change constantly. If traffic between two points to increase, hire new wavelengths to handle and when diminish, be abandoned. To deal with these movements Chan and his colleagues have developed network management protocols capable of reallocations in seconds.
Chan's team went from paper to action by mounting a small experimental optical network that covers the U.S. east coast. It observed that its design can increase data transmission speed of optical networks in a range of 100 to 1,000 times. But in addition, have shown that even with a 100-fold increase in data rates, the system could reduce energy consumption of the network. The study's findings will be presented at the Conference on Optoelectronics and Communications (0EC 2010), to be held in Japan from 5 to 9 July.
Web Video and HDTV
Certain manufacturers, however, are economic costs associated with this project a very difficult hurdle to overcome. Ori Gerstel, Cisco Systems engineer, the largest manufacturer of network routing, for example, believes that although the flow switching technique is more practical than other existing and burst switching or optical packet switching, the main barrier to implementation is the large financial outlay involved.
Your pricipalmente obstacle is the large investment involved and implement the system is that Chan would replace the current network routers with the new ones do not have to convert optical signals into electrical signals. In his opinion, is not so clear that there is sufficient demand for a faster network to justify the expense: "The stream switching works pretty well for a very large demand, if there are users who need lots of bandwidth and want low delay - but most customers are not in that segment today. "
To this the father of invention replicates the exploding popularity of Internet video and high-definition television in recent years could make the project viable. "If these two trends converge, flow switching may make financial sense. High resolution at 120 frames per second means a lot of data, "Chan sentence.
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