Optical Networks and Low Latency for Data Centers

Optical Networks and Low Latency for Data Centers are requirements for new applications and wider variety of services, including those for cloud computing. Cloud computing is becoming to a segment the mainstream and it is considered by many to be the next big change that will involve in telecommunications networks. This service requires operators that connect data centers together, paying attention to the latency of the path and the system used and if necessary, applying corrective action to the network.

Optical Networks and Low Latency for Data Centers

We previously discussed about Multi-mode Optical Fiber and Synchronous Optical Network. Network latency, a synonym for delay, is an expression of how long it takes for a data packet to get from one point to another. Several factors contribute to latency, including not only the time it takes for a packet to traverse the path from one place to another at the speed of light, but the fiber itself and the means used to transmit and receive the package: adding new levels of material increases the latency of the network. The demand for low latency was a key factor for the adoption of optical networks based on wavelength division multiplexing (WDM). We wrote before in detail that in Hybrid Cloud Computing When Latency Becomes A Big Question.

In an optical network, the information is converted into a series of light pulses, which are transported along optical fibers and recovered in a remote location. The WDM optical networks communicate using multiple wavelengths (i.e. as different colors of light) transmitted on a fiber. This technique allows the multiplication of capacity and bi-directional communication along a single fiber or a pair, a fact of great importance when the fiber available is poor or is too costly to rent. According to the space between the wavelengths of the WDM networks can support up to 80 channels, providing a higher capacity. This allows growth opportunities for applications as well as offering new users various services to be distributed in the same network.

Optical Networks and Low Latency and WDM

In addition to the low-latency, WDM network brings other advantages, such as the absence of interruptions ensured by using a fiber ring protection. WDM networks can also provide management solutions easy to use, that significantly improve the operational efficiency, the control personnel is able to identify and solve problems from a remote network more effectively. Finally, the redundancy built into the system allows the service provider to keep the connection alive while the maintenance operations are performed on the infrastructure of fiber. In many cases, cloud computing will lead to additional complexity, making it more difficult to maintain low latency. In other cases multiple applications that are accessed independent users may share a physical server cloud, penalizing the performance required for applications sensitive to latency. The minimum latency networks can help to mitigate the problem, although the increasing sensitivity on the part of users and applications require more and more optimal requirements.