Isochronets: a High-speed Network Switching Architecture

Isochronets: a High-speed Network Switching Architecture Danilo Florissi Traditional network architectures present two main limitations when applied to HighSpeed Networks (HSNs): they do not scale with link speeds and they do not adequately support the Quality of Service (QoS) needs of high-performance applications. This thesis introduces the Isochronets architecture that overcomes both limitations. Isochronets view frame motions over links in analogy to motions on roads. In the latter, traffic lights can synchronize to create green waves of uninterrupted motion. Isochronets accomplish similar uninterrupted motion by periodically configuring network switches to create end-to-end routes in the network. Frames flow along these routes with no required header processing at intermediate switches. Isochronets offer several advantages. First, they are scaleable with respect to transmission speeds. Switches merely configure routes on a time scale that is significantly longer than and independe..