Scalable Layer-2/Layer-3 Multistage Switching Architectures for Software Routers

Abstract— Software routers are becoming an important alternative to proprietary and expensive network devices, because they exploit the economy of scale of the PC market and open-source software. When considering maximum performance in terms of throughput, PC-based routers suffer from limitations stemming from the single PC architecture, e.g., limited bus bandwidth, and high memory access latency. To overcome these limitations, in this paper we present a multistage architecture which combines a layer-2 load-balancer front-end and a layer-3 routing back-end, interconnected by a standard Ethernet switch. Both front-end and back-end are implemented using standard PCs and opensource software. After describing the architecture, evaluation is performed on a lab test-bed, to show its scalability. While the proposed solution allows to increase performance of PCbased routers, it also allows to distribute packet manipulation functionalities, and to automatically recover from component failures...

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2006
• Where: GLOBECOM
• Authors: Andrea Bianco, Jorge M. Finochietto, Giulio Galante, Marco Mellia, Davide Mazzucchi, Fabio Neri
• Keywords: Expensive Network Devices, GLOBECOM 2006, Memory Access Latency, Single Pc Architecture, Telecommunications