Data Center Interconnect

- Overview

Data Center Interconnect (DCI) technology connects two or more data centers together over short, medium, or long distances using high-speed packet fiber connections. 

Data centers provide computing and storage resources for applications, data, and content. Accessing this data is a key challenge in this cloud-based, application-centric world. 

Data centers need to communicate with each other - to share data and content and provide redundant backup. Fortunately, DCI technology enables the transmission of critical assets over any distance, from across town to ultra-long trans-Pacific or trans-Atlantic links, and everything in between. Data can be transmitted over simple point-to-point connections, more powerful ROADM-based networks, or open line systems that support transmission interfaces from multiple vendors.

- Next Generation Data Center Interconnect (DCI)

Next generation Data Center Interconnect refers to advanced technologies and infrastructure that enable high-speed data transfer between geographically dispersed data centers, utilizing cutting-edge networking capabilities like high-capacity coherent optics, software-defined networking, and optimized routing protocols to facilitate seamless data sharing and resource management across multiple locations, often with increased bandwidth, lower latency, and improved scalability compared to traditional data center interconnects; essentially, it's the latest evolution in connecting data centers with greater efficiency and flexibility to meet the demands of modern cloud computing and large-scale data processing.

Key areas about next-generation Data Center Interconnect:

• High-speed optics: Utilizing advanced coherent optical technologies to achieve very high data transmission speeds, often reaching 400Gbps or even 800Gbps per wavelength.
• Software-defined networking (SDN): Leveraging software to manage network configuration and optimize data flow across data centers, allowing for dynamic adjustments based on real-time needs.
• Routed optical networking: Enabling efficient data routing between multiple data centers by directly connecting fiber optic links without the need for additional intermediary devices.
• Scalability and flexibility: Designed to accommodate growing data demands and easily adapt to changing network requirements.
• Reduced latency: Minimizing data transfer delays through optimized network paths and efficient routing algorithms.

Why is DCI important? 

• Cloud computing: Enables efficient data exchange between geographically distributed cloud data centers, providing better performance for users regardless of their location.
• Big data analysis: Facilitates rapid data transfer between different data centers for large-scale data processing and analysis.
• Disaster recovery: Allows for seamless data replication and failover to backup data centers in case of emergencies.

- Data Center Interconnect (DCI) Technology

High capacity data transport between data centers is a vital need in enterprises to support the growing demands for data transmitted at any time and from any place, including high bandwidth applications such as video, and the emerging Internet of Things (IoT) applications.

Today’s business is more distributed and mobile than ever, and companies are moving existing servers, building new data centers, and clustering servers in geographically separate locations (geoclustering) to provide high-performance, nonstop access to critical business applications and information.

Data Center Interconnect (DCI) technology connects two or more data centers together over short, medium or long distances using high-speed packet-optical connectivity. These data centers don’t exist in isolation. They need to talk to each other - share data and content, and provide back-ups and redundancy. 

Fortunately, DCI technology enables the smooth transit of critical assets over short, medium and long distances between data centers. The most effective transport for DCI is high-speed packet-optical connectivity built on technological innovations such as coherent optics. With a speedy, reliable connection in place, physically separate data centers can more easily share resources and balance workloads. One of the most common uses of DCI is to pool resources to scale data center capacity as demand ebbs and flows.

- Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing(DWDM) for Data Center Interconnect

Today’s users who expect all data to be available from everywhere and at any time, have facilitated a market demand for high bandwidth capacity and seamless Data Center Interconnect (DCI) connectivity. The role of data centers has rapidly evolved over the last few years. From offering basic storage services to providing full scale connectivity, storage, and disaster recovery that have become critical to enterprises. 

Data centers use high-end DWDM optical network solutions for transporting multiple 10G/40G/100G services to satisfy the increase in demand for high bandwidth. As data capacity increases, the need for economical rack space and power consumption has become more crucial to create cost effective, scalable networks.

- Key Challenges To Implement DCI

There are five key challenges to consider when implementing DCI:

• Distance: DCI applications vary greatly in size and scope. Data centers that require connectivity may be dispersed across a metro area, around a country, or all over the globe. It’s obvious that having enough performance to carry the most bits the farthest is critical. In addition, when data centers that need to be connected are far apart, latency increases. Choosing the shortest physical route can minimize fiber-induced latency, but poorly designed or implemented networking equipment can also add latency that can make that short route seem longer. Luckily, today’s optical interfaces can be programmed to provide the optimum modulation schemes for different deployment scenarios.
• Capacity: Data centers store and deliver the data applications require. Data sets coming into or leaving a data center can be very large—from hundreds of Gigabits to Terabits. To handle these kinds of loads, networking equipment must provide reliable, high-capacity connections that scale simply and quickly to address ever-changing traffic. Coherent optics, pioneered by Ciena, paved the way for data to move at rates of 100 Gb/s over almost any distance, which dramatically improves DCI performance.
• Security: There is a lot of sensitive information stored in data centers. Financial transactions, personnel records, and other corporate data are all crucial and often highly confidential. As a result, data center network connections must be reliable, safe, and even encrypted to avoid costly breaches and data losses. Encryption and stringent rules for access to stored data are widely deployed to protect against intrusions, and advances in networking equipment can also deliver in-flight encryption to protect data as it travels over an interconnecting network.
• Operations: Manual operations are labor-intensive, complex, slow, and highly error-prone. Minimizing the labor, complexity, slowness, and errors that arise from manual operations by moving to automation is an operational imperative. Open APIs are critical to the shift to automation because they enable the required scripting and custom apps. Turning up a connection between two data centers must take place rapidly and reliably, and managing each connection should not require ongoing manual operational tasks. Optical networking platforms are meticulously designed and purpose-built for DCI applications.
• Cost: Large data streams entering and leaving data centers must be carried as cost-efficiently as possible, especially with network traffic anticipated to reach a 30 percent CAGR per year. For data centers to remain financially viable, costs must not scale at the same rate as bandwidth. To tackle these issues, the industry is making advances in high-speed networking, including solutions that operate in a small footprint and connect data centers at the lowest possible cost per bit.