A DISTRIBUTED CONTROL ARCHITECTURE OF HIGH-SPEED NETWORKS

A control architecture for a high-speed packet-switched network is des cribed, The architecture was designed and implemented as part of the P ARIS (subsequently plaNET and BBNS) networking project at IBM, This hi gh bandwidth network for integrated communication (data, voice, video) is currently operational as a laboratory prototype. It will also be d eployed within the AURORA Testbed that is part of the NSF/DARPA gigabi t networking program. The high bandwidth dictates the need for special ized hardware to support faster packet handling for both point-to-poin t and multicast connections. A faster and more efficient network contr ol is also required in order to support the increased number of connec tions and their changing requirements with time. The new network contr ol architecture presented exploits specialized hardware, thereby enabl ing tasks to be performed faster and with less computation overhead. I n particular, since control information can be distributed quickly usi ng hardware packet handling mechanisms, decisions can be made based up on more complete and accurate information. In some respects, this has the effect of having the benefits of centralized control (e.g., easier bandwidth resource allocation to connections), while retaining the fa ult tolerance and scalability of a distributed architecture.