 |
Figure 1. An example
of Flat network topology that integrate distributed Data centers to a
service-oriented edge network.
|
The above figure depicts example of service-oriented edge
network which integrates mobile, fixed wireless access (FWA) and fixed line
services to distributed datacenters (DC) eliminating the need for centralized
data processing. In such architecture data processing is localized and only
certain data elements are retrieved from regional or central DCs as required
and on demand without bogging down the pipe. The infrastructure topology
presented here depicts how fixed line and wireless access services are combined
and extended over long distance using open optical packet transponder (OOPT).
What is Edge and Why it is creating a paradigm shift?
Let us first understand two distinct parts of Edge: a
service-oriented network infrastructure and computing or processing element for
which later is known as Edge computing. Sometimes, pandit refers both elements
of Edge as Edge computing but it innately flawed. Edge computing is enabled
through Edge network infrastructure. When I am referring to Edge, it is about
service-oriented network infrastructure that brings enhance experience to users
at the network entry point. For this abstraction, Edge Computing is a
complimentary subset than the entirety.
A service-oriented infrastructure cannot afford processing
delay, increase latency and vendor locked network. More importantly,
service-oriented infrastructure requires low cost per bit to innately improve
service for enhance user experience. Cloud providers has done well reducing
cost per processing unit to deliver enhance service. But for operators, network
infrastructure remains rigid and costly making it difficult to provide enhanced
services to improve their bottom-line. This is about to change, thanks the
notion of flat topology and disaggregation.
That being said, Edge is not where you think it is. A simple
contemplation of edge is to understand it from the perspective of network entry
point to the provider network. Whether network entry point is at wireless
endpoint or fixed line network. For the former, a network endpoint is fronthaul
whereas later can be WAN Edge.
Our desire to stay connected, make sense out of our physical
world and enhance our experience of things around us has created interesting
business challenges for service providers to create values, gain business
insights and provide enhance services from connected things and data that are
generated from those devices. This value creation allows service provider to offer
enhance human experience through various services for plethora of applications
e.g. smart home, smart city, smart health, Smart retail, Smart farming and
Smart Industry etc.
These process of value creation and service endowment at
Edge are presented in the figure below as a layered concept. It is expected
that 1 Trillion sensors and 75 billion devices will be connected to provider
network by 2025: Some through radio frequency and others through intermediate
gateways. To get this into perspective, just imagine that for every autonomous
vehicle may have 200 sensors for vehicle. As we build smart application around
the concept of smart everything from home to cities, estimate of connected
device provided here above is no exaggeration.
Through this enormous interconnect we are bringing
technology to solve world’s pressing problems from traffic engineering for
congested cities to managing home appliance and securing our Homes. Possibilities are endless!
 |
Figure 2. Layered
concept of Edge.
|
Therefore, unless network Edge is created in a manner to
serve our desire for a connected society and enhance human experience, attempts
to provide such services will be ineffective. There lies the benefit of Network
Edge, an essential element of our connected world. This is to say, even to gain
slightest benefit of technology for the betterment of mankind is nearly
impossible without network Edge. The fast pace of technological advents are
pushing the connectivity and value creation further. We are in for a new era,
an era of connect world where technology is bringing about the progress of
mankind with a rude surprise, Singularity!
Get the picture!
That’s why Edge is important and it is about to get a shot
in the arm. Thanks to disaggregation that allows service provider to eliminate
constraints of rigid vendor locked network to simpler, flat and service
oriented infrastructure.
How Disaggregation helps?
Network is considered laggard when comes to
interoperability, bandwidth on demand, improve latency, cost and auto
provisioning or for better programmability. While computing and even storage
made a leap of how convergence and virtualization can benefit, network till
date is questionably rigid and slow. It was not until few years back when
hyperscale data center decided that it is time for a second look that rigidity
of network started to diminish giving birth to a relatively programable, cost
effective multi-vendor network. Industry pondered over it to bring about the
change 1990s notion of network giving birth to a new concept of networking,
“Open Networks”. Today, this notion of network is gaining momentum, industry is
bringing about collective innovation at fore to enable the possibility of
better service-oriented network that innately capable of bandwidth on-demand
and flexible to accommodate what future holds with enormous cost savings. There
is great interest among operators to explore and build cost effective, flat and
service-oriented on-demand infrastructure and work is underway to upgrade their
network. Service provider networks are still laggard compared to cloud
providers or data center operators. Multitude of issues has plagued service
provider network that stems from lack of technological solution and regulatory
requirements to integrate and virtualize network functions creating on-demand
and programable network with low cost per bit.
It is about to change now, disaggregation that decouples
hardware and software now making it possible for service provider to benefits
from industry innovation, experiment new service technologies and create values
from data that traverse through their network.
 |
Figure 3. A
diagrammatical representation of disaggregation and typical placement of
disaggregated system in operator network.
|
Disaggregation is opening up both wireless and fixed network
entry point while reducing network latency and pushing Ethernet and variation
thereof all the way to network entry point. Imagine, a pipe of 1GbE that
providing 4G/LTE service can now have the possibility to become enormously
fattened upto 100GbE way up the tower where RF meets digital bitstream. You
heard of 5G that innately create great possibilities but do you know as such is
only possible through the improve latency and enormous fat pipe that is the
result of collective industry innovation. When I say “collective” it is not
about individual organization building their own technologies rather a notion
of industry coming together to create technological advent both in hardware and
software. Get the picture!
This is where disaggregation finds its importance, a notion
that allows hardware and software vendors to bring about best they could offer
while working within the context of “togetherness” bringing the best breed of
technologies to solve industry’s pressing problem.
 |
Figure 4. Industry
momentum towards disaggregation in Edge.
|
This “coming together” to solve complex network issues is
gaining momentum as evident from the figure above. Industry forums and
organizations are working together to create open standards of multi-vendor
network. Much of the industry’s pressing problem are getting solved as a
result, e.g. disaggregation for cell site gateway initiative created DCSG
(Disaggregated Cell Site Gateway) for mobile backhaul aggregation, Open Optical
Packet Transponder (OOPT) for long distance optical transport and Open RAN
(Radio Access Network) for fronthaul. Consecutively, disaggregation has
penetrated in service provider Edge (PE) and Core in addition to Data centers.
What’s next?
Possibilities are endless, with AI/ML coming to picture a
network can be self-healed, state aware and smart in future. Some refers this
as Cognitive networks others call it intelligent networks. Irrespective of the
terms, future of networks offers great promises. Disaggregation is just the
beginning and it has created potentials for programmable state aware networks
to be realized. It is now upto the provider and enterprise to maximize benefit.
Comments