Automated
Spine-Leaf Network
Interconnections that provide robust support for east-west traffic increase the complexity of adding capacity or moving equipment from one part of the structure to another. Glass Core solutions are designed to make physical network structures more dynamic through software control and automation.
Leaf-Spine
Networks 101
Instead of aggregating devices into hierarchical tiers with a single path out of base-level devices, a leaf-spine architecture provides multiple paths to the same point, thus improving the throughput and latency of the network.
With this connection pattern, any east-west traffic can be facilitated by one spine hop, and there are multiple paths between any two points.
Leaf-Spine
Networks 101
Instead of aggregating devices into hierarchical tiers with a single path out of base-level devices, a leaf-spine architecture provides multiple paths to the same point, thus improving the throughput and latency of the network.
With this connection pattern, any east-west traffic can be facilitated by one spine hop, and there are multiple paths between any two points.
Pain Points
Cabling
One of the major pain points of the leaf-spine architecture is the need to change physical cabling when capacity is added or removed from the architecture. Adding and removing cables in a leaf-spine architecture can be prohibitively time consuming or sometimes physically impossible, depending on equipment locations, physical cabling already in place, remaining cable tray or conduit capacity and how accurately the physical network structure has been documented.
When a new Spine Switch is added, it requires the addition of a new physical connection to each existing leaf switch. Likewise, when a new Leaf Switch is added, it requires the addition of a new physical connection to each existing spine switch.
Fiber optic cables take up less space than copper cables for 10, 25 and 100 Gbps network connections, but the extra connection density they enable makes the sheer volume of connections unmanageable with manual systems. Automation and software management of physical connections is an essential component in the race to support ongoing data center growth.
Prohibitively time consuming
Sometimes physically impossible
Inaccuracy in network documentation
Pain Points
Architecture
Change
Leaf-spine architectures come in many flavors. For example, a large network may connect spine switches to super-spine switches. These super spine switches can be used to connect multiple spine-leaf pods and extend the network structure beyond current capacity for a full connection fabric.
Pain Points
Architecture Change
Leaf-spine architectures come in many flavors. For example, a large network may connect spine switches to super-spine switches. These super spine switches can be used to connect multiple spine-leaf pods and extend the network structure beyond current capacity for a full connection fabric.
Automating Layer 1 with
Fiber Mountain Glass Core
Fiber Mountain’s Glass Core simplifies the process of changing network structures. Using software to automate management of layer one connections, Glass Core solutions allow the dynamic reconfiguration of connection paths, and therefore network configurations, whether leaf-spine, super leaf-spine, or a custom hybrid architecture that changes according to business and network needs.
In addition, the Glass Core
also gives you…
In addition, the Glass Core also gives you…
Security
All physical changes are auditable
Documentation
All physical connections are auto discovered and documented
Future-proofing
Configure leaf-spine, core distribution-access or any other
Software Managed with
AllPath® Director
When deployed with the Fiber Mountain AllPath Director (APD) orchestration software, your whole data center can be discovered and managed by software. The software provides network-wide visibility and automatic documentation of your physical layer.
Fiber Mountain’s
Product Catalog
From software to hardware that can transform your physical layer, we have it all! Look through our product catalog to find what suits you best.
And More for All of Your Intelligent Data Center Needs...Fiber Mountain’s
Product Catalog
From software to hardware that can transform your physical layer, we have it all! Look through our product catalog to find what suits you best.
Sensus Patch Panel
Passive patch panel with active intelligence. Imagine if your patch panels can detect cable presence. How would that change your network?
Optical Path Exchange
An optical MUX except its software-controlled, low latency, protocol agnostic and scalable. What would you do with this ability?
