Embrace RDMA and Lossless Networks with FS Solution
Updated at Mar 28th 20241 min read
In the era where data processing demands surge and stringent performance benchmarks become a necessity, the network architecture of data centers must embrace more efficient and low-latency technologies to meet business needs. Among these revolutionary technologies, RDMA (Remote Direct Memory Access) and lossless networks stand out for significantly boosting data center network performance. This blog delves into the essence of RDMA and lossless networks and showcases how high-performance hardware infrastructure from FS can be utilized to implement and optimize these technologies for achieving optimal data center network performance.
The Core Value of RDMA and Lossless Networks
An Overview of RDMA Technology
Remote Direct Memory Access (RDMA) is a cutting-edge technology that enables high-throughput, low-latency networking by allowing data to be transferred directly between the memory of two computers without CPU intervention. This direct memory-to-memory transfer mechanism bypasses the operating system, thereby significantly reducing data transfer times and freeing up computational resources. Originating in high-performance computing (HPC) environments, RDMA has become increasingly adopted in various applications ranging from data centers and cloud computing to storage and financial services, where its efficiency and speed in handling large volumes of data are critically important. RDMA supports multiple network protocols, including InfiniBand, RoCE (RDMA over Converged Ethernet), and iWARP, making it highly versatile and adaptable to a wide range of network architectures and applications.
To learn more about RDMA technology, please read DMA vs. RDMA: What Is the Difference?
The Concept and Importance of Lossless Networks
A lossless network represents an advanced networking paradigm meticulously designed to eliminate packet loss, ensuring that every bit of data sent across the network reaches its destination without error or discard. This is particularly crucial in environments demanding high data integrity and reliability, such as data centers and high-performance computing. Lossless networks achieve this remarkable feat through a combination of technologies and protocols, including flow control mechanisms, congestion management, and Quality of Service (QoS) enhancements, which together manage network traffic efficiently to prevent overruns and buffer overflows that typically lead to packet loss. By preserving the integrity of data transmission, lossless networks enable applications to perform at their peak efficiency, supporting real-time and latency-sensitive operations without compromise.
Building Lossless Networks with FS RDMA Solutions
FS now provides two solutions, Infiniband and RoCE (RDMA over Converged Ethernet), to fully leverage RDMA and achieve a lossless network.
InfiniBand technology is specifically designed for RDMA, ensuring data transmission reliability from the hardware level. FS offers a range of NVIDIA Infiniband NICs that support RDMA and IB switches.
InfiniBand Adapters | InfiniBand Switch | |
100G QSFP56 | / | |
200G QSFP56 | ||
400G OSFP | ||
400G QSFP112 | / |
RoCE (RDMA over Converged Ethernet) is a network protocol that allows for the execution of RDMA over Ethernet. FS offers NVIDIA Ethernet NICs and NVDIA Ethernet switches that support RoCE, enabling businesses to utilize RDMA functionality over Ethernet.
Ethernet Adapters | Ethernet Switch | |
25G SFP28 | ||
100G QSFP28 | ||
100G QSFP28-DD | / | |
100G QSFP56 | / | |
400G QSFP-DD | / |
InfiniBand is often chosen for its low latency in HPC environments, while RoCE might be favored in data centers that rely heavily on Ethernet infrastructure. If you have any concerns when selecting the appropriate switches, please do not hesitate to contact us. Discuss your specific needs with us, including bandwidth, latency, scalability, and compatibility. FS provides network solutions designed to ensure complete compatibility with your chosen RDMA NICs, both at the hardware and software levels, to meet your expectations for a lossless network.
Conclusion
The improvement in RDMA efficiency has shifted the bottleneck to data center network infrastructure, where low latency and lossless behavior have become new essential requirements. FS leads this shift with professional network solutions and product portfolios, meeting current needs and enabling future growth. As data centers evolve to handle more data and require faster processing, adopting FS RDMA and lossless network solutions to achieve superior network performance, ensures that businesses not only meet but exceed performance objectives, solidifying the investment in a more efficient, reliable, and high-performance networking future.