# US 2019/0245753 A1 · Scalable Data Center Network Topology on Distributed Switch > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2019/0245753 A1 - Document ID: US20190245753A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 16/389,053 - Filed: 2019-04-19 - Published: 2019-08-08 - Earliest claimed: 2017-04-13 - Assignees: International Business Machines Corporation - Applicants: International Business Machines Corporation - Inventors: Martin Leo SCHMATZ - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20190245753A1 ## CPC - H04L 41/12: Discovery or management of network topologies - H04L 67/1097: for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS] - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) ## Abstract A method is provided for networking nodes in a data center network structure, including connecting at least ten base units each including connected nodes with southbound connections of a multi-host NIC controller having northbound a higher total bandwidth than southbound, the controllers configured as dragonfly switches; connecting the ten base units with their respective controllers in a modified Peterson graph form as an intragroup network to build a super unit including three groups, where each controller uses three northbound connections for a direct connection to three other base units of the super unit, and in which two base units of each group are connected via a respective one of a fourth northbound connection to one of the other groups, and a remaining base unit not being part of one of the groups is adapted for using three northbound connections for direct connection to one base unit in each group. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A data center network structure comprising: at least ten base units each of which comprises set of a plurality of nodes in the data center network structure connected by southbound connections of corresponding multi-host network interface controllers, said multi-host network interface controllers having northbound a higher total bandwidth than southbound, each base unit also comprising a corresponding multi-host network interface controller; and a super unit comprising the ten base units with their respective multi-host network interface controllers connected in a modified Peterson graph form as an intragroup network such that the ten base units of the super unit comprise three groups each including three of the ten base units, in which each of said multi-host network interface controllers is configured to use three northbound connections for a direct connection to three other base units of the super unit, and in which two base units of each of the groups are connected via a respective one of a fourth intragroup northbound connection to one of said other two groups, and a remaining base unit out of said ten base units not being part of one of the three groups of three base units is configured to use three northbound connections for a direct connection to one base unit in each of the three groups, and wherein said multi-host network interface controllers are configured as dragonfly switches. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The data center network structure according to claim 1, wherein one of the ten base units comprises one additional northbound connection configured to be used as an external connection to said intragroup network. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The data center network structure according to claim 2, wherein any additionally available northbound connections of said multi-host network interface controllers are used to implement a physically separate service network. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The data center network structure according to claim 1, wherein each base unit comprises at least one server. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The data center network structure according to claim 1, wherein the remaining base unit out of said ten base units not being part of one of the three groups of three base units comprises a fourth northbound connection used for communication to and from the outside of said network structure. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The data center network structure according to claim 1, wherein each base unit in said groups of three base units also comprises an additional fifth northbound electrical connection usable as additional network connections building northbound connections between super units of said data center network structure. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The data center network structure according to claim 6, in which said fifth northbound connection enables four group outbound connections, wherein: the three group outbound connections of a first one of the groups are for northbound connections in an x-dimension of said data center network structure, the three group outbound connections of a second one of the groups are for northbound connections in a y-dimension of said data center network structure, the three group outbound connections of a third one of the groups are for northbound connections in a z-dimension of said data center network structure, and the remaining outbound connections are for scaling to higher dimensions of said data center network structure or are used for communication to and from the outside of said data network structure. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The data center network structure according to claim 7, wherein four super units are connected in an all-to-all form building an x-dimension unit of said data center network structure. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The data center network structure according to claim 8, wherein four x-dimension units are connected in an all-to-all form building a y-dimension group of said data center network structure. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The data center network structure according to claim 9, wherein ten y-dimension groups are connected according to a Peterson graph form building said z-dimension group of said data center network structure. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The data center network structure according to claim 10, wherein five z-dimensions groups are connected in an all-to-all fashion building a POD of said data center network structure. ### Claim 12 (depends on 6) The data center network structure according to claim 6, wherein the remaining base unit out of said ten base units not being part of one of the three groups of three base units comprises a fifth northbound connection used to either scale to higher dimensions of the data network structure or is used for communication to and from the outside of said data network structure. ### Claim 13 A method comprising: connecting at least ten base units in a data center network structure each of which comprises set of a plurality of connected nodes in the data center network structure with southbound connections of multi-host network interface controllers, said multi-host network interface controllers having northbound a higher total bandwidth than southbound, each base unit also comprising a corresponding multi-host network interface controller, connecting the ten base units with their respective multi-host network interface controllers in a modified Peterson graph form as an intragroup network to build a super unit such that the ten base units of the super unit comprise three groups including three of the ten base units, in which each of said multi-host network interface controllers is using three northbound connections for a direct connection to three other base units of the super unit, and in which two base units of each of the groups are connected via a respective one of a fourth northbound connection to one of said other two groups of three base units, and a remaining base unit out of said ten base units not being part of one of the three groups of three base units is configured to use three northbound connections for a direct connection to one base unit in each of the three groups, wherein said multi-host network interface controllers are configured as dragonfly switches. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The method according to claim 13, wherein one of said base units comprises one additional northbound connection configured to be used as an external connection to said intragroup network. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method according to claim 14, wherein any additionally available northbound connections of said multi-host network interface controllers are used to implement a physically separate service network. ### Claim 16 (depends on 13) The method according to claim 13, wherein each base unit comprises at least one server. ### Claim 17 (depends on 13) The method according to claim 13, wherein the remaining base unit out of said ten base units not being part of one of said groups of three base units comprises a fourth northbound connection used for communication to and from the outside of said network structure. ### Claim 18 (depends on 13) The method according to claim 13, in which each base unit in each of said three groups of three base units comprises at least one fifth northbound connection, such that each of the three groups enables three group outbound connections, wherein: the three group outbound connections of a first one of the groups are for northbound connections in an x-dimension of said data center network structure, the three group outbound connections of a second one of the groups are for northbound connections in a y-dimension of said data center network structure, the three group outbound connections of a third one of the groups are for northbound connections in a z-dimension of said data center network structure, and the remaining outbound connections are for scaling to higher dimensions of said data center network structure or are used for communication to and from the outside of said data network structure. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The method according to claim 18, wherein four super units are connected in an all-to-all form building an x-dimension unit of said data center network structure. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The method according to claim 19, wherein: four x-dimension units are connected in an all-to-all form building a y-dimension group of said data center network structure; ten y-dimension groups are connected according to a Peterson graph form building said z-dimension group of said data center network structure; and five z-dimensions groups are connected in an all-to-all fashion building a POD of said data center network structure. ### Claim at position 21 -23. (canceled)