Design of High Speed Computer Networks Aimed at Reducing Energy Consumption and Carbon Emission

Location

Atrium

Session Format

Poster Presentation

Research Area Topic:

Engineering and Material Sciences - Electrical

Co-Presenters and Faculty Mentors or Advisors

Danda B Rawat, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Electrical Engineering, Georgia Southern University

Abstract

With the exponential growth of Internet use, many organizations (including Georgia Southern University) use vast amounts of energy/power to operate and cool their network infrastructures and thus produce significant amount of carbon waste. The main focus of this research is to design OpenFlow based networks that will result in high-speed computer networks and dramatic reductions of energy consumption and carbon emission, without reducing the quality of the service. A Software Defined Network saves energy by turning off links or switches within a network when traffic is low, during non-peak hours. In order to determine how many switches or links may be temporarily turned off, an equation must be defined to calculate the power consumption that remains constant within a network device and that which is affected by traffic. Based on that equation, we can determine the most influential factors of energy consumption within a network. Then a network is designed to keep the energy consumption ratio (ECR) constant as traffic fluctuates. The ECR is the ratio of power (P) used over time (T) compared to number of bits (M) being transferred, or ECR = P*T/M. The power consumed is calculated by combing different elements of power consumption from the OpenFlow device. These include the base power to turn on the networking device, the power dependent on the configuration of switches, the power used by the controls, and the power dependent on the rules set by OpenFlow software (Pof). By inserting these elements into the ECR, we can evaluate the elements that would have the greatest effect on the ratio. When the number of bits changes, the most affected element of power consumption is the Pof. Therefore the ECR that needs to remain constant will be the ECR_OF = Pof*T/M. An experimental OpenFlow based network will be established and tested in the CWiNs lab of Georgia Southern University with the specific purpose of demonstrating the significant energy savings and reduction in carbon waste that can be achieved with this ratio while providing reliable and fast networking services at GSU.

This research is supported in part by the Center for Sustainability at Georgia Southern University.

Keywords

Software defined networks, Energy consumption, OpenFlow, Power consumption, Green energy

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Presentation Type and Release Option

Presentation (Open Access)

Start Date

4-24-2015 10:45 AM

End Date

4-24-2015 12:00 PM

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Apr 24th, 10:45 AM Apr 24th, 12:00 PM

Design of High Speed Computer Networks Aimed at Reducing Energy Consumption and Carbon Emission

Atrium

With the exponential growth of Internet use, many organizations (including Georgia Southern University) use vast amounts of energy/power to operate and cool their network infrastructures and thus produce significant amount of carbon waste. The main focus of this research is to design OpenFlow based networks that will result in high-speed computer networks and dramatic reductions of energy consumption and carbon emission, without reducing the quality of the service. A Software Defined Network saves energy by turning off links or switches within a network when traffic is low, during non-peak hours. In order to determine how many switches or links may be temporarily turned off, an equation must be defined to calculate the power consumption that remains constant within a network device and that which is affected by traffic. Based on that equation, we can determine the most influential factors of energy consumption within a network. Then a network is designed to keep the energy consumption ratio (ECR) constant as traffic fluctuates. The ECR is the ratio of power (P) used over time (T) compared to number of bits (M) being transferred, or ECR = P*T/M. The power consumed is calculated by combing different elements of power consumption from the OpenFlow device. These include the base power to turn on the networking device, the power dependent on the configuration of switches, the power used by the controls, and the power dependent on the rules set by OpenFlow software (Pof). By inserting these elements into the ECR, we can evaluate the elements that would have the greatest effect on the ratio. When the number of bits changes, the most affected element of power consumption is the Pof. Therefore the ECR that needs to remain constant will be the ECR_OF = Pof*T/M. An experimental OpenFlow based network will be established and tested in the CWiNs lab of Georgia Southern University with the specific purpose of demonstrating the significant energy savings and reduction in carbon waste that can be achieved with this ratio while providing reliable and fast networking services at GSU.

This research is supported in part by the Center for Sustainability at Georgia Southern University.