H3C: The key to computing-network integration lies in the efficient coordination of computing power and transportation capacity

On September 26, the "2022 China Cloud Network Intelligent Connection Conference" hosted by the SDN/NFV/AI Standards and Industry Promotion Committee was held in Beijing. Many industry leaders, opinion leaders, experts and scholars gathered together to exchange views on popular technologies such as cloud-network integration, SD-WAN/SASE, autonomous networks, AI+, and computing power networks. New H3C Group, a subsidiary of Tsinghua Unigroup, was invited to attend. Wang Bin, Vice President of New H3C Group and General Manager of Intelligent Management and Operation and Maintenance Product Line, delivered a keynote speech entitled "Exploration and Innovation of Intelligent Connection Technology in the Cloud-native Era" at the main forum of the conference, deeply analyzing how to build a strong capacity support for efficient computing power scheduling under the trend of computing network integration.

Wang Bin, Vice President of H3C Group and General Manager of Intelligent Management and Operation Product Line

In the era of cloud-native intelligence, digital transformation has penetrated all industries, and a large number of new applications are running in the new computing system of cloud-network integration, which has put forward higher demands on the network. Faced with many challenges such as the difficulty of coordinating computing and network resources, the urgent need to improve computing efficiency, the increased requirements for application experience, and the complexity of cloud-network integration operation and maintenance, intelligent connection technology must keep pace with the times to meet the development needs of the current digital economy. At the summit, Wang Bin introduced the newly upgraded application-driven network AD-NET 6.0+ solution of H3C to the guests in detail, and shared H3C's deep insights from the technical fields of computing-network integration, intelligent lossless, deterministic network, intent network, green and low-carbon, as well as innovative practices to enable various industries to build a new foundation for intelligent connection.

Computing and Network Integration

Realize fine allocation of computing resources

Computing resources and network resources are scattered all over the country and managed in different domains, which makes it difficult to coordinate computing resources and network resources. How to achieve efficient coordination between computing and network and provide "cloud-network unified services" has become a common focus of the industry. In this regard, H3C Group takes the "computing network brain" as the core, realizes the integration of computing network resources in all fields downward, realizes the full business support of computing network integration upward, realizes the optimal coordination and scheduling of cloud-edge-end, and provides computing network integrated services. At the same time, through SRv6 and computing power routing, the network perceives and synchronizes computing power, and manages and schedules computing network needs based on business identifiers, making the allocation of computing resources more refined.

Intelligent Lossless

Fusion of Ethereum improves computing efficiency

At present, data centers mainly use IB and FC storage protocols, which have the disadvantages of closed technology and stagnant progress, and cannot cope with the growing "traffic flood". At the same time, for AI computing scenarios, when there is packet loss in the network, additional time overhead will be added due to the collaborative waiting within the server cluster, causing the computing power to continue to decline. According to experimental statistics, only 0.1% network packet loss will result in a 50% loss of computing power. H3C Group has achieved "three networks in one" through RDMA technology carried by Ethernet, and has fully IP-based computing, storage, and networking in the data center. It performs intelligent adjustments based on traffic, latency, and AI capabilities, reduces network packet loss, improves computing efficiency, and achieves high throughput, large bandwidth, and zero packet loss in the data center.

Deterministic Networking

Satisfying the deterministic experience of applications

The development of industries such as industrial Internet, telemedicine, and Internet of Vehicles requires the network to have the deterministic ability of long-distance transmission, but the current deterministic network still faces challenges such as immature technology, high deployment costs, and difficulties in industrialization. H3C Group has comprehensively deployed deterministic network technology in the fields of equipment, software, systems, and applications, and has jointly built the world's first deterministic network with the Jiangsu Future Network Innovation Institute, controlling the delay jitter of deterministic flows in various scenarios within 15 microseconds, reaching the international advanced level.

Intent Networking

A new generation of intelligent O&M that simplifies complexity

Faced with network business challenges such as complex network solution design and deployment, unpredictable business change behavior, and operation and maintenance relying on expert experience, the industry's demand for network automation continues to upgrade, and the intent-based network has become the industry's recognized next-generation network infrastructure. In the process of building the intent-based network, H3C Group has explored and innovated through intent recognition, simulation evaluation, intent verification, and intelligent closed loop, combined with the technical advantages of 1:1 digital twin simulation networks, to generate the best design solution based on user intent, reduce the risk and impact of network changes, and use AI to assist in the management and operation of the intent-based network throughout its life cycle.

Green and low carbon

Boosting the sustainable development of the digital economy

Facing the problems of the surge in digital services in the park, low utilization of network architecture, huge energy consumption in data centers, and invisible resource energy consumption, Wang Bin shared the active exploration of H3C Group on the spot. For example, H3C can provide different typical networking models according to needs, reduce the number of physical devices, and maximize the utilization of network equipment; in data center design, use silicon photonics technology and liquid cooling technology to reduce energy consumption and improve heat dissipation efficiency, and achieve the goal of PUE < 1.2; in intelligent energy consumption management, it can provide equipment resource visualization and abnormal warning, improve network health operation time, and reduce average energy consumption.

In order to better promote industrial exchanges and cooperation, the summit specially set up a roundtable dialogue session. Chen Feng, technical director of the operator business unit of H3C Group, and many industry experts discussed the current development trends and challenges of computing and network integration, key technology research and development and practice, and shared H3C's computing and network technology layout and solution capabilities on how to enable innovative development of computing and network and accelerate the upgrade of computing network services.

Chen Feng, Technical Director of the Carrier Business Unit of H3C Group

Looking to the future, H3C Group will uphold the concept of "cloud-native, open ecology, green and low-carbon", continue to upgrade underlying technologies and solutions around the digital transformation scenarios of hundreds of industries, help more industry users gain a firm foothold in the digital transformation needs, and provide fertile connection soil for the construction of "Digital China".