Low Latency Packet Delivery for SOHO Infrastructure Paper ID# ICCIT2021_029 2nd International Conference on Computing & Information Technology , University of Tabuk, Saudi Arabia

Low Latency Packet Delivery for SOHO Infrastructure Paper ID# ICCIT2021_029 2nd International Conference on Computing & Information Technology , University of Tabuk , Saudi Arabia.

Outline. Abstract Introduction Literature Review Methodology Results Conclusion and Future Scope References Question & Answers.

Abstract. Rapid growth is taking place in IT sector around the world. A number of start-ups require good networking infrastructure which needs to be good both in terms of reliability as well as network connectivity . This paper demonstrates a perfect blend of both low cost and high throughput which will help new startups to set up their infrastructure particularly for the networking segment at low cost, less latency, and high availability . This paper covers the detailed description, the basic needs and use case scenarios that are required Small Office or Home Office (SOHO) to implement an efficient network topology design for swift data packet transfer and fast scalability for SOHO type infrastructure..

Introduction. The main aim is to provide a faster convergence and loading of the network infrastructure when new devices are introduced into the infrastructure. The topology design will be beneficial for Small Office or Home Office (SOHO) type infrastructure . Which can be accomplish by preventing Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) convergence time for a plug and play type scalability. STP is basically implemented in case to avoid loops in a particular topology because if a loop is created, the message will stay inside the loop and it will not be able to reach the destination on time along with the loss of data and asset . The spine leaf topology also prevents loops without the complexity present in STP. This design will prove to be fruitful for small businesses..

Introduction…(contd.). The design will implement both wired and wireless device connectivity in the topology. In case of networking, we have a number of components that work together to make the communication possible : NIC which stands for network interface card . IP address for the systems to communicate: Manual IP , Dynamic IP address i.e., DHCP. In this a particular IP address is given on a particular lease time to a device for its use. This will make use of the process, which is known as DORA which stands for discover, offer, request and acknowledgement. We have a DHCP client and a DHCP server where server will provide the IP from a pool of IP addresses occupied by it..

Literature Review. Small Office or Home Office (SOHO) SOHO is a type of infrastructure which provides better cost optimization and flexibility in terms of management and modification, primarily used by small and growing organizations. SOHO can utilize the benefits of both wired and wireless infrastructures efficiently . Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) DHCP dynamically assigns IP addresses to connected devices. IP addresses are the unique identities by working in server-client request-reply mechanism called the DORA process which stands for Discover, Offer, Request, Acknowledge . DHCP server can also dynamically assign network gateway address and DNS server address to the devices ..

Literature Review…(contd.). Spanning tree protocol (STP) & Spine-leaf topology STP prevents loops in a N/W by blocking the redundant switch ports/interfaces and only allowing them to come up if the active port goes down. STP takes time to converge initially to determine the forwarding and blocking ports and in case of a high redundancy N/W infrastructure, this time can be high. STP convergence time may be reduced by implementing the spine-leaf architectural design , in which each lower-level switch is connected to multiple higher-level switches..

Dynamic Routing Routing is the process of determining a path for the network traffic to follow. This path can be specified manually by means of static routing or dynamically by means of routing protocols. Routing protocols may be classified into two broad categories, link-state and distance-vector. Distance vector protocols like Routing Information Protocol (RIP) determine the best route/path for network traffic based on the distance metrics, like the number of hops to reach the destination device. This may not always be the most efficient way of determining the best route as there is no consideration of the state/speed of links in between those hops. The protocols which take these links into consideration are the link state protocols like Open Shortest Path First (OSPF) which determine the best path based on the link bandwidth.

Methodology. The implementation is done completely in the Cisco Packet Tracer tool which has 2 viewing modes, real-time and simulation. The simulation mode gives a detailed view of packet flow in a network at each stage. The first step to developing the implementation was to determine the basic requirements of the SOHO infrastructure . The aim was to have multiple SOHO type offices existing in a single network with fast traffic flow and quick and easy scalability . Port aggregation Combining multiple ports into a single link for redundancy and load balancing. Load balancing increases the throughput by utilize multiple links instead of just one for the traffic flow. LACP (Link Aggregation Control Protocol) and PAgP (Port Aggregation Protocol) are two protocols to implement port aggregation..

Methodology …(contd.). Spine-leaf implementation Spine-Leaf topology is advantageous as it avoids loops in a network topology and does not have delays caused due to STP convergence time. Different VLANs in the network will be connected using the spine-leaf architecture. The spine-leaf implementation will eliminate delays when new devices are added to a particular VLAN and hence scalability becomes plug and play..

Methodology …(contd.). Virtual Private network VPN VPN allows for a private, secure, encrypted network which is established in the topology of our implementation to maintain private and secure network connectivity between the multiple SOHO infrastructures..

Methodology …(contd.). Network IP management A single DHCP server in the central office infrastructure will be handing out IP configuration to all the connected devices throughout multiple offices to prevent IP clashing in the private network. There may be a single or multiple gateway(s) to communicate with the public network as per the quantity of devices and requirement. There will be a single DNS server in each SOHO office and the address of the DNS server will be handed out by DHCP server according to the address pool configured..

Topology. The design implemented is depicted by the following packet tracer snapshot..

Results. Findings and readings Due to elimination of STP convergence time, any new device plugged in, after the initial authentication steps, becomes part of the network instantly. Practical obs : 10 seconds for a switch introduced into a simple traditional STP topology, 1-2 seconds for our topology. One SOHO center to another SOHO center has multiple redundant interfaces and hence speed of no latency in packet transfers due to overloading of interfaces even in case of heavy packet transfers. Practical obs : Heavy load transfer (20GB ) with single 1GBps interface , takes 2 sec, while with two load balanced 1GBps interfaces take 1 sec . The VPN implementation across the infrastructures ensures privacy Wireless devices are efficiently connected to the nearest access point and managed by the wireless LAN controller device. IP delivery by DHCP server is working efficiently over the network..

Conclusion. Th e practical implementation of this paper has successfully executed a topology design which will indeed help in much faster network convergence and low latency packet delivery without compromising on security. The idea is aimed for the SOHO infrastructures and this design will prove effective for such infrastructures for meeting their networking needs. Further research in the future may make it possible for such infrastructures to have even better speeds. Research may be done to develop a design to effectively connect such miniature offices to big infrastructure solutions with minimum cost and high throughput..

Question and Answer. 16.

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