MTS-PolKA: Weighted Multipath Traffic Splitting with Source Routing for
Elephant and Mice Flows
Abstract
Modern datacenter networks rely on multi-root tree topologies, to ensure
efficient and reliable connectivity. However, traditional traffic
engineering solutions like Equal Cost Multiple Path (ECMP) and
Weighted-Cost MultiPath (WCMP) often fall short in addressing dynamic
and heterogeneous traffic conditions. Specifically, these approaches
struggle with asymmetric topologies and the allocation of elephant
flows, which require more granular and agile traffic management. This
paper introduces MTS-PolKA, a novel traffic splitting mechanism designed
to enhance traffic engineering in datacenter networks. MTS-PolKA enables
packet-level traffic distribution across multiple paths by embedding a
label in the packet header that dictates the traffic division profile.
Unlike existing methods that require reconfiguration of network tables
at each switch, MTS-PolKA allows for dynamic and simultaneous
adjustments across all switches in the path through simple modifications
to the packet header. This approach significantly improves the agility
and efficiency of traffic management. The implementation of MTS-PolKA on
programmable switches using the P4 language, leveraging the Residue
Number System (RNS) and M-PolKA architecture, demonstrates its potential
through experiments conducted in the Mininet emulator. The results
highlight the ability of MTS-PolKA to maintain flow stability, explore
network multipaths, and enable rapid reconfigurations of traffic
division profiles, enhancing the performance and efficiency of modern
datacenter networks.