Achieving High-Performance Fault-Tolerant Routing in HyperX Interconnection Networks

Abstract: Interconnection networks are key actors that condition the performance of current large datacenter and supercomputer systems. Both topology and routing are critical aspects that must be carefully considered for a competitive system network design. Moreover, when daily failures are expected, this tandem should exhibit resilience and robustness. Low-diameter networks, including HyperX, are cheaper than typical Fat Trees. But, to be really competitive, they have to employ evolved routing algorithms to both balance traffic and tolerate failures. In this paper, SurePath, an efficient fault-tolerant routing mechanism for HyperX topology is introduced and evaluated. SurePath leverages routes provided by standard routing algorithms and a deadlock avoidance mechanism based on an Up/Down escape subnetwork. This mechanism not only prevents deadlock but also allows for a fault-tolerant solution for these networks. SurePath is thoroughly evaluated in the paper under different traffic patterns, showing no performance degradation under extremely faulty scenarios.