Trends in system area networking

As bus architectures approach the end of their lifetimes, and as networking extends its reach deeper into systems, the future of systems and networking appears rife with possibilities. This paper attempts to look beyond the rivalry between computer companies over buses, to a world in which computation and networking are both pervasive. In order to delve deeper into some of these issues, the discussion focuses on the data center microcosm, where the impact of these trends is both visible and relevant. What we find there is components that defy description in current terminology, new locales for existing functions, and perhaps most important, a whole new class of workloads.