Availability modeling and evaluation of switches and data centers

Data Center Network (DCN) availability is defined as the ability of the DCN to handle all demands at a particular time. DCN availability depends on the type and the availability of its switches. Similarly, switch availability depends on its hardware (HW) and software (SW) subcomponents. This work presents a detailed analysis of DCN availability by modeling and evaluating the availability of its components like traditional DCN switches, P4 hardware target switches, and P4 software target switches (and their subcomponents). This work is intended as a guideline for the DCN operator (i) to identify the critical subcomponents of the network, (ii) to understand the effect of different DCN topologies on the availability of the DCN, and (iii) to improve the availability of the DCN by replacing some components (and/or subcomponents).