Optical data center networks (DCNs) are emerging as a promising design for cloud infrastructure. However, existing optical DCN architectures operate as closed ecosystems, tying software solutions to specific optical hardware. We introduce Lighthouse, an open research framework that decouples software from hardware, allowing them to evolve independently. Central to Lighthouse is the time-flow table abstraction, serving as a common interface between optical hardware and software. We develop Lighthouse on programmable switches, achieving a minimum optical circuit duration of 2 {\mu}s, the shortest duration realized by commodity devices to date. We demonstrate Lighthouse's generality by implementing six optical architectures on an optical testbed and conducted extensive benchmarks on a 108-ToR setup, highlighting system efficiency. Additionally, we present case studies that identify potential research topics enabled by Lighthouse.

翻译：光数据中心网络（DCN）正成为一种极具前景的云基础设施设计方案。然而，现有的光DCN架构作为封闭生态系统运行，将软件解决方案与特定的光硬件绑定。我们提出了灯塔，一个将软件与硬件解耦、允许二者独立演进的开放式研究框架。其核心是时间流表抽象，它充当光硬件与软件之间的通用接口。我们在可编程交换机上实现了灯塔，实现了最短2微秒的光路持续时间，这是迄今为止商用设备所能达到的最短持续时间。我们通过在光测试平台上实现六种光架构，并在一个包含108个架顶交换机的设置上进行了广泛的基准测试，展示了灯塔的通用性，并凸显了其系统效率。此外，我们还通过案例研究指出了灯塔所能开启的潜在研究方向。