Specifications

28 Copyright © 2009, Juniper Networks, Inc.
DESIGN GUIDE - Data Center LAN Connectivity Design Guide
High Availability (HA)
All core layer devices in the data center must provide a full complement of HA services to maintain critical uplink
connectivity. The devices must be robust and offer fully redundant hardware. Core layer devices should be load
balanced for optimal performance and also run OSPF or another open protocol for fail safe connectivity between layers.
Data Center Core Layer Design Recommendations
The EX8200 line of switches or MX Series routers are recommended as core layer solutions.
High Availability (HA)1.
Both Juniper core layer solutions offer fail-safe operations. Redundant links to each core layer device are provided
in the event of a device or link failure. The MX Series offers fully redundant hardware. The EX8200 line offers a
redundant control plane as well as redundant power supplies and fans. All equipment runs JUNOS Software,
providing HA features such as graceful protocol restart and Graceful Routing Engine Switchover, preserving
forwarding and routing operations during device events with non-stop forwarding and automatic load balancing.
Scalable Performance2.
The decision to select the EX8200 line of switches or the MX Series routers depends on throughput, high-density
non-oversubscribed 10 GbE port, and high scaling requirements for MAC, IP, or IP multicasttables
and/or ACL entries.
c. EX8200 Series
The EX8200 Terabit-chassis switch delivers a powerful, high-density, high-performance solution. Capable of up
to 3.2 Tbps throughput, the EX8200 line of switches offer up to 64 (eight-slot chassis) or 128 (16-slot chassis)
wire-speed 10 GbE ports. The EX8200 line delivers 200 Gbps of switching capacity per slot, enabling the future
addition of 100 Gbps uplinks. By providing capacity now, the EX8200 line of switches allow users to easily
migrate to higher-speed connections when they are ready—without requiring any changes to the switch fabric,
Route Engines, backplane, power supplies or cooling system. The EX8200 line also offers a redundant control
plane and runs JUNOS Software for maximum HA.
The EX8200 line provides wire-speed application visibility into more than 150 applications via integrated high-
performance ASICS. The EX8200 line of switches also include integrated security features to guard against
intruders or other external threats. Integrated anomaly-based threat detection provides additional protection by
identifying and blocking DDoS attacks.
When high-density, non-oversubscribed 10 GbE ports are required, the MX Series chassis routers are
recommended. Built on a flexible modular chassis with fully redundant hardware capable of up to 960Gbps
throughput, the MX Series offers high scaling of IP, IPMC, MAC or ACL. Running Juniper’s common JUNOS
Software, the MX Series also provides fully featured Layer 2 and Layer 3 Dense Port Concentrators, high
performance multicast support, MPLS, L2/L3 including MPLS, NSR, ISSU, GRES, and more.
CAPEX and OPEX Savings3.
Typically more than two layers of legacy Layer 3 switches are required at the core to achieve the wire-speed
port densities demanded by today’s high-performance data center. Enabling the collapse of the number of core
layers, the high-density, high-performance EX8200 or MX Series routers create a direct positive impact on the
economics of networking. The switches also lower operating expense and simplify all network operations via
JUNOS Software.
Delivering greater value while reducing capital and operating expenses, the EX8200 line and MX Series devices
free up valuable IT resources that may be invested in new technologies to improve business productivity and
further streamline operations.
For a full set of features, benefits and specifications, please view the Juniper Networks EX Series Ethernet Switches
data sheet and the Juniper Networks MX Series Ethernet Services Routing Platforms data sheet.
Consolidating the Aggregation Layer and the Core Layer
Based on port density, aggregation throughput, and oversubscription requirements the aggregation layer may
be collapsed into the core. When determining whether to collapse the aggregation layer, the throughput and port
density of available 10 GbE connections should be considered. It’s also important to consider future growth. In some
instances, capacity may be exceeded in the near future and thus dictate that it might be simpler not to collapse
layers as adding a layer later on can be time consuming and disruptive to LAN operations and uptime.