Juniper Networks introduced its MX960 Ethernet Service Router for Carrier Ethernet services. The new platform features up to 960 Gbps of routing and switching capacity in a single chassis and offers up to twelve 40 Gbps slots. The platform is powered by Juniper's I-chip next-generation processor, which was first introduced on the M120. Key features include fully redundant hardware, separate data and control plane, graceful restart, MPLS traffic engineering fast reroute, and multi-homing VPLS capabilities. 
Along with the MX960, Juniper is introducing Dense Port Concentrators (DPC) cards that combine high port density with a distributed architecture and on-board processing. This ensures that performance scales with the addition of interfaces. QoS is delivered at the interface level, enabling providers to offer a variety of Layer 2 and Layer 3 services, such as VLAN/transparent LAN, L2/L3 VPNs, voice over IP and video over IP--over Ethernet, with the ability to provide guaranteed SLAs.
A fully-loaded MX960 provides up to 480 Gigabit Ethernet ports or 48 ports of 10 Gigabit Ethernet per system.
Other features include line-rate unicast and multicast capabilities to enable efficient video distribution, as well as MPLS and VPLS control plane features.
The new MX960 also uses the JUNOS operating system.
The MX960 is expected to be available for deployment in the first quarter of 2007.
Separately, Juniper announced that Iometrix, an independent testing lab, has certified that the Juniper M- and T-Series routers are able to deliver Carrier Ethernet services based on the Metro Ethernet Forum (MEF) technical specifications MEF 9 and MEF 14 for scalability and Quality of Service (QoS).
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- In July 2006, Juniper Networks introduced its next-generation, mid-range, 10 Gigabit-enabled multiservice edge router based on a new "I-chip" ASIC that was developed in-house. The M120 utilizes the same JUNOS software as the company's existing product line. The I-chip provides support for up to 100,000 logical interfaces on a single platform; accommodates growth of the Internet routing table; and adds enhanced, application-specific QOS for delay sensitive traffic such as voice and multiplay networks. The new silicon also delivers improved multicast performance to better support IPTV.
