Tuesday, November 3, 2015

Juniper Pursues Hardware/Software Disaggregation

Juniper Networks is advancing its commitment to open networking through disaggregation of Junos software.  This will enable deployment of third-party network services or applications directly on Juniper hardware platforms as well as have the option to program directly to Juniper systems using the supported Open Compute Project (OCP) defined software model.

At its inaugural NXTWORK 2015 Summit in Santa Clara, California, the company is also unveiling its QFX5200 series of access switches.  These will be the first platform to run the disaggregated Junos as well as the emerging 25 and 50 Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) standard. The switches are based on Broadcom's Tomahawk silicon.

Juniper said the significance of the announcement is that customers gain flexibility in purchasing hardware separately from software with a pay-for-what-you-need software-licensing model.

“Our customers are consistently challenged to accelerate the pace of network infrastructure deployments to match the speed of business requirements. As a result, the purpose of the network has fundamentally changed; it’s all about choice to enable people to connect with speed, agility and reliability. Our new software infrastructure for Junos and the QFX5200 series, along with our technology integration in leading converged stacks, illustrate how Juniper’s data center solutions deliver the automation, programmability and openness required to solve our customers’ most pressing network challenges and eradicate lock-in,” stated Jonathan Davidson, executive vice president and general manager, Juniper Development and Innovation, Juniper Networks.

Some highlights:

Disaggregated Junos Software 

  • Develop and install third-party applications directly on supported Juniper switching systems with the disaggregated Junos software as well as run the disaggregated Junos software on Open Network Install Environment (ONIE) compliant third-party switches.
  • Using an open platform approach, Juniper provides open access to Linux so customers can freely orchestrate third-party applications using Openstack, Apache, Netconf or other tools. This new level of network services modularity enables easy integration with customer applications, SDN controllers and orchestration tools.
  • Support for MPLS, BGP, EVPN-VXLAN and a robust L2/L3 feature set.
  • A new pricing model for the QFX5200 will allow customers to purchase Junos and the QFX5200 hardware platform together or separately.

QFX5200 Switches 

  • Next-generation QFX5200 access switches with multi-speed capability from 10G to 100GbE enable customers to migrate to higher port speeds and support 25G/50GbE without costly upgrades. With 25GbE, customers get 2.5 times the performance over existing cabling infrastructure.
  • QFX5200 switches support the disaggregated version of Junos, combining high-performance switching with the flexibility, power and functionality of a quad-core server CPU.
  • Managed through Junos Space Network Director, customers can control the entire enterprise network through a single pane of glass. Additionally, with support of VMware vRealize 

http://www.juniper.net
http://www.juniper.net