juniper junos node unifier for the mx series

White Paper

Copyright © 2012, Juniper Networks, Inc. 1

JuNos Node uNIfIer Centralized Management, Provisioning, and single Touch deployment of services Across several Thousand 1Gbe/10Gbe Ports

2 Copyright © 2012, Juniper Networks, Inc.

White Paper - Junos Node Unifier

Table of Contentsexecutive summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

JNu solution details . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

Key Components of the JNu solution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

unified Control and Management Planes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

flexible deployment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Intelligent Network elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Why Choose JNu over the Competition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

use Cases. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

service Provider edge—fiber to the Home . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Mobile Backhaul solution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

About Juniper Networks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

List of Figuresfigure 1: Junos Node unifier key components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

figure 2: JNu solution key features and topologies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

figure 3: service provider edge fTTH use case . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

figure 4: Mobile backhaul solution use case . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7



Executive Summaryservice provider networks are constantly growing and evolving in order to provide a rich end user experience. ethernet-

based services are increasing linearly as users expect to enjoy high bandwidths and constant access to video, voice,

and broadband applications. In order to meet the needs of end customers, service providers have complex networks

consisting of several thousands of 1Gbe/10Gbe ports distributed across several sites that need to be provisioned,

configured, and managed separately. And, supporting thousands of 1Gbe/10Gbe ports in the access and aggregation

layer often means understanding and maintaining complex platforms independently, which results in a tremendous

increase in operating cost and time to deploy new services.

Juniper Networks understands the challenges faced by today’s service providers and has devised a flexible model

called the Junos® Node unifier (JNu) that allows centralized management, provisioning, and single touch deployment

of services across several thousand 1Gbe/10Gbe ports. This document describes the Junos Node unifier solution and

highlights key benefits to service providers.

IntroductionMost factors contributing to the complexity of service provider networks revolve around the need to provision and

manage separate physical platforms. In fact, the majority of the service provider’s opex cost results from the necessity

to have the technical support infrastructure required to maintain and deploy services in a distributed network. Case

studies show that eliminating the need to manage individual devices separately can reduce the service provider’s opex

by 70%.

The Junos Node unifier (JNu) solution is Juniper’s vision to simplify today’s networks. JNu consists of a hub and

satellite devices, where the satellites can be configured, provisioned, and managed from the hub device, giving a single

unified node experience to network operators.

The JNu solution allows service providers to:

• Provision, configure, and perform operations on different physical devices from a single point, thereby shielding the

network operators from the physical device differences

• use a single touchpoint to create services, thereby reducing the service deployment times and the time to revenue

• Grow the network as needed by plugging in more satellite devices to the controlling Juniper Networks® MX series 3d

universal edge routers, as well as providing flexible deployment options

• reduce opex by simplifying the network to have only one management plane, thereby eliminating the need to create a

constraint-based network

Along with simplifying the network JNu gives service providers investment protection by providing an option to convert

existing standalone Juniper devices to operate in JNu mode.

JNU Solution DetailsJuniper Node unifier (JNu) is a cluster of distinct network elements that can be managed as a single entity, thereby

eliminating the need to manage, provision, and configure network elements separately.

JNu consists of hub and satellite components, where several satellites can be configured, managed, and provisioned

from a single hub device.



Key Components of the JNU SolutionThe JNu solution consists of hub and satellite devices as shown in figure 1 below.

Figure 1: Junos Node Unifier key components

Hub platform:

• MX series platforms with the Juniper Trio chipset, which is known for density, scale, and rich feature sets

satellite platform:

• Juniper Networks QfX3500 switch, the optimum platform for 10Gbe fiber deployments

• Juniper Networks eX4200 ethernet switch, the optimum platform for 1Gbe copper or fiber deployments with a rich

feature set that includes Virtual Chassis support

• Juniper Networks eX3300 ethernet switch, the optimum platform for 1Gbe copper deployments

• Juniper Networks ACX series universal Access routers

following are the key features of the JNu solution:

Controller 1

MX Series

Satellite 1

Satellite 2

Satellite N

QFX3500, EX4200 . . .

Controller 2

MC-LAG

JNU 1 JNU 2

MX Series

Satellite 1

Satellite 2

Satellite N

QFX3500, EX4200 . . .



Figure 2: JNU solution key features and topologies

Unified Control and Management Planes• The hub provides a single management plane, thereby providing a single touchpoint to provision, configure, and maintain

N x 1000 ports across a distributed network.

• JNu is designed to work with different control plane options such as MPLs and VLAN tagging.

• JNu helps deliver a consistent user experience between deployment modes by hiding the platform differences from

operators.

Flexible Deployment • existing Juniper devices can be either used as standalone devices or can be grouped to operate in JNu mode.

• Any port on the controlling MX series can be operated in JNu mode. for example, Juniper Networks MX960 3d universal

edge router has 196 ports which can be connected to satellite devices to increase the density of the network as required

to provide up to 196 x N satellite ports.

• The JNu solution allows cabling flexibility by providing the option to use copper cable for satellites located at a shorter

distance and high-speed fiber cable for spanning larger distances.

Intelligent Network Elements • JNu enables the deployment of rich services on the satellite devices by maintaining their full individual device feature

set while in the cluster mode, including L2 switching on satellite for server port aggregation, and L3/MPLs routing on

satellites for business access and mobile backhaul.

MX Series

Satelliites

MX SeriesV Topology

Satelliites

I topology:Example: “port extender”, simple L2/L3cross connect mode CP1: VLAN tagging

Single Management PlaneJNU

V topology:Distributed L2/L3 mode

CP2: vNode, VLAN tagging

O topology:(Ring) CP3: MPLS

VirtualChassis

Servers dual attached to verticallyintegrated network stacks

Ring Topology

VirtualChassis



Why Choose JNUJNu provides considerable benefits when compared to other options. Here are the key differentiators for the Junos

Node unifier:

• Juniper standalone MX series routers, eX series switches, QfX3500 switches, and ACX series satellites can be converted

into JNu elements to provide investment protection.

• JNu supports local switching and east-west traffic between the satellites without forwarding the traffic to hub providing

more efficient traffic flow and better performance.

• JNu can support 1Gbe/10Gbe fiber/copper interface connect options offering a greater range of deployment options.

• A wide range of satellite topology options are available with JNu and it can also run as a standalone device.

Use Casesfollowing are two use cases that describe the way JNu works in more detail.

Service Provider Edge—Fiber to the Home

Figure 3: Service provider edge FTTH use case

A typical service provider edge fiber to the home (fTTH) use case is shown in figure 3. In a network without the JNu

solution, each network element has to be provisioned, configured, managed, and debugged separately. This proves to

be a huge operational expense and nightmare for service providers. With the JNu solution, a single management and

control plane is created on the MX series controller device. Many services can be managed and provisioned from a

single touchpoint on this controller, thus reducing the time to deploy new services significantly. Moreover, the devices

acting in satellite mode retain their rich layer 2/layer 3 features, class of service (Cos), filtering, and also MPLs on

the edge. Moreover, the solution uses standard protocol and allows packet replication and group membership, all of

which are highly desirable for video streaming applications. With the JNu solution, the nuances of the satellite devices

are hidden from the operator. A standard provisioning stanza is shared across the controller and the satellite devices,

which allows the network to grow seamlessly, with each additional satellite device acting as a plug-and-play device.

Controller:MX w/MPC-3D

EX Series: L2, L3capable satellites

MX80/40/10/5 services rich satellites



2000501-001-eN Nov 2012

Copyright 2012 Juniper Networks, Inc. All rights reserved. Juniper Networks, the Juniper Networks logo, Junos, Netscreen, and screenos are registered trademarks of Juniper Networks, Inc. in the united states and other countries. All other trademarks, service marks, registered marks, or registered service marks are the property of their respective owners. Juniper Networks assumes no responsibility for any inaccuracies in this document. Juniper Networks reserves the right to change, modify, transfer, or otherwise revise this publication without notice.

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Mobile Backhaul Solution

Figure 4: Mobile backhaul solution use case

figure 4 depicts a common mobile backhaul use case. With JNu, connecting each port of the MX series with the

satellite and enabling the port to run in JNu mode can increase port density. These devices can be configured,

managed, and provisioned from the controller. Moreover, the satellites also have a sophisticated feature set, which

allows them to perform technologies such as MPLs on the satellites.

ConclusionNetwork operators today spend significant time understanding individual device nuances and managing them separately.

Through Juniper’s JNu solution, network operators are able to configure, manage, debug, gather sNMP statistics, and

perform functions such as upgrade/downgrade of images on different physical systems from a single controlling hub

device. JNu is a solution that allows network operators to efficiently manage the network as one unified node.

As the market for ethernet services grows to satisfy consumer demand for more video, voice, and broadband

applications, service provider networks are becoming more and more complex. Junos Node unifier is a revolutionary

approach to simplifying service provider networks by converting complex architectures into simplified JNu nodes.

Juniper’s JNu solution also provides the ultimate flexibility to grow the network as required. At the same time, it

provides a single touchpoint to perform operations on different network elements. JNu is the answer to service

providers quest to manage distributed networks efficiently, enjoy significant savings in operational expenditures, and

better capitalize on evolving market trends.

About Juniper NetworksJuniper Networks is in the business of network innovation. from devices to data centers, from consumers to cloud

providers, Juniper Networks delivers the software, silicon and systems that transform the experience and economics

of networking. The company serves customers and partners worldwide. Additional information can be found at

www.juniper.net.

MX SeriesVirtual Chassis

ACX Series

http://www.juniper.net

juniper junos node unifier for the mx series

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