Juniper to Unveil Programmable Core Switch for Software-Defined Networking

Network World — Juniper Networks is readying a new programmable core switch to address software-defined networking in campuses and data centers.

Sources say it is called the EX9200 and is based on the MX router. It comes in three configurations: 4-slot, 8-slot and 14-slot chassis, the same form factors as the company's successful MX 240, 480 and 960 routers for enterprises and service providers.

An overview of it can be found here. Juniper confirmed it will be unveiling a "new, advanced switch" and offered an embargoed briefing, but Network World declined.

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The EX9200 is based on custom silicon -- the Juniper One programmable ASIC. The MX 240, 480 and 960 are based on Juniper's I-Chip and Trio chipsets. The EX9200 will support 240G/slot, and 40xGigabit Ethernet, 32x10G, 4x40G and 2x100G interface line cards.

Programmability features, in addition to the Juniper One ASIC, include an XML- and Netconf-accessible automation toolkit, and Puppet, Python and OpenFlow interfaces. Puppet is an open-source operations management software system; Python is a programming language; and OpenFlow is a popular controller-to-switch protocol and API for SDNs.

SDNs are a way to make network more programmable through software so that they can be reconfigured quickly and functionally extended more easily.

The EX9200 will also support plug-ins to orchestration systems from VMware and OpenStack.

The One ASIC will support VXLAN and NVGRE network virtualization, and MPLS-over-IP as programmable features. Juniper will program the ASIC itself initially but then plans to allow third-parties to eventually program in some features.

The EX9200 will support 1 million MAC addresses, 256k routes, 32,000 VLANs and 256k ACLs. It will support Layer 2/3 switching, MPLS, VPLS, L3VPN, point-to-multipoint, and 50 msec convergence using MPLS Fast Re-Route.

Sources say it will perform two-node Virtual Chassis, where two switches can be linked to form one logical switch, essentially creating a fabric. The EX8200 can be configured into a four-switch Virtual Chassis.

That the EX9200 is based on the MX router -- not the current EX platform -- and uses custom silicon before QFabric is indicative of the challenges Juniper is facing in enterprise and data center switching. The EX8200 has not had a major line card or switch fabric refresh since it was announced in 2008. And QFabric is based on merchant silicon -- Broadcom's Trident chipset -- after custom silicon reportedly failed to work and Juniper was pressed to get a much-hyped, much-anticipated product to market.

In last year's 500-employee, 5% staff reduction, speculation had it that Juniper cut loose many employees working on QFabric. Juniper said those reports were "inaccurate."

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