Juniper Switches

I like Juniper switches for their reliability, stability and high performance in enterprise and data center networks. Junos OS provides a consistent, intuitive, and scriptable platform, making management easier. They offer advanced routing, switching and security features supporting automation and scalability and come with strong technical support ensuring smooth and efficient network operations.

Junos configuration architecture is easy to read and automate changes.

- The Junos command line is a standout feature for me - this spans across their whole platform which makes the switching configuration easy to understand for engineers with familiarity with Junos configuration. - Licensing is straightforward and easy to understand. Features that require a specific license can still be enabled and used if the license is unavailable and notifies of the required license, which helps with deployment and service stability. - As with other Juniper products, the hardware platform is stable and resilient, enabling a high level of uptime.

Juniper switches can be challenging for beginners due to the steep learning curve of Junos OS. They have higher upfront costs and advanced configurations that can be complex. Firmware updates require careful planning and there are fewer third-party resources compared to competitors which can make troubleshooting and community support limited.

Hardware issues specifically the POE controller. Integration in a multivendor environment was difficult. Splitting the VOIP config away from the interface config was difficult to adjust to.

- I have experienced issues with OS corruption when the switches lose power. This isn't an issue in a datacentre environment with highly available power feeds but can be a consideration if this is not the case e.g. office environments. - The Junos command line can be a learning curve for engineers with no experience. - The web based configuration is not very intuitive meaning the CLI has to be used for configuration.