Juniper QFX10000 Series

Chapter 3. Next-Generation Internet Exchange Architecture Case Study

The Juniper QFX10000 Series has pushed new data center architectures that were previously not possible. The amount of features, scale, and port density brings a lot more possibilities to the table when it comes to designing a data center. Designing a data center network in 2016 looks radically different from designing a data center merely a year ago. For example, Virtual Extensible LAN (VXLAN) has brought a lot more to the table than just virtual machine–to–virtual machine traffic flows. Juniper has used VXLAN in combination with Ethernet VPN (EVPN) to create a new network fabric that’s based on open protocols. Finally, Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) has brought new architectures to the data center, as well, such as segment routing.

Introduction

The intent of this chapter isn’t to go deep into any one specific technology or architecture. Instead, we will walk you through some new architectures and technologies that you can apply to an existing use case. There are many trade-offs when looking at different architectures, and sometimes it’s difficult to capture all of the requirements and caveats.

This chapter focuses on building a next-generation Internet Exchange (IX) network. Until now, network operators generally built a very large broadcast domain and plugged a bunch of routers into it. Depending on when you implemented the network, the technology used would vary. Some of the first IX networks were based ...