JUNOS® FOR DUMMIES®

Chapter 2. Operating Your Network with JUNOS Software

When is the last time on the job that you had an hour of uninterrupted time to focus on one task? Can't remember? How about when you had an uninterrupted 30 minutes, or even 15? If you run a network, constant interruptions and multitasking are far more common than quiet spans for engrossed accomplishment.

This chapter looks at the operations features that can help you proactively run your network. You won't find some of these tools in many other network operating systems, so they may be new to you. If you want to know how JUNOS software can help you in easing the time, effort, and stress of running your network, this chapter is for you.

Introducing the Command-Line Interface

The command-line interface (CLI) is the starting point to many operational tasks. The CLI of JUNOS software is an intuitive, text-based command shell. If you've used a UNIX-based host system, you'll see many similarities.

Most users find the JUNOS software CLI fairly straightforward to pick up. Within a few minutes of looking around the interface, they begin to find some of the advanced tools that the Juniper engineers have provided for making configuration, monitoring, and management easier. Among the many features of the CLI is a structured command hierarchy, extensive fail-safe mechanisms that help to catch any configuration mistakes and errors, automation tools for speeding (and delivering accuracy to) your daily operations tasks, and comprehensive online ...