Software Architecture
Just as with the Juniper hardware, as discussed in Chapter 2, the software operating on Juniper Networks routing equipment has been specifically designed for stability and resiliency. Starting from a known stable base, JUNOS software has been designed and coded to provide maximum stability. It also incorporates features to mitigate errors that might lead to reduced uptime.
Stable Foundations
Just as the routing engine (RE) of the Juniper Networks routers is built upon proven and standard technologies, it was consistent for Juniper Networks to build its JUNOS operating system on a stable and proven software product. Instead of reinventing code and building a proprietary operating system from scratch, Juniper adopted the Berkeley Software Distribution, better known as BSD, as its foundation. The choice of BSD as the operating systems of the Juniper network equipment was logical because of its long history of stability. It is a Unix version from the University of California, Berkeley, and based on the sixth-edition Unix code released by AT&T in 1975. The BSD world has also prided itself on the early adoption and stabilization of networking protocols for IP. Its stability in networking has allowed it to become ubiquitous in hosting and service providers, as well as in academic and research settings. The licensing and documentation of the BSD software also lends itself to companies wishing to build software on a strong, stable base.
Modular Design
Like most modern operating ...
Get JUNOS High Availability now with the O’Reilly learning platform.
O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.
