Supported Platforms
Comparing Junos OS Device Virtualization Technologies
The Junos OS supports multiple device virtualization technologies. The technologies have similar names, which can lead to confusion.
The Junos OS device virtualization technologies are:
- Logical systems—Offer routing and management separation.
Management separation means multiple user access. Each logical system
has its own routing tables.
Logical routers is the old name for logical systems. Beginning with Junos OS Release 9.3, the logical router feature has been renamed logical system. All configuration statements, operational commands, show command output, error messages, log messages, and SNMP MIB objects that contain the string logical-router have been changed to logical-system.
- Virtual routers—Offer scalable routing separation. A virtual router does not have the same capabilities as a logical system. A virtual router is a type of simplified routing instance that has a single routing table. By contrast, a logical system is a partition of the main routing device and can contain multiple routing instances.
- Virtual routers—Offer separate routing tables and
scalable routing separation. Virtual routers are similar to VPN routing
and forwarding instance types except that they are used for non-VPN-related
applications. Virtual routers typically consist of the routing tables,
the interfaces assigned to the routing tables, routing protocol configurations,
and routing option configurations. There are no virtual routing and
forwarding (VRF) import, VRF export, VRF target, or route distinguisher
requirements for the virtual router instance-type.
You can use virtual router routing instance types on a single device to segment your network, for example, as opposed to configuring multiple devices to achieve the same result. Virtual router instances can isolate traffic by separating the device into multiple, independent virtual routers, each with its own routing table.
- VRF-Lite—Offers routing separation. The functionality of VRF-Lite is similar to virtual routers, but VRF-Lite is for smaller environments.
- Virtual switches—Offer scalable switching separation.
Table 1 summarizes the benefits of virtual routers, VRF-Lite, and logical systems.
Table 1: Benefits of Virtual Routers, VRF-Lite, and Logical Systems
Benefits | Virtual Router | VRF-Lite | Logical Systems |
|---|---|---|---|
Logical platform partitioning | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Fault isolation on the routing plane | No | No | Yes |
Multiple user access (management separation) | No | No | Yes |
Scalable routing separation | Yes | No | Yes |
