Understanding Junos Fusion Enterprise
For enterprise networks, Junos Fusion Enterprise provides automated network configuration and simplifies scalability for medium to large enterprise networks with the Juniper Networks EX9200 line of Ethernet switches, EX4300, EX2300, and EX3400 switches. Junos Fusion Enterprise technology can be deployed across a building, or multiple buildings, to connect large numbers of devices in a fabric that can be managed as a single device.
Figure 1 displays a typical Junos Fusion Enterprise topology.
In Junos Fusion Enterprise deployments, satellite devices do not need to be individually connected to aggregation devices. Up to 10 satellite devices can be interconnected through standard 10-Gigabit Ethernet or 40-Gigabit Ethernet interfaces to form a satellite cluster (as shown in Figure 1), which in turn can be connected to the aggregation devices over a pair of fiber uplink ports.
Figure 1 displays a multihome Junos Fusion Enterprise topology with two aggregation devices—Aggregation device 1 and Aggregation device 2.
Connections—Aggregation device 1 is connected to Satellite device 1 and a satellite device in the satellite cluster. Satellite device 1 is connected to hosts 1 through 4. Aggregation device 2 is connected to Satellite device 1 and a satellite cluster comprising four satellite devices connected in a ring topology. In a satellite cluster, it is not necessary that all satellite devices are directly connected to an aggregation device. In this topology, we have two satellite devices in the cluster that are directly connected to Aggregation device 2 and one satellite device that is directly connected to Aggregation device 1. The satellite devices, in turn, are connected to each other using cluster ports—cluster port 1 (ClsP1) and cluster port 2 (ClsP2) of each device connects to similar ports on the neighboring satellite devices. One of the satellite device is connected to Aggregation Device 1 through uplink port UP5. The satellite devices in the cluster are connected to hosts 5 through 11.
Port Usage—Both the aggregation devices are connected using ICL and ICCP ports on both ends. ICL ports are used to forward data traffic, whereas ICCP ports are used to exchange control information. You can also choose to use a single link for both ICL and ICCP traffic.Aggregation devices use cascade ports (CP1, CP2, CP3, CP4, and CP5) to connect to the satellite devices.Satellite device 1 uses uplink port UP1 to connect to the Aggregation Device 1 and UP4 to connect to Aggregation device 2. The satellite cluster uses uplink ports UP2 and UP3 to connect to Aggregation device 2 and UP5 to connect to Aggregation device 1. The satellite devices in the cluster are connected to each other using cluster ports ClsP1 and ClsP2. The satellite devices use extended ports (EP1 through EP11) to connect to the hosts.
To set up a Junos Fusion Enterprise similar to the topology shown in Figure 1 using Network Director, you must perform the following tasks:
Create a configuration template. While creating the template, you specify that this is a Junos Fusion for a multihome enterprise fabric; plan the chassis for the aggregation device; identify the ICL, ICCP, and cascade ports on the aggregation device and the cluster ports on the satellite devices.
Apply the template to a Junos Fusion fabric. The device to which you apply the template should:
Support Junos Fusion. For the list of supported devices see, Juniper Networks Devices Supported by Junos Space Network Management Platform.
Have pre-configured with Multichassis Link Aggregation Groups (MC-LAGs) configuration (as MAC-LAG provides multihome support) and should be managed by Network Director.
Have the required DMI schema uploaded. For the list of supported DMI schema, see Uploading DMI Schemas
You can apply the template to a device that is already managed by Network Director or to a new unmanaged device, to make the device the aggregation device for the fusion fabric. When you apply the configuration template to one or more unmanaged devices, you specify the software image that must be installed on the aggregation devices and the Zero Touch Provisioning details for the aggregation devices. Whereas, when you apply the template to a managed device (device that is already managed by Network Director), you select the device that you want to convert to an aggregation device in your fusion fabric and manually refresh the device topology. To refresh the topology, navigate to Topology View and click Refresh Topology under the Tasks menu. Network Director converts the device to a fusion fabric aggregation device and deploys all the necessary configurations on the device.
After the template is applied successfully to a Junos Fusion fabric, there are quite a few tasks that Network Director performs internally that makes building your Junos Fusion fabric simple and error-free. Network Director converts the device that you specified in the Apply Template workflow to an aggregation device and applies the port settings on the various ports that you specified in the configuration template. When an EX4300 device is connected to one of the configured cascade ports, a link up event is triggered. The link up event initiates a syslog message to Network Director and Network Director initiates a topology refresh job. Network Director then installs the appropriate satellite software on the satellite device and performs the necessary configurations. If a second satellite device is connected to the first satellite device to form a satellite cluster, or another satellite device is connected to the aggregation device, another link up event is triggered and the same steps are repeated. This process continues for all additional satellite devices that are connected to the aggregation device.
Network Director lists the fusion fabric in the Manage Fusion Fabrics page. You can see the details and status of the fabric in the Manage Fusion Fabrics page. You can also edit the fusion fabric, download the cabling plan, and view the fabric connectivity using the Manage Fusion Fabrics page.