What is our primary use case?
We are using this solution for traffic aggregation. We connect multiple services to virtual infrastructure, connecting customers and aggregating traffic to the core.
We have an on-premises deployment.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature is that the CLI is the same on all of the Juniper devices, including routers, switches, and firewalls.
What needs improvement?
The protocols can be tunneled, but on a global basis, not on an interface, and this is a feature that should be added.
I would like to see all of the features unified between platforms, families, and models. This would make it easier to upgrade later, without having to change the configuration.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using this solution for three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
We have not had any problems with these switches. They were stable when we put them into production and they are running things at the moment. We are doing a few things like aggregating the global balance between multiple lines, and we have had no issues so far.
We have a lot of traffic.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is pretty scalable using virtual traffic. We are not using that feature, but I know that it can scale. There are different models that scale in different ranges.
We have a handful of administrators that work on these units, in addition to our customer base.
How are customer service and technical support?
We have been in touch with Juniper technicians as well as with Juniper partners.
They are good. They know the product and they know what to propose. We didn't want too much in terms of advanced data center features, so we did not have any problems.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We have two other types of switches that we run in our data center. There are Cisco switches to handle a lower capacity, and we also have Extreme switches.
We purchased Extreme switches because we were given a good price at the time. However, it is a little bit harder to work with Extreme.
How was the initial setup?
With our experience from the past, we found the initial setup to be straightforward.
We connected the console, started the IT manager, then configured the VLANs and the ports.
If you want an advanced configuration then it can be more complex because it can run in different modes.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
There are different licenses available for these switches that are based on the features.
We purchased the box for a one-time charge, and we are paying a yearly support fee of several hundred Euros.
What other advice do I have?
There are many different types of switches in different categories. It is best to look, right from the beginning, at what features are needed. You do not want to pay for Enterprise licenses if you don't need those features.
Be sure to look at the right family in order to protect your investment in the future. For example, if you want to go from 1G to 10G to 25G, then they will need to buy a new product. Going from 10G to 25G can be done on the same machine if it is from the right family. The planning makes it easier to upgrade bandwidth in the future, protecting your investment.
This is a good product, but it is not extraordinary. It does the job.
I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.