Junos Advantages over Cisco IOS

If you use Juniper router, then you must know what JUNOS is. JUNOS is Juniper Network Operating System. Or in other words, it's the operating system used for making the router functional. Cisco router also have this kind of operating system. Cisco calls it IOS, stands for Internetwork Operating System.

So in this article, I will try to show you all the benefits JUNOS has over IOS. While I won't make the detail comparison between JUNOS and IOS, I will try to explain JUNOS superiority over IOS.

First, JUNOS is modular. This means if there is any features want to be added, it can be added as packages. It also means that every processes in JUNOS have their own resources. This architecture guarantees system stability. Suppose one module process crash, then only service served by that module that cannot function, the system itself will keep running. On IOS, one service down means the router is crash...

Second, JUNOS is designed carefully as single train software. This means that for every Juniper routers or switches, etc utilizing JUNOS, the CLI syntaxes for every features will be the same. And Juniper has a very controlled timing of releasing JUNOS, that is quarterly. So each year you will have exactly 4 JUNOS release making updating JUNOS can be scheduled as mundane task, while IOS release date is unrealiable...

Third, JUNOS does not oblige you to buy license for advanced services such as IPv6, MPLS, IPSec, etc. In IOS, these features need their own licensing fees which will add to your CAPEX. JUNOS also does not have port licensing scheme. This means you can use all the features on every port you want as much as you want!

Fourth, JUNOS configuration change mechanism is executed by several procedures known as commit and rollback. The configuration can be load into the network device directly, but it won't function until commit command is executed. And for safety precaution, JUNOS provides commit confirmed command, so critical commands that has possibility of locking the network devices can be rollback automatically for certain period. IOS does not have these features. So bad configuration can make the network device unreachable and the only way to revive it is through console port on the network device itself!

Finally, JUNOS can reduce OPEX dramatically by reducing training fees for network engineer, reducing fault operation because of its platform stability, etc. JUNOS is one of the factors of making Juniper network devices, not only the router, glorious over Cisco for the recent years...

The other factors? They will be discussed in later post..Just be patient :)