2/26/2008 -- Cisco archrival Juniper Networks last week announced its Juniper Control System 1200 (JCS 1200), a new carrier switching system that consolidates network functions and promises rapid expansion of services.

Here's the catch: Juniper's new JCS 1200 is based on a new architecture that uses separate router/switch forwarding and control planes. For this reason, analysts are bullish on Juniper's new deliverable, which they say amounts to a significant departure from the carrier Ethernet status quo.

"It takes a bold step from traditional router implementations to address continuing service provider requirements including the need to provide massive scaling of services, faster time to service, increased network control and operational efficiency," wrote Glen Hunt, a principal analyst for carrier infrastructure with consultancy Current Analysis.

Separation of this kind isn't exactly a new idea, Hunt conceded, but Juniper's implementation takes it to a new extreme.

"Although separation of the router/switch forwarding and control planes has been widely touted over the past decade as a means to achieve higher reliability and scale within edge and core routers, the JCS 1200 takes this a step forward by establishing a physically separate control plane server that is capable of scaling independently from the actual routers that it controls," Hunt said.

The JCS 1200 leverages JUNOS, which runs on all of Juniper's carrier-grade platforms (i.e., its T-, M-, and MX-series systems). It will be available first for Juniper's T-series routers, but will also be applicable to the M- and MX-series over time. Hunt thinks it could prove to be an enormously disruptive deliverable.

"High on the service provider routing and switching market segments, because the JCS 1200 offers the promise of simplification while addressing the issues of scalability, error containment, service agility and faster time to market for new services. This is possible due to administrative and forwarding plane isolation, which reduces the complexity involved in new service testing and rollout," Hunt said. "In addition, the JCS 1200 in conjunction with the T-series offers significant reductions in energy consumption and footprint when compared to standalone routers. This can be a significant positive, as service providers are continually pressed to control the energy costs associated with their networks."

It's in this last respect that Juniper even has an edge over Cisco and its brawny CRS-1 routing system; in other respects, however, the two systems compare favorably.

"The JCS 1200 supports 1:1 Route processor redundancy, while main competitor Cisco supports N: M route processor redundancy within its multi-shelf CRS-1 solution," Hunt said. "The CRS-1 also provides very high scalability, footprint not withstanding, with its multi-chassis CRS-1 configuration. Theoretically up to 72 equipment cabinets can be configured as one router with many service partitions. The combination of the JCS 1200 and the T1600, however, offers greater per rack performance than the CRS-1." --Stephen Swoyer