PTX10000 Modular Router

In order to address these challenges, network operators need a router that delivers scalability, flexibility, and reliability to the network. Juniper Networks^® PTX Series Routers takes high-performance networking to the next level, easily fitting into both cloud- and service-providers networks across core, peering, data center spice, data center edge, and infrastructure edge routing. (Figure 1).

The PTX Series Routers are powered by Juniper’s custom Express family ASICs, supporting 400GbE architectures and delivering predictable IP/MPLS packet performance and functionality, eliminating the complex packet profiles found in elaborate, over-engineered network processing units  deployed in other core routers.

The PTX Series Routers bring physical and virtual innovations to the cloud and service provider networks. These next-generation routers help network operators achieve their business goals while effectively handling current and future traffic demands through automation, optimization, and programmability.

The PTX Series Routers combines the best of Juniper’s Express ASICs with the reliability and familiarity of Junos® OS. The PTX Series Routers are comprised of feature-rich, 400G-optimized fixed and modular platforms.

The PTX10004 (4-slot), PTX10008 (8-slot), and PTX10016 (16-slot) modular routers utilize Juniper’s Express4 ASIC powered line cards to support deep buffers, flexible packet filtering, and bandwidth demanding core and peering architectures.

The PTX10004, PTX10008, and PTX10016 are cloud-optimized to support the transition and expansion of 400GbE networks. These high density routers are designed for today’s space- and power-constrained facilities, supporting 400GbE architectures with inline Media Access Control Security (MACsec) on all ports for uncompromised security.

PTX LC1201 and LC1202 line cards offer native SFP+ transceiver support through QSFP adapter, MAM1Q00A-QSA. This option enables deployments where 10GE connectivity over more than 10KM single mode fiber links is required.

These modular routers enable network operators to build core architectures that optimize label-switching router (LSR), Internet backbone, peering, and optical convergence applications.

As a result, operators can—for the first time—match traffic demands with enhanced core router performance and flexible deployments. With its ultra-optimized and compact form factor, the PTX10000 line is ideal for peering, collocation, and central office locations where space and power are at a premium.

Continuous innovations in silicon enable the PTX10000 modular routers to accommodate scale-up and scale-out architectures with smooth migration paths as traffic patterns change. Juniper’s custom Express silicon allows adaptive load balancing, data structure sharing, and better resource utilization, as well as supporting value-added resources for additional filtering flexibility—all while lowering cost per bit.

The PTX10004, PTX10008, and PTX10016 are powered by the highly scalable Juniper Express4 silicon, the industry’s first inline MACsec for 400GbE chip to support universal multirate QSFP56-DD. The Juniper Express4 silicon delivers consistently low latency, 8M counters, 256 Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) MACsec encryption supported on all ports, and wire-rate packet performance for IP traffic without sacrificing the optimized system power profile. Preserving the spirit of the Junos Express silicon family, Juniper Express4 silicon is the first purpose-built telecommunications silicon to incorporate a 3D memory architecture into the base design, offering the industry’s highest packet performance per gigabit in the fewest rack units. It also provides dynamic table memory allocation for massive IP routing scale while delivering tremendous power efficiency gains at 0.14 watts/gigabit.

The ability to address a provider’s core networking requirements— scale, operational flexibility, and SDN control— begins with the silicon. With the PTX10000 line, operators can now deploy a core architecture with full Juniper Paragon Automation suite.

The PTX10000 line of Packet Transport Routers features a number of key architectural elements. Dual redundant routing engines (REs) on the PTX10004, PTX10008, and PTX10016 run the Juniper Networks Junos operating system, where they manage all routing protocol processes, router interface control, and control plane functions such as chassis component, system management, and user access to the router. In addition, unique cryptographic digital identity has been added to the Trusted Platform Module (TPM 2.0), which is embedded in the latest generation of REs. This addition enables device attestation and enhances security. REs’ processes interact with the Packet Forwarding Engine (PFE) on the line cards via dedicated high- bandwidth management channels, providing a clean separation of the control and forwarding planes.

The PTX10004, PTX10008, and PTX10016 Express-based line cards currently support 10GbE, 25GbE, 40GbE, 100GbE, and 400GbE interfaces. The horizontal line cards in the front of the chassis connect directly to the vertical switch fabric cards in the rear of the chassis via orthogonal interconnects without requiring a midplane. This provides unparalleled investment protection by ensuring a smooth upgrade path to higher speed switch fabric cards as they become available. The midplane-less design improves airflow with a front-to-back design and enables limitless scale.

To maintain uninterrupted operation, the PTX10000 modular chassis fan trays cool the line cards and REs with redundant, variable-speed fans. In addition, the PTX10000 line power supplies  convert building power to the internal voltage required by the system. All PTX10000 line components are hot-swappable, and all central functions are available in redundant configurations, providing high operational availability by allowing continuous system operation during maintenance or repairs.

Key hardware components of the PTX10004, PTX10008, and PTX10016 modular routers include the switch fabrics, REs, and line cards.

The line cards also supports native MACsec without compromising throughput on any supported interface rate up to 400GbE, providing point-to-point security on Ethernet links. MACsec blocks security threats such as DoS, intrusion, man-in-the-middle, masquerading, passive wiretapping, and playback attacks while securing links for most traffic frames from the Link Layer Discovery Protocol (LLDP), Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP), Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP), Address Resolution Protocol (ARP), and others. All ports can support 400GbE ZR and ZR+ optics, making it ready for full packet/optical convergence without compromising density.

The PTX10004 has three power supply slots, the PTX10008 offers six power supply slots, and the PTX10016 has 10 power supply slots, providing complete flexibility for provisioning and redundancy. Each power supply has its own internal fan for cooling. The PTX10000 line supports both AC and DC power supplies; however, AC and DC supplies cannot be mixed in the same chassis. Two generations of power supplies exist: the first generation is designed to support Express2 line cards, while the second generation is designed to support both Express2 and Express4 line cards..

The first generation of AC power supplies on the PTX10000 line routers accept 200 to 240 volts alternating current (VAC) input, delivering 2700 watts of power to the chassis. The first generation of DC power supplies accept -40 to -72 volts direct current (VDC) input, delivering 2500 watts of power to the chassis. Each AC and DC power supply has two inputs for feed redundancy.

Second-generation AC power supplies (AC2) on the PTX10000 line routers are high-capacity, high-line models designed to support either AC or DC systems in either a low-power or high-power mode. The power supply takes AC input and provides DC output of 12.3 VDC, delivering 5000 watts with a single feed and 5500 watts with a dual feed. For AC systems, the operating input is 180 to 305 VAC; for DC systems, the operating input is190 to 410 VDC. Second-generation DC power supplies (DC2) provide two power supplies in a single housing that accepts either 60 A or 80 A using four redundant input power feeds.

The PTX10000 line supports front-to-back cooling with air drawn in through the perforations on the REs and the line cards in the front of the platform. The fan trays are in front of the fabric cards and are accessible from the rear of the chassis. Hot air exhausts through the rear of the chassis.

The PTX10000 line delivers powerful Junos OS chassis management that allows environmental monitoring and field-replaceable unit (FRU) control. Chassis management provides a faster primary switchover, enhanced power budgeting with a modular power management, reduced power consumption for partially populated systems, granular control over FRU power-on, adaptive cooling, and CPU leveling during monitoring intervals.

The PTX10000 line routers simplify management based on the elegance and simplicity of the Junos OS. Management applications can receive streaming telemetry data to provide robust protocol analytics for an SDN environment. Junos OS enables resilience by design, operational consistency, and the versatility needed to evolve your network.

The PTX10008 supports Juniper’s SONiC implementation, delivering best-of-breed hardware for cloud operators while taking advantage of the flexibility of SONiC’s open and disaggregated architecture. The SONiC-enabled PTX10008 plugs seamlessly into a unified SONiC network infrastructure, leveraging the existing PTX10008 hardware. The Juniper-provided SONiC image, installed on the hardware at the factory, includes the platform device drivers and Juniper’s Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL), including Juniper’s implementation of the Switch Abstraction Interface (SAI) for the Express4 ASIC and the line card PFE software.

As a modular and dense multi-PFE 400GbE/100GbE platform, the PTX10008 is perfectly suited for large spine layer applications in data center IP fabrics. Juniper complements the SONiC OS with the containerized Routing Protocol Daemon (cRPD), a full-function routing and management stack packaged as a container. This ensures a consistent end-to-end routing experience across different tiers in the data center. In addition, the cRPD enables high-performance telemetry, automation, and programmability in a lightweight deployment. For features available with SONiC, please refer to the SONiC deployment guide.

Juniper Networks is the leader in performance-enabling services that are designed to accelerate, extend, and optimize your high-performance network. Our services allow you to maximize operational efficiency while reducing costs and minimizing risk, achieving a faster time to value for your network. Juniper Networks ensures operational excellence by optimizing the network to maintain required levels of performance, reliability, and availability. For more details, please visit https://www.juniper.net/us/en/products.html.

For more information, please contact your Juniper Networks representative.