Item: Juniper EX Series Switches
Rating: 10
Author: Verified User

Overall Satisfaction with Juniper EX Series Switches

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

We use Juniper EX Series Switches for all switching needs. We use it for access layer switching, core network, and top of rack in the server room. We leverage PoE and MGig for access layer. We use fiber SFPs on the core. We have moved away from every desk having a hard line in exchange for a denser Wi-Fi coverage. The combined use of Juniper Wi-Fi and Juniper switching grants a whole lot of power to the Mist portal.

Pros and Cons

Pros

Switch Administration in Mist
Virtual Stacks
Config management

Cons

Config parity in CLI and Mist
Loud fan noise, especially at startup.
Better integration with ServiceNow

Return on Investment

Price of Juniper for the performance is much better than the other leading vendor.
I have had minimal problems which frees me to focus on other areas.
Mist is intuitive and comes with free training. My Junior network admins were able to get up to speed quickly.

Usability

The Mist portal is extremely easy to use. I only have a few issues with it. The configuration between Mist and the CLI is not uniform. If you push some command line configurations to the switch, they won't be mirrored in Mist. You need to use the CLI portion on the switch config page to push some CLI only configurations. If you want to remove those lines, you need remember to do the inverse of the config. You need to make sure your juniper admins understand this as well. Simply removing the line from the CLI text box of the Mist page does not remove the config line from the switch itself.

Alternatives Considered

Cisco Catalyst Switches and Arista Campus Switches

Juniper is much better than Cisco. Especially when it comes to price for performance. I can do the same thing with a Juniper switch and a Cisco switch at the same power-level. It cost much less to run the Juniper switch. I also have the Mist dashboard which provides incredible insight into my network.

Key Insights

Do you think Juniper EX Series Switches delivers good value for the price?

Yes

Are you happy with Juniper EX Series Switches's feature set?

Yes

Did Juniper EX Series Switches live up to sales and marketing promises?

Yes

Did implementation of Juniper EX Series Switches go as expected?

Yes

Would you buy Juniper EX Series Switches again?

Yes

Other Software Used

SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor (npm), Infoblox DDI (BloxOne), HPE Juniper Access Points

Likelihood to Recommend

Juniper EX Series Switches are great for all areas of the network. I use it for access layer, core, and top of rack. We are even buying some fanless EX4000s to use in mobile situations. If you have a switching need, an EX switch model has a solution. The only caveat to Juniper switches is, they are loud. If you keep them in a network closet then you'll have no problem. If they are in a cabinet by users, they may complain about the white noise.