Juniper EX Series Ethernet Switches Reviews

I'm a network architect and user of this solution.

Provides a high level of network functionality through the front rail which is a great feature; it reduces our need for manpower and reduces the cost of cloud integration with ML2 plugins via SDN. They plan to implement additional cost-effective functionalities. It's an advanced solution. 

The packet channelizing feature is the main function that should be improved. Juniper is currently desegregated. I'd like to see a combined hub-and-spoke kind of functionality where the job is done through the configuration. 

I've been using this solution for two years. 

The stability is good. We're based in India with a population of 1.6 billion. Four or five states carry the workload and account for 20-30 million telco users. 

The solution is very easy to scale, it's a plug-in-place. 

The technical support responds promptly and we found that they put in the effort to resolve our issues.

The initial setup was complex. The deployment was carried out by a telecom provider on their data center, it's a telco cloud. Our support is 24/7 and we require two or three people for upkeep.

I rate this solution eight out of 10.

We are using this solution as the current network infrastructure in the company.

The most valuable feature is switching on our network.

Wireless and monitoring definitely could be improved. 

I would like to see better monitoring in the next release.

I have been using Juniper Ethernet Switches for five years.

The stability is very good.

The scalability is okay, it could be better. The configuration could be easier, and more simple.

We have approximately 500 users. All of the departments are on a campus-style network with shared buildings and one compound. All of them are interconnected with fiber and have users in multiple buildings. There are approximately 12 buildings.

When we are trying to troubleshoot, we will find the support-type documentation.

We haven't had any issues where we couldn't find the documentation.

Previously, we were using another solution that was not able to provide a certain aspect in terms of LAN security. That is the reason why we switched to Juniper.

We had another contender, Meraki, which is another Cisco product. In terms of management, monitoring seems better than Juniper.

The initial setup was complex.

It's was $100,000 per year.

There are no additional costs other than the licensing fee.

We were evaluating Cisco, HPE, and Juniper. The cost was a big factor in our decision to go with Juniper.

We will be doing an upgrade internally, so we are a bit undecided on whether or not we will continue using this product, or a new solution altogether. 

We are evaluating the price and system functionality.

It's not for the average user, you have to be more technical in order to use it. There are other solutions that are better, with a GUI and easier to use.

If you are comfortable with a pure command line or if you are looking for something simpler where the entire thing could look up the monitoring, support, and cost, I think there are other brands with more features.

I would rate Juniper Ethernet Switches a seven out of ten.

I like the VLAN capabilities, and the Junos interface is easy to use. 

EX switches take too long to boot when we restart them for maintenance. We need to minimize downtime. Another issue is the command line interface. Juniper's commands are different from other switches, so it's hard to remember them. 

We have used EX switches for about two or three years. 

I rate EX switches eight out of 10 for stability. 

I rate EX switches seven out of 10 for scalability. Sometimes the Junos OS hangs, and we need to restart the switch. It takes a long time to reboot after that. 

I rate Juniper support eight out of 10. 

Positive

We also deploy Cisco and Aruba switches. Our technical manager makes the decision depending on the price and the organization's needs. 

I rate EX switches seven out of 10 for ease of setup. Deploying the hardware takes about 15 to 20 minutes, but it takes one or two hours to configure the switches. 

I rate EX switches six out of 10 for affordability. Juniper is more expensive than Aruba but cheaper than Cisco. 

I rate Juniper EX Series Ethernet Switches eight out of 10. 

We use Juniper Ethernet switches for managing resources in our network.

The most valuable feature is the Spanning Tree Protocol (STP).

The configuration could be made simpler.

I have been using Juniper Ethernet switches for three years.

This is a stable solution and we use it on a daily basis.

There are five people in my team who use the Juniper switches.

We have not been in direct contact with technical support from Juniper because we deal with a vendor in Indonesia. If we have problems that they are unable to solve then the request will be forwarded to the Juniper Technical Center.

I also have experience with Cisco Ethernet switches. I find that Cisco is simpler to work with but Juniper has a steadier configuration. We have more Juniper switches in the company.

The initial setup is simple, although there is some difference between different versions. The configuration is similar to Linux, so it was simple for me because I have Linux skills. The deployment will take between one and two hours.

We currently have an EX 2200 but we want to upgrade to an EX 4300.

Overall, this is a good product and I recommend it. It has been working fine, for us.

I would rate this solution a nine out of ten.

We are solution providers. We offer many solutions to customers and the Juniper Ethernet Switches are part of our offering.

For switching, it's stable compared to others. 

The switching capacity is very high, and the virtual Chassis feature for stacking is good in general, with high bandwidth for the link, which is also good.

Recently, they are offering cloud-ready switches for the same series. When you have decided to go for the cloud, there are switches that are ready for that.

The management platforms for the network need improvement.

The pricing for support needs to be reduced, and the lead time for the switches should be lower.

They may already be working on this but I would like to see improvements with visibility, analysis of the traffic, and similar features. When you compare with other manufacturers, they have to work in these areas more.

I have been using these switches since 2014, it's been for six years.

We offer the latest technology but sometimes from three to five years, and we are offering refreshment, and whatever has been announced by the industry.

These switches are stable.

It is easy to scale. They have a stacking feature so you can scale up, for certain series, up to 12 switches per rack. Also, in terms of distribution or core switches, they have modular devices so they can add cards and modules to scale up.

I have not contacted technical support directly. We have a different team who handle the technical requirements.

Because we are solution providers, we use many different versions.

The initial setup is somewhat straightforward.

The time it takes for deployment depends on the site by the situation, the customer requirements, and the size of the network. Normally, it doesn't take very long.

When you compare with others, it's almost the same thing.

The pricing for the support is very high.

I would recommend these switches, but what I would also highly recommend along with this new trend or new experience is to at least get training for Juniper configuration, at least the basics.

Training will help you be more familiar with it. You will at least have the basics in case of maintenance or troubleshooting.

Juniper has good documentation for its ethernet switches.

I would rate Juniper switches a seven out of ten.

Whether a feature is valuable really depends on what you need. The features you enable depends on the requirement. Juniper switches are very good with MPLS. I haven't tried EVPN on them. They've got Virtual Chassis Fabric, which seems okay.

The Virtual Chassis Fabric is kind of complicated to troubleshoot sometimes. On the MPLS side, they're good — they're fine for the pseudo-wires and stuff—but they need more work on the LAN. It is difficult to troubleshoot their LAN technologies like Virtual Chassis.

 I'm not sure whether EVPN-VXLAN DCI is supported today on these switches. If it's not, then that's something Juniper could add. They support EVPN, but I'm still not sure about the DCI part. I probably need to understand how that is implemented to figure out if it's supported. 

I've used Juniper Ethernet Switches for about six years.

I think Juniper support is good. They're responsive, so I can't really complain.

I believe Juniper is a lot cheaper than Cisco. Their price isn't that high if I recall correctly. I believe it's reasonable compared to Cisco, so I think they are good on the price end.

I rate Juniper Ethernet Switches Seven out of 10.

Juniper Ethernet Switches' most valuable feature is the Juniper-Mist cloud, which facilitates management of the switches and access points.

I've been using Juniper Ethernet Switches for a year.

I would rate Juniper Ethernet Switches' stability eight out of ten.

Juniper Ethernet Switches are designed to be scalable and flexible.

Juniper Ethernet Switches' tech support is hard to reach and slow.

The initial setup is quite straightforward. You can configure and manage the process locally, which means you can access the CLA if you know the commands or use the GUI. Basic deployment takes around twenty minutes, while local configuration takes thirty minutes to an hour.

Juniper Ethernet Switches are cheaper than Cisco or HP. Licensing is available on a yearly basis, and there are extra costs for support.

I would only recommend Juniper Ethernet Switches for those customers who don't have the budget for Cisco or HP. I would give Juniper Ethernet Switches a rating of seven out of ten.