DESIGN GUIDE Data Center LAN Connectivity Design Guide Design Considerations for the High-performance Enterprise Data Center LAN Copyright © 2009, Juniper Networks, Inc.
DESIGN GUIDE - Data Center LAN Connectivity Design Guide Table of Contents Executive Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
DESIGN GUIDE - Data Center LAN Connectivity Design Guide Quality of Service (QoS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Data Center Access Layer Design Recommendations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Scalable Configuration with Virtual Chassis Technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
DESIGN GUIDE - Data Center LAN Connectivity Design Guide Table of Figures Figure 1: The data center LAN in the enterprise network. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Figure 2: Data center LAN functional design model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
DESIGN GUIDE - Data Center LAN Connectivity Design Guide Executive Summary The data center LAN is a critical corporate asset, connecting servers, applications and storage services in the enterprise. This strategic tool supports vital day-to-day operations and is crucial for corporate success.
DESIGN GUIDE - Data Center LAN Connectivity Design Guide REMOTE SALES OFFICE VoIP PILOTS SSG Series HEADQUARTERS OFFICE LARGE REGIONAL OFFICE EX Series M Series IC Series EX Series EX Series J Series WX Series/ WXC Series ISG Series/ IDP Series SSG Series WX Series/ WXC Series J Series PRIVATE WAN MANUFACTURING PLANT SMALL REGIONAL OFFICE WX Series/ WXC Series J Series INTERNET SSG Series EX Series EX Series STANDALONE OFFICE RETAIL STORE SSG Series SSG Series M Series DATA CENTER S
DESIGN GUIDE - Data Center LAN Connectivity Design Guide Server Consolidation Gartner (2007) asserted that servers are growing at an annual rate of 11 percent and that storage is increasing at 22 percent, both causing tremendous strain on the data center’s power and cooling capacities. A 2007 Forrester report2 states that 51 percent of all firms consider server centralization a key priority.
DESIGN GUIDE - Data Center LAN Connectivity Design Guide requirements as Web-based applications use far more bandwidth than client-server applications. Virtualization is often used in SOA environments to increase the reliability of services and help scale capacity. SOA also broadens application access to internal and external users, raising security concerns. Additional security issues are raised as application services expose capabilities to other applications which require a different level of security.
DESIGN GUIDE - Data Center LAN Connectivity Design Guide Data Center Network Design Considerations A new data center LAN design is needed as legacy solutions cannot meet these key requirements, nor reduce costs and streamline operations. The LAN design must also scale and accommodate emerging computing trends and additional network services without an entire redesign. The new design should be architected in order to maximize efficiency gains from technologies like virtualization.
DESIGN GUIDE - Data Center LAN Connectivity Design Guide Network availability should be enabled by using combinations of redundant devices and path (for both external and internal connectivity) and critical device redundancy to ensure network operations and business continuity. Operational availability denotes a set of network operating system attributes that ensure simple and efficient operation of the data center network.
DESIGN GUIDE - Data Center LAN Connectivity Design Guide Policy and Control Policy-based networking is a powerful concept that enables efficient management of devices in the network, especially within virtualized configurations, and can be used to provide granular network access control. The policy and control capabilities should allow organizations to centralize policy management while at the same time offer distributed and even layered enforcement.
DESIGN GUIDE - Data Center LAN Connectivity Design Guide Juniper Networks delivers a proven IP infrastructure for the data center that meets these challenges, enabling the performance, scalability, flexibility, security and intelligence needed to not just meet but increase branch-office user productivity.
DESIGN GUIDE - Data Center LAN Connectivity Design Guide Data Center Architecture Overview Layered Approach Device Connectivity L ss ce Ac g – 10/100/1000B AS ayer ET ga re Layer – GbE LA tion G Fi b er Ag CAMPUS OR BRANCH The typical enterprise network is built upon multiple levels of switches deployed in three general layers: access, aggregation and LAN core.
DESIGN GUIDE - Data Center LAN Connectivity Design Guide A Network Revolution Typically over 50 percent of Ethernet switch ports are used for switch-to-switch connectivity in the data center.
DESIGN GUIDE - Data Center LAN Connectivity Design Guide Access Layer Design Considerations Application and Server Architectures Another way to look at the access requirements of the data center is via the common three-tier application model upon which a majority of Web-based applications are built. It defines application architectures in the following modular components: 1. Web 2. Application 3.
DESIGN GUIDE - Data Center LAN Connectivity Design Guide Server Virtualization Server virtualization capabilities such as those delivered by Microsoft Virtual Server or VMware Infrastructure are increasingly being deployed to increase the operational efficiency of server infrastructure and in turn lower power, cooling and space requirements. While delivering operational efficiency, the virtualized infrastructure places new demands on the access layer of the data center.
DESIGN GUIDE - Data Center LAN Connectivity Design Guide 1. Device-level HA Most device failures are due to power supply failures or mechanical cooling problems. It is important to always support business processes with high-performance, carrier-class network switching devices such as the Juniper Networks EX Series Ethernet Switches or MX Series Ethernet Services Routers.
DESIGN GUIDE - Data Center LAN Connectivity Design Guide (RSTP) was created to combat this, providing sub-second convergence but only on point-to-point links. The IEEE 802.1s Multiple Spanning Tree Protocol (MSTP) standard supports multiple instances of STP, but it also increases configuration complexity. Using Layer 2 versus Layer 3 at the Access Layer Access switches can be configured to use Layer 2 STP bridging protocols or Layer 3 routing protocols.
DESIGN GUIDE - Data Center LAN Connectivity Design Guide 1. Small Data Center LANs For small data centers with few devices and a simple topology, Juniper recommends using Layer 2 at the access layer. Such a LAN design has fewer devices to manage and eliminates the need for STP, increasing convergence response while reducing CAPEX and OPEX. 2.
DESIGN GUIDE - Data Center LAN Connectivity Design Guide Not only do these alternatives costs less than Fibre Channel, but they provide higher performance and are easier to manage. Additionally, separate QoS queues can be used to ensure critical data flows are prioritized appropriately. For example, a data base application should be prioritized over other less important data flows such as archived document data.
DESIGN GUIDE - Data Center LAN Connectivity Design Guide Each EX4200 line of switch supports optional front-panel uplink modules supporting either four GbE or two 10 GbE ports for high-speed connections to aggregation or core switches. These uplinks support online insertion and removal.
DESIGN GUIDE - Data Center LAN Connectivity Design Guide Taking full advantage of Virtual Chassis technology, a scalable top-of-rack deployment takes the minimum amount of space with small form-factor switches that scale with high-density wire-speed ports as needed, lowering heating and cooling costs while conserving space.
DESIGN GUIDE - Data Center LAN Connectivity Design Guide Not only does Juniper Networks lower capital and operational expense by collapsing layers and therefore reducing the number of devices in the network that need to be purchased and managed, but Virtual Chassis technology saves on valuable rack space, as well as recurring power and cooling costs.
DESIGN GUIDE - Data Center LAN Connectivity Design Guide Data Center Aggregation Layer The aggregation layer, sometimes referred to as the distribution layer, aggregates connections and traffic flows from multiple access layer switches to provide connectivity to the LAN core or WAN edge layer switches.
DESIGN GUIDE - Data Center LAN Connectivity Design Guide Aggregation Layer Design Considerations Due to their location in the network, aggregation-layer switches must provide scalable, high-performance, highdensity, wire-rate ports, and HA hardware and software features that deliver carrier-class reliability and robustness. The aggregation layer is also a location from which to deploy additional services, such threat containment.
DESIGN GUIDE - Data Center LAN Connectivity Design Guide 2. Scalable Performance a. EX8200 line To meet the aggregation demands of even the largest data center, the EX8200 line of Terabit-chassis switch delivers a powerful, high-density, high-performance solution. Capable of up to 3.2 Tbps throughput, the EX8200 modular Ethernet switches offer up to 64 (eight-slot chassis) or 128 (16-slot chassis) wire-speed 10 GbE ports.
DESIGN GUIDE - Data Center LAN Connectivity Design Guide Data Center Core Layer The core layer provides a fabric for high-speed packet switching between multiple aggregation devices or the access layer in a collapsed network. It serves as the gateway to where all other modules meet, such as the WAN Edge. The core typically requires 10 GbE interface for high level throughput, and maximum performance to meet oversubscription levels.
DESIGN GUIDE - Data Center LAN Connectivity Design Guide High Availability (HA) All core layer devices in the data center must provide a full complement of HA services to maintain critical uplink connectivity. The devices must be robust and offer fully redundant hardware. Core layer devices should be load balanced for optimal performance and also run OSPF or another open protocol for fail safe connectivity between layers.
DESIGN GUIDE - Data Center LAN Connectivity Design Guide Aggregation at the core also allows for more flexibility and easier support of virtualization but requires very high-speed processing and HA levels. One of the biggest advantages of this 2-layer design is a dramatic reduction of the number of devices which offers significant power savings, reduces the facilities footprint of the system, offers simplified device management, and allows tighter security control.
DESIGN GUIDE - Data Center LAN Connectivity Design Guide WAN Edge Integration WAN connectivity provides the vital link to centralized services and resources through which all campuses, remote branch offices, and end users connect.
DESIGN GUIDE - Data Center LAN Connectivity Design Guide WAN Edge Design Considerations The following WAN edge routing platform must offer sufficient high-speed Ethernet ports to provide connectivity between the WAN and the core or aggregation layer. It also must provide high-performance throughput to the Internet and WAN. Connectivity A WAN edge routing platform must offer sufficient high-speed Ethernet ports to provide connectivity between the WAN and the core or aggregation layer.
DESIGN GUIDE - Data Center LAN Connectivity Design Guide In addition to a command line interface (CLI), J-Web—built-in JUNOS Software—offers remote Web-based management of all M Series models. Built-in troubleshooting also minimizes network downtime and decreases operating expenses and revenue losses due to outages. The M Series consolidates multiple services into a single platform, providing the lowest possible CAPEX.
DESIGN GUIDE - Data Center LAN Connectivity Design Guide TX Matrix ONE OS 9.0 9.1 9.2 Frequent releases ONE RELEASE Module X API J Series ONE ARCHITECTURE Figure 19: JUNOS Software—The three ones: one source code, one train, and one modular architecture Modular Processes The JUNOS Software is a completely modular operating system, enabling a functional division of labor for seamless development and operation of many advanced features and capabilities.
DESIGN GUIDE - Data Center LAN Connectivity Design Guide Table 2: JUNOS Software Operating Efficiencies (Lake Partners 2007) NETWORK OPERATIONS TASK AVERAGE JUNOS EFFICIENCY Adding Infrastructure 29% Upgrading and Planned Events 23% Troubleshooting and Unplanned Events 54% Monitoring and Optimizing 24% Average Time Saved With JUNOS Software 25% This time savings translates to a substantial, tangible cost savings.
hrea t and U Con nifi ta Con ed tr ol ntr JU NOS Software and Unified Management lization Ne tw or kV irtua Co n t io Applica nd a e Visibility ervic S Quality of Application Juniper Ethernet Switching V Ro irtual GR uting and ET unne ling Ca Ha rr r S en rov -p and r ie are e dw twar of t en m in cess Ac l o Ca rri bility Security R elia isk R s M as a l c T nt me ge na er - DESIGN GUIDE - Data Center LAN Connectivity Design Guide Reduced TCO Figure 20: Juniper switching solutions Juniper
