Juniper Networks EX2300-48T-VC
48-port Ethernet Switch with Virtual Chassis License

Architecture and Key Components:

The EX2300 occupies a single rack unit, delivering a compact solution for crowded wiring closets and access locations where space and power are at a premium. The EX2300 switch's 10-inch/12-inch depth and low acoustics also make it ideal for open office deployments. For silent operation requirements, please see the EX2300-C, a compact, fanless version of the EX2300.

Each EX2300 switch supports four fixed front-panel 1GbE/10GbE uplink ports with pluggable optics (purchased separately) for high-speed backbone or link aggregation connections between wiring closets and upstream aggregation switches. The EX2300 also features a front-panel mode button that offers a simple interface for bringing devices up and selecting LED modes.

A dedicated rear panel RJ-45 Ethernet port is available for outof-band management, while a rear panel USB port can be used to easily upload the Junos OS and configuration files.

Junos Fusion Enterprise Technology

Juniper Networks Junos Fusion Enterprise technology provides automated network configuration and simplifies scalability for medium to large enterprise networks. Using Juniper Networks EX9200 line of programmable switches as aggregation devices and EX2300 switches as satellite nodes, Junos Fusion Enterprise technology can be deployed across a building (or multiple buildings) to connect large numbers of switches in a fabric that can be managed as a single device.

Junos Fusion Enterprise deployment using EX2300 switches as satellite devices

With Junos Fusion technology, enterprises can reduce network complexity and operational costs by collapsing underlying network elements into a single logical point of control from Junos OS-based Juniper routing and switching platforms. It is designed for customers who need to cost-effectively deploy numerous switch ports throughout their enterprise campus network and manage them all from a central device. In addition, existing EX2300 switches can be easily added to a Junos Fusion Enterprise deployment with a simple software upgrade, offering full investment protection.

In Junos Fusion Enterprise deployments, satellite devices do not require to be individually connected to aggregation devices. Up to 10 satellite devices can be interconnected via standard 10GbE interfaces to form a “cluster,” which in turn can be connected to the aggregation device(s) over a pair of fiber uplinks. Satellite devices or clusters can also be dual-homed or single-homed to the aggregation devices.

In Junos Fusion Enterprise deployments, satellite devices forward all traffic to the aggregation device, enabling network administrators to monitor and manage the entire enterprise campus building from a single device. Features such as PoE/PoE+, LLDP-MED, and 802.1x are also supported in Junos Fusion Enterprise architectures to help meet enterprise campus requirements.

Simplified Management and Operations

Junos Fusion Enterprise technology dramatically simplifies EX2300 management by enabling a large number of the switches to be managed from a single interface when deployed as satellite devices. With features such as plug-and-play deployment and rolling software upgrades, Junos Fusion Enterprise eliminates the need to individually manage every access switch in the enterprise network, leading to lower operational costs and overall lower TCO.

Virtual Chassis technology simplifies network management for smaller deployments. Up to four interconnected EX2300 switches can be managed as a single device utilizing a single Junos OS image and a single configuration file, reducing the overall number of units to monitor and manage. When the Junos OS is upgraded on the primary switch in an EX2300 Virtual Chassis configuration, the software is automatically upgraded on all other member switches at the same time.

The EX2300 includes port profiles that allow network administrators to automatically configure ports with security, QoS, and other parameters based on the type of device connected to the port. Six preconfigured profiles are available, including default, desktop, desktop plus IP phone, WLAN access point, routed uplink, and Layer 2 uplink. Users can select from the existing profiles or create their own and apply them through the command-line interface (CLI), J-Web Software interface, or management system.

In addition, a feature called system snapshot makes a copy of all software files used to run the switch-including the Junos operating system, the active configuration, and the rescue configuration. These files can be used to reboot the switch at the next power-up or as a backup boot option. The Junos OS software can also be preinstalled on a flash drive and used to boot the EX2300 at any time.

Another feature, called automatic software download, enables network administrators to easily upgrade the EX2300 using the DHCP message exchange process to download and install software packages. Users simply configure the automatic software download feature on EX2300 switches acting as DHCP clients and establish a path to the server where the software package file is installed. The server then communicates the path to the software package file through DHCP server messages.

A zero touch provisioning (ZTP) feature allows a DHCP server to push configuration details and software images to multiple switches at boot-up time.

Two system management options are available for the EX2300 line. The standard Junos OS CLI management interface offers the same granular capabilities and scripting parameters found in any router powered by the Junos operating system. The EX2300 also includes the integrated J-Web interface, an embedded Webbased device manager that allows users to configure, monitor, troubleshoot, and perform system maintenance on individual switches via a browser-based graphical interface.

Virtual Chassis Technology:

The EX2300 supports Juniper's unique Virtual Chassis technology, enabling up to four interconnected EX2300 switches to be managed as a single logical device, delivering a scalable, pay-as-you-grow solution for expanding network environments.

While EX2300 switches can be interconnected over any of the front-panel uplink ports using standard 10GbE SFP+ transceivers (sold separately), these ports can also be configured as 1GbE/10GbE uplinks to aggregation devices by disabling the Virtual Chassis technology.

When deployed in a Virtual Chassis configuration, the EX2300 switches elect a primary and a backup switch based on a set of preconfigured policies or criteria. The primary switch automatically creates and updates the switching and optional routing tables on all other Virtual Chassis switch members. Switches can be added to or removed from the Virtual Chassis configuration without service disruption.

EX2300 Virtual Chassis configurations operate as highly resilient unified systems, providing simplified management using a single IP address, single telnet session, single command-line interface (CLI), automatic version checking, and automatic configuration. The EX2300 switches are also capable of local switching, so packets coming into a port destined for another port on the same switch do not have to traverse the Virtual Chassis, increasing forwarding capacities.

EX2300 Virtual Chassis configurations implement the same slot/module/port numbering schema as other Juniper Networks chassis-based products, providing true chassis-like operations. By using a consistent operating system and a single configuration file, all switches in a Virtual Chassis configuration are treated as a single device, simplifying overall system maintenance and management.

EX2300 switches support Virtual Chassis technology, which enables up to four interconnected switches to operate as a single, logical device.

Features and Benefits:

High Availability Features

To avoid the complexities of the Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) without sacrificing network resiliency, the EX2300 employs a redundant trunk group (RTG) to provide the necessary port redundancy and simplify switch configuration. It also supports cross-member link aggregation, which allows redundant link aggregation connections between devices in a single Virtual Chassis configuration, providing an additional level of reliability and availability.

Junos Operating System

The EX2300 switches run the same Junos OS that is used by other Juniper Networks EX Series Ethernet Switches, QFX Series Switches, Juniper Routers, Juniper SRX Firewalls, and the Juniper NFX Series Network Services Platform. By utilizing a common operating system, Juniper delivers a consistent implementation and operation of control plane features across all products. To maintain that consistency, the Junos OS adheres to a highly disciplined development process that uses a single source code, and it employs a highly available modular architecture that prevents isolated failures from bringing down an entire system.

These attributes are fundamental to the core value of the software, enabling all Junos OS-powered products to be updated simultaneously with the same software release. All features are fully regression-tested, making each new release a true superset of the previous version. Customers can deploy the software with complete confidence that all existing capabilities are maintained and operate in the same way.

Converged Environments

The EX2300 provides the highest levels of flexibility and features in its class for the most demanding converged data, voice, and video environments, delivering a reliable platform for unifying enterprise communications.

By providing a full 15.4 watts of Class 3 PoE to VoIP telephones, closed-circuit security cameras, wireless access points, and other IP-enabled devices, the EX2300 delivers a future-proofed solution for converging disparate networks onto a single IP infrastructure. The EX2300 PoE switches also support 802.3at standards-based PoE+, delivering 30 watts for powering networked devices such as IEEE 802.11ac wireless access points, and videophones that might require more power than available with IEEE 802.3af.

To ease deployment, the EX2300 supports the industry-standard Link Layer Discovery Protocol (LLDP) and LLDP-Media Endpoint Discovery (LLDP-MED) protocol, enabling the switches to automatically discover Ethernet-enabled devices, determine their power requirements, and assign virtual LAN (VLAN) membership. LLDP-MED-based granular PoE management allows the EX2300 to negotiate PoE usage down to a fraction of a watt on powered devices, enabling more efficient PoE utilization across the switch.

In addition, the EX2300 supports rich quality-of-service (QoS) functionality for prioritizing data, voice, and video traffic. The switches support eight class-of-service (CoS) queues on every port, enabling them to maintain multilevel, end-to-end traffic prioritizations. The EX2300 also supports a wide range of policy options, including strict priority, low latency, weighted random early detection (WRED), and shaped-deficit weighted roundrobin (SDWRR) queuing.

Security

Working as an enforcement point in Access Policy Infrastructure, the EX2300 provides both standards-based 802.1X port-level access control for multiple devices per port, as well as Layer 2-4 policy enforcement based on user identity, location, device, or a combination of these. A user's identity, device type, machine posture check, and location can be used to determine whether access should be granted and for how long. If access is granted, the switch provides access to the network based on authorization attributes sent by the authentication server. The switch can also apply security policies, QoS policies, or both, or it can mirror user traffic to a central location for logging, monitoring, or threat detection by intrusion prevention systems.

The EX2300 also provides a full complement of integrated port security and threat detection features, including Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) snooping, dynamic ARP inspection (DAI), and media access control (MAC) limiting to defend against internal and external spoofing, and man-in-themiddle and denial of service (DoS) attacks.

Enhanced Limited Lifetime Warranty

The EX2300 includes an enhanced limited lifetime hardware warranty that provides return-to-factory switch replacement for as long as the original purchaser owns the product. The warranty includes lifetime software updates, advanced shipping of spares within one business day, and 24x7 Juniper Networks Technical Assistance Center (JTAC) support for 90 days after the purchase date. Power supplies and fan trays are covered for a period of five years.

Junos Space:

Juniper also offers a comprehensive suite of network management tools that provide a smart, simple, and open approach for automating the deployment and operation of a Juniper infrastructure.

These tools are based on a single network application platform called Juniper Networks Junos Space, an open, programmable application platform for hosting network infrastructure and operational applications across the entire management life cycle of the network. Explicitly designed to allow partners and customers to build and deploy smart, simple, and easy-touse applications, Junos Space provides multiple management and infrastructure applications for managing Juniper resources and assets, including inventory management, device and interface configuration, automated software management and deployment, and event-driven fault management. These platform applications are embedded within the core product, allowing users to control any part of their environment when used in conjunction with multiple add-on applications. Junos Space supports a full portfolio of applications for automating network infrastructure and operations covering the campus LAN and data center network environments.

Designed to automate the configuration, visualization, monitoring, and administration of large switch and router networks, these Junos Space applications offer predefined automation schemes and best practice templates to enable rapid and accurate deployments. When managing a group of EX2300 switches, the Junos Space platform and associated applications provide network-level management across all Juniper Networks switches from a single console.

Network Director can manage the EX2300 as standalone switches as well as satellite devices in a Junos Fusion Enterprise fabric.

Specifications:

Additional Feature Specifications:

*Each switch comes with RJ-45-to-DB-9 serial port adapter, 19'' rack mount kit and connector retainer. Each system also ships with a power cord for the country for which it is shipped.

Views:

Top Front View

Front View

Rear View

Left Angle View

Right Angle View

Documentation:

Download the Juniper Networks EX2300 Series Data Sheet (PDF).