Juniper Networks MX304 Universal Routing Platform

Product Overview

Juniper Networks' MX Series Universal Routing Platforms, powered by leading-edge technology and innovative architecture, enable service providers, cloud providers, and large enterprises to rapidly adapt to evolving market conditions and accelerate service delivery in the cloud era. The MX304 is an essential component of this series, offering exceptional scalability and efficiency, making it ideal for environments with space and power constraints. By redefining rack unit economics, the MX304 allows customers to achieve more with fewer resources, simplify network design, reduce OpEx, and seamlessly support traditional and new network architectures, delivering a wide range of services profitably for business, home, mobile, cable, data center, and cloud applications.

Product Description

Service providers and cloud operators are investing in infrastructure that enhances user experience, supports mobility, IoT, and emerging market trends driven by continuous cloud network growth. Simultaneously, these providers and operators are building networks that ensure performance, efficiency, and agility at cloud-native scale. To achieve these business goals and succeed in a competitive market, they require edge solutions that meet current demands while evolving with new technologies, protecting investments. This edge vision necessitates service-oriented edge platforms with the density and throughput to handle increasing traffic from ubiquitous video content, media-rich business services, IoT, connected cars, and smart cities. The Juniper Networks® MX304 Universal Routing Platform is a cloud-native platform that enables service providers, mobile operators, web-scale operators, and multiservice operators (MSOs) to cost-effectively address their evolving edge and metro Ethernet needs. The space and power-optimized MX304 offers ultra-high-density 10 GbE, 25 GbE, 40 GbE, 50 GbE, 100 GbE, and 400 GbE connectivity, delivering 4.8 Tbps of throughput in a mere 2 rack units (RU), with exceptional density and performance at just 0.3 W/Gb power consumption. The MX304 features the programmable Junos® Trio chipset and the Junos operating system, which powers the entire MX Series Universal Routing Platform portfolio. This is a testament to Juniper's R&D investment and innovation that has transformed network economics for nearly two decades. Key capabilities include a comprehensive suite of advanced automation and telemetry features that serve as the foundation for future autonomous networks, along with integrated advanced timing, including line-rate 400 GbE MACsec encryption. Combined with its service-centric approach, high throughput, density, and space and power efficiency, the MX304 supports network operators in overcoming the challenges of a hyper-connected world, enabling them to deliver the widest range of services and applications profitably.

Architecture and Key Components

Routing Engine

The MX304's dual redundant Routing Engines (REs) run Junos OS and control all routing protocol processes, router interfaces, chassis operations, system management, and router user access. These processes execute on the kernel. The kernel interacts with the Packet Forwarding Engine (PFE) on the Modular Interface Cards (MICs) via a dedicated high-bandwidth management channel, ensuring a clear separation between the control plane and the forwarding plane.

Modular Interface Card

Featuring the 6th-generation programmable Trio chipset, the MX304 delivers unprecedented bandwidth in a high-density form factor. MICs provide routing, switching, inline services, subscriber management, and Hierarchical Quality of Service (HQoS), among other functions. MICs offer flexibility and efficiency in meeting user-specific connectivity requirements by supporting a mix of 10 GbE, 25 GbE, 40 GbE, 50 GbE, 100 GbE, and 400 GbE interfaces.

Power

The MX304's power and thermal subsystem optimizes power efficiency without sacrificing scalability or features. This power subsystem is fault-tolerant and maintains power cable redundancy even at full power, providing industry-leading power consumption efficiency.

Junos Operating System

Junos OS is a reliable, high-performance, modular network operating system supported across Juniper's physical and virtual routing, switching, and security platforms. It reduces the cost, complexity, and resources required for Juniper-based network deployments and maintenance. Junos OS features secure programming interfaces, Juniper® Extension Toolkit (JET), support for various scripting languages, and integration with common orchestration frameworks, offering flexible options for continuous delivery and DevOps-style management. This allows service providers to derive more value from their networks than ever before. For more information on Junos OS, visit www.juniper.net/jp/ja/products/network-operating-system/junos-os.html.

Features and Benefits

Industry-Leading Port Density

The MX304 is a full-featured, single-chassis edge router that delivers high port density in a compact form factor (see Table 1).

Unparalleled Network Availability

The MX304 achieves the highest level of network availability for a 2 RU edge router through a comprehensive set of hardware and software features. The MX304 supports 1+1 control plane redundancy and 1+1 power module redundancy. In terms of software, Junos OS ensures that each program runs independently in its own protected memory space, preventing individual processes from interfering with each other.

Excellent Power Design and Efficiency

The MX304 features industry-leading power design and efficiency. Power consumption is only 0.3 W/Gb, ensuring proper chassis operation under all conditions. This is critical when considering next-generation network elements. The MX304 monitors the power and temperature of each chassis component and shuts down interfaces and components if power or temperature exceeds thresholds.

Junos Telemetry Interface

The programmable Junos Trio chipset provides the capability to monitor and collect data at the component level. Using the Junos Telemetry Interface, the chipset streams this data in an extensible manner to monitoring, analytics, performance management applications, and Path Computation Elements (PCEs) such as Juniper Networks Paragon Pathfinder. The telemetry information generated helps identify current congestion and its trends, resource usage, traffic volume, and latency. Service providers can use this information to detect issues, and to inform network design, optimization, and investment decisions.

Applications and Use Cases

Business Edge

The MX304 provides 10 GbE, 25 GbE, 40 GbE, 50 GbE, 100 GbE, and 400 GbE interfaces required by large enterprises and service providers. It offers a comprehensive VPN toolkit that supports feature-rich, standards-based, secure internetworking. In addition to supporting basic L2/L3 VPN and Virtual Private LAN Service (VPLS), the MX304 enables innovative business services, including VPN traffic for voice and video with Quality of Service (QoS) prioritization, L2 VPN internetworking to connect disparate L2 access networks, and enhanced VPN services like IP/MPLS that meet Service Level Agreements (SLAs).

Metro Ethernet

The MX304 offers full routing and switching capabilities, providing excellent support for metro networks and aggregation networks. Network operators can choose the deployment model that best suits their business and technical needs and objectives. The MX304 can be deployed as an IP/MPLS VPN edge router, a VPLS router, an MPLS label switching router (LSR), or a Layer 2 Ethernet switch or Layer 3 IP router. The MX304 also supports extensive Ethernet Operations, Administration, and Maintenance (OAM) features and is MEF (Metro Ethernet Forum) certified.

Data Center

The MX304 can be deployed as a data center gateway router and for data center interconnects. It features high-density 10 GbE, 25 GbE, 40 GbE, 50 GbE, 100 GbE, and 400 GbE interfaces, along with key capabilities such as L2/L3 VPN, MPLS-over-GRE for dynamic tunneling, VXLAN encapsulation, and GRE support for common routing encapsulation. Network operators can select the deployment model that aligns with their business and technical needs.

IP Peering

The power-optimized, compact 2 RU MX304 is ideal for co-location facilities that charge based on provisioned power and space. The MX304 offers enhanced control plane scalability and supports IP peering capabilities, including inline flow monitoring, Segment Routing, BGP, GRE, and many other features.

Specifications

Physical Specifications

• Dimensions (Height x Width x Depth): 8.89 x 44 x 61cm (3.5 x 17.3 x 24 inches)
• Airflow: Front-to-back
• Operating Temperature: 0–46°C (32–115°F), sea level
• Fan Tray Count: 3
• Max Weight (approximate): 30kg (66.1 lbs) (2x RE configuration)
• System Mounting: 2/4-post rack mounting
• Rack Units: 2

Juniper Networks Services and Support

Juniper Networks is a leader in high-performance services that enable network acceleration, scaling, and optimization. Utilizing Juniper's services helps reduce costs, minimize risk, and maximize operational efficiency, leading to faster return on investment from network investments. Furthermore, optimizing the network ensures the necessary performance levels, reliability, and availability, achieving operational excellence. Learn more at www.juniper.net/jp/ja/products.html.

Ordering Information

For MX304 availability information, please contact your Juniper Networks sales representative.

Hardware and Software

Hardware

Software

Flex Licenses

*1-year term licenses for Advanced and Premium tiers are valid only upon renewal.

About Juniper Networks

Juniper Networks focuses on dramatically simplifying network operations and delivering the best user experience. The company's solutions, powered by industry-leading insights, automation, security, and AI, drive true business outcomes. Juniper believes that by strengthening connections, people can foster deeper bonds, leading to solutions for global challenges such as happiness, sustainability, and equality.

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