[j-nsp] EX 4200 stability with BGP and OSPF redistribution ?

[Ross Vandegrift]

On Mon, Jun 21, 2010 at 12:29:00PM +0200, Laurent HENRY wrote:
> Hi all,
>         I am thinking about using two EX 4200 as redondant border routers of 
> my main Internet link.
> 
> In this design, I would then need to use BGP with my ISP and OSPF for inside 
> route redistribution.
> 
> Reading the archive, and on my own experience with the product too, i am 
> looking for feedbacks about stability of this solution with EX.
> 
> In archives i understood there could have been some huge stability problems, 
> am i right ?
> 
> Could things be different with 10.1 JunOS release ?
> 
> Does anyone actually use these features actively with this platform ?

We make some use of layer 3 services on the EX-4200, and largely, our
experience has been good in this department.  Be aware that their FIB
size is very limited, so you'll need defaults.

We have EXes working a customer edge boxes for people that don't want
a full table and it's reliable and cost effective if you can live
without the missing features.  We do OSPF, iBGP, and some MPLS, though
the EXes are feature crippled there.  If you care, uRPF sucks big
time, but I'm used to that from the 6500.

Be somewhat cognizant of RE CPU performance.  Unfortunately, the EX
CPU doesn't cope too well with large VC installations in complicated
configuration.  In my experience, you'll be fine if you stay away from
virtual-chassis.  We've only really hit this in our layer 2
deployments, where committing a config can cause STP to miss BPDU
timers.  However, I don't see any reason why a 10 member layer 3 VC
wouldn't exhibit the same issue with (for example) OSPF hellos.

Software choice can be annoying - things are still changing.  9.6 is
my current target for layer 3 boxes because you finally get capable
loopback filters with recent bugfixes.  If you want to police LSPs
though, you'll need 10.1.  I've had good luck so far with 10.1R2 in
this application.  Of course neither of these are extended EOE...

To sum up - if you can live with some missing features and headaches,
they aren't bad.  The price point is pretty attractive.

Ross

-- 
Ross Vandegrift
ross at kallisti.us

"If the fight gets hot, the songs get hotter.  If the going gets tough,
the songs get tougher."
	--Woody Guthrie
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