[j-nsp] EX45xx as datacenter interconnect?

[Alexander Bochmann]

Hi -

we're currently discussing how to connect a new location to our current 
server rooms (I'm hesitant to use the term "datacenter" as we're talking 
two locations with about 20 sparsely populated racks each - containing 
the usual enterprise stuff - unsorted application servers, VMware hosts, 
NetApp storage)... Fiber distance is about 8km.

I don't think we're going to aim for an MPLS/VPLS backbone, as our size 
just doesn't justify the additional operational overhead - so we're talking 
classic layer 2/3, which we've been doing quite successfully with EX4200 /
EX4500 systems (partly clustered in VCs) for the past couple of years. 
FCoE is a topic (as always) - but the server guys are leaning towards 
storage over IP (NFS/iSCSI) with NetApp anyway, so we're probably just going 
to keep the remaining FC infrastructure separated...

>From that, I don't really see any big missing features in the EX45 line for 
us - am I missing something obvious?

We've even been floating the idea of dropping in a Virtual Chassis distributed 
over both sites as "interconnection" - which seems quite charming, as it 
implicitly solves quite a few problems for L2 segments that exist on both 
sides, for example (I know, but it can't be helped for some things)... But 
on the other hand there's little outsite control over traffic flows inside 
the VC, so it's difficult to judge the impact.

So, are we completely insane, and should be looking towards MX routers, 
maybe? (Cisco is proposing Nexus 7k for the interconnect, and the 
unavoidable Nexus 5k in the access layer.)

Thanks for any thoughts,

Alex.