Juniper Networks Field Guide
Authors: Juniper Networks Staff
Venue:  (2002)

From the Book:When I wrote the first Juniper Networks software manual in the early summer of 1997, it was about 250 pages. When we shipped JUNOS Release 3.2 in March 1999, the JUNOS manual was just shy of 1,000 pages. I was dismayed at the prospect of having the manual be in two books and asked the development engineers to stop writing code. Of course, they didn't honor my request. At the time of this writing, the JUNOS 5.3 documentation set is 5,700 pages in 13 separate volumes. Similarly, the hardware documentation set has grown from a single 120-page manual to more than 250 pages of documentation for each of six platforms.When our long-time publishing consultant, Patrick Ames, suggested that we might want to create a small field guide for installing, configuring, and operating Juniper Networks routers, I thought it would be nice to return to a world in which we could document the product in under a thousand pages. We created a small team of technical documentation writers and editorsGary Drenan, Cris Morris, Patrick Ames, and myselfand together we sifted the contents of all the JUNOS and hardware documentation, extracting the material that we felt was essential for understanding the mission of Juniper Networks and for understanding our hardware and software products. (We felt this was a more prudent method than simply removing all the vowels or deleting all the verbs.)This book is the result of our extracting and condensation process. We begin with a brief overview of Juniper Networks the company, describing our markets, services, and offerings. While much of this exists on the Web siteand we recommend you get the most updated material therewe felt thatthe book should provide some background about the company itself. Chapter 2, JUNOS Internet Software Overview, presents the big picture view of the JUNOS software. This chapter is short not by design, but because the JUNOS architecture has always been straightforward, clear, and succinct. In Chapter 3, Juniper Network Hardware Overview, our senior hardware writer Gary Drenan has worked diligently not only to review all the components and specifications of both the M-series and new T-series routers, but also to collect and collate it in one place. In creating Chapter 4, Router installation and JUNOS Setup, Gary has similarly collected everything about installation, from unpacking the crate to getting the router up and running in the network. Chapters 4 through 12 are concerned with configuring the router and describing the feature set of the JUNOS Internet software. Beginning with Chapter 5, CLI and System Management, our senior editor Cris Morris efficiently describes how to work with the software. The following chapters detail interfaces and Class of Service (in Chapter 6), IPv6 (in Chapter 7), and IPSec (in Chapter 8). Chapters 9 and 10 get to the heart of IP networking, discussing routing policy and firewall filters, and routing and routing protocols, respectively. Chapter 11 looks at MPLS applications, Chapter 12 at virtual private networks (VPNs), and Chapter 13 provides sample configurations that come directly from the Juniper Networks testing labs. We conclude the book with a useful, tabular summary of all the critical JUNOS Internet software monitoring commands (I suspect these might turn out to be the most dog-eared pages of your field guide). Finally, we include a glossary of the many Juniper Networks-specific acronyms and terms so you don't have to try to memorize them all. While we have tried to summarize the Juniper Networks hardware and software features in this field guide, there will undoubtedly be places where the information is insufficient for your needs. Please refer to Appendix A in this book that lists additional resources. Also remember that you can always find a full and complete discussion in the Juniper Networks technical product documentation.