We are moving from 10Gbps networking in the CTO Advisor Hybrid Infrastructure (CTOAHI) to 25/100Gbps. And let me tell you, it’s all kinds of complicated. But, drawing a picture of what we are doing is relatively straightforward.
As part of some sponsored research, Juniper loaned us 6 QFX10002 Switches (some big switches). Of course, these are overkill for anything we’d do in production for CTOAHI. However, the setup is pretty typical of what companies we’d advise using.
Eventually, we’ll use Juniper’s Apstra software to automate the configuration and management of the switches. On paper, this is great, right?
I’ve personally spent hours research cabling. Not cabling between the Juniper switches, Juniper sent everything we needed. I’ve spent hours researching the connectivity between our old Arista Networking gear and the Juniper 40Gbps/100Gbps interfaces.
The cabling isn’t as simple as taking an Ethernet cable and plugging it between switches. As the data center network has gotten faster, the cabling specifications have become more complex.
I’m a believer in upgrading your data center network as the first step to modernization. But, unfortunately, it’s just not easy.