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System Description

The M5 and M10 Internet routers provide high-speed interfaces for medium and large networks and network applications, such as those supported by Internet service providers (ISPs). Application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), a definitive part of the router design, enable the router to forward data at the high speeds demanded by current network media.

The M5 router supports up to four Physical Interface Cards (PICs), and the M10 router supports up to eight PICs. Each PIC accepts a specific type of network media, providing up to 16 physical interface ports per system on the M5 router and up to 32 ports per system on the M10 router. The router height of 5.25 in. (13.3 cm) enables stacked installation of 14 M5 or M10 routers in a single floor-to-ceiling rack, for increased port density per unit of floor space.

The router's maximum aggregate throughput is 6.4 gigabits per second (Gbps), full duplex. The router provides very high throughput for any combination of PICs that does not exceed 3 Gbps for the M5 router or 6 Gbps for the M10 router. A combination that exceeds these numbers is supported, but constitutes oversubscription.

The router architecture cleanly separates control operations from packet forwarding operations, which helps to eliminate processing and traffic bottlenecks. Control operations in the router are performed by the Routing Engine, which runs JUNOS Internet software to handle routing protocols, traffic engineering, policy, policing, monitoring, and configuration management. Forwarding operations in the router are performed by the Packet Forwarding Engine, which consists of hardware, including ASICs, designed by Juniper Networks.

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