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Introduction to Logical Systems

For many years, engineers have combined power supplies, routing hardware and software, forwarding hardware and software, and physical interfaces into a networking device known as a router. Networking vendors have created large routers and small routers, but all routers have been placed into service as individual devices. As a result, the router has been considered a single physical device for most of its history.

The concept of logical systems breaks with this tradition. With the Junos® operating system (Junos OS), you can partition a single router into multiple logical devices that perform independent routing tasks. Because logical systems perform a subset of the tasks once handled by the main router, logical systems offer an effective way to maximize the use of a single routing or switching platform.

Note:

Beginning with Junos OS Release 9.3, the logical router feature has been renamed logical system.

All configuration statements, operational commands, show command output, error messages, log messages, and SNMP MIB objects that contain the string logical-router have been changed to logical-system.

Traditionally, service provider network design requires multiple layers of switches and routers. These devices transport packet traffic between customers. As seen on the left side of Figure 1, access devices are connected to edge devices, which are in turn connected to core devices.

However, this complexity can lead to challenges in maintenance, configuration, and operation. To reduce such complexity, Juniper Networks supports logical systems. Logical systems perform a subset of the actions of the main router and have their own unique routing tables, interfaces, policies, and routing instances. As shown on the right side of Figure 1, a set of logical systems within a single router can handle the functions previously performed by several small routers.

Figure 1: Logical Systems ConceptsLogical Systems Concepts
Release History Table
Release
Description
9.3
Beginning with Junos OS Release 9.3, the logical router feature has been renamed logical system.