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Juniper CloudX Overview

Juniper CloudX, integrated natively into Junos OS, is an advanced architecture that ensures faster and secure communication between Juniper switches and the Mist cloud. It is responsible for creating a secure connection between the switch and the Mist cloud. CloudX-enabled switches can be monitored and managed by cloud services.

CloudX applies to both new and existing switches. It enables the new switches to communicate directly over HTTPS 443 when they are onboarded to Mist cloud via ZTP. With CloudX enabled, the existing switches that are connected to the Mist cloud via TCP port 2200 will have their connection switched to CloudX with no impact on the data plane. For switches to connect and communicate using CloudX over TCP 443, the following firewall ports must be opened: jma-terminator.[xx].mist.com(TCP 443). The variable [xx] should be replaced by the environment name.

Benefits of CloudX:

  • Keeps the data on the cloud up to date. Events are sent to the cloud every 10-15 seconds and stats are updated every 60 seconds.
  • Leverages the Junos Telemetry Interface (JTI), which ensures asynchronous and faster communication by bypassing any polling from the cloud to the switch.
  • Enables switches to connect to the cloud over HTTPS port 443, like Mist APs. You do not need to open any non-standard ports on the firewall.
  • Enables switches to communicate with the Mist cloud via a proxy server. You can statically define a proxy server or dynamically send proxy server details via DHCP Option 43. For more information, see Connect a Switch to Mist Cloud via a Proxy Server Using Cloudx.
  • Offers packet capture for switches on the Mist Cloud. You can initiate packet capture on a single switch port or a range of ports. You can leverage the on-demand packet capture feature in Mist to view transit traffic or control traffic.

Availability of CloudX

The following table lists the platforms that support CloudX in different Junos releases. The table lists multiple Junos versions for each platform. We recommend that you upgrade the switch to a Junos suggested release for the CloudX support.

Table 1: CloudX-Supported Platforms

Platforms

Supported Junos Release

Availability

EX2300/EX3400

21.4R3-S4 and above

22.4R2-S1 and above

22.4R3 and above

23.4R2 and above

Beta

EX4400/EX4100

22.4R2-S1 and above

22.4R3 and above

23.4R2 and above

Generally Available (except in the Global 01 cloud instance)

EX4650/QFX5120

23.4R2 and above

Beta

Note that the following Junos versions do not support CloudX: 23.1R1 and 22.1-22.3.

The EX4100 and EX4400 switches running the supported Junos versions have CloudX enabled across all Mist cloud environments. Support for the other platforms listed in the above table is in beta state. If you want to enable the beta version of CloudX on a supported platform (EX2300, EX3400, EX4650, and QFX5120), contact Juniper support.

If you face any issues with CloudX, you can troubleshoot it by following the steps listed in Troubleshooting Juniper CloudX.