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Juniper Apstra

Juniper Apstra intent-based networking software automates and validates the design, deployment, and operation of data center networks from Day 0 through Day 2+. As the only solution of its kind with multivendor support, Apstra empowers you to automate and manage your networks across virtually any data center design, vendor, and topology, making private data center as easy as cloud.

Using Apstra’s single source of truth and powerful analytics, you can now deliver optimal network performance and resolve issues with confidence. Apstra also mitigates network outages with predictive insights and provides change control with networkwide rollback capabilities. Juniper Validated Designs (JVDs) help ensure reliable operations and accelerate deployments. Apstra Cloud Services, a suite of AI-Native, cloud-based applications for AI operations (AIOps), works with Apstra’s intent-based networking to expand data center assurance solutions from network assurance to application assurance, and deliver an unbeatable data center operations experience.

Key Features


  • Intent-based automation and analytics for total network assurance
  • Continuous Day 0-Day 2+ validation
  • Multivendor support to avoid vendor lock-in
  • Advanced analytics, telemetry, and flow data for complete visibility
  • Policy assurance based on a single source of truth
  • Intent Time Voyager rollback, because mistakes happen
  • Integrated data center interconnect (DCI) with seamless VXLAN stitching
  • Integration with Apstra Cloud Services for AIOps
  • Integration with automation frameworks including Terraform and Ansible

Features + Benefits

Reliable, automated operations

Use JVDs and repeatable blueprints to maintain consistency, improve reliability, and boost deployment speed. Implement changes quickly and confidently across vendors and locations. Apstra provides change control and continuous validation to significantly improve service delivery times and reduce mean time to resolution (MTTR).

Focus on experience

Intent-based automation simplifies NetOps. IT teams can use business outcomes to create policies that are automatically implemented and enforced. An intuitive point-and-click interface minimizes learning curves while support for HashiCorp® Terraform® infrastructure-as-code providers and other integrations enhance interoperability and workflows.

Multivendor flexibility

Avoid lock-in with Apstra’s exclusive vendor-agnostic technology. Multivendor telemetry and flow data provide complete network visibility across environments for in-depth analysis of traffic patterns, performance optimization, security enhancement, regulatory compliance, capacity planning, and cost control.

Zero Trust security

Juniper’s Zero Trust Data Center extends access control, authentication, and advanced threat prevention across every point of connection on the network. With unified management, contextual networkwide visibility and analytics, and a single policy framework, Juniper safeguards applications, data, and infrastructure across your hybrid environment.

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Apstra Licensing

1/3/5-Year Terms Per Managed Device

Choose the right plan for you or Contact Us

Standard

Advanced

Premium

Basic configuration and operations

Includes a 6-month Advanced trial:

  • 1 blueprint per instance
  • Basic telemetry/intent-based analytics
  • 3/5-stage IP Clos fabric, collapsed fabric, Freeform
  • Device management
  • Platform management
  • Marvis VNA for DC

Full operation, assurance, and intent-based analytics

All Standard features plus:

  • Up to 3 blueprints per instance
  • Advanced intent-based analytics
  • Apstra telemetry streaming
  • Root-cause identification (RCI)
  • Data center interconnect (DCI)
  • Custom telemetry collector

Large scale, multivendor support, and policy control

All Advanced features plus:

  • More than 3 blueprints per instance
  • Third-party vendor fabrics*
  • Policy assurance
  • Flow Data
  • ACS App/Service Awareness
  • ACS Impact Analysis

 

*Fabrics with non-Juniper devices require Premium tier

Compare Juniper Apstra and Cisco data center solutions

See why customers choose Juniper Apstra over Cisco ACI.

Demo: The Automated Data Center in Action

Reduce design and deployment time from months or weeks to days or hours.

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CASE STUDY

Atos creates a blueprint for data center success with Juniper Apstra

IT services form the core of Atos’ business plan. As a global leader in digital transformation, Atos is providing digital services and consulting with its offerings of sustainable, safe, and secure information services. Customers in 71 countries, Atos provides unified communications, cloud , big data, cybersecurity , IoT and transactional services.

Headquartered in suburban Paris, France, the company’s 105,000 employees deliver tailored, end-to-end solutions to multiple industries. Atos says it’s the No. 1 provider of managed cybersecurity services in Europe and that its sights are set on gaining market share in the other IT service areas in which it participates.

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Find Apstra in these solutions

Juniper Automation

Juniper builds automation into all products for programmability and offers a suite of tools to help you benefit from automation in your environment. We believe that delivering assured experience is the first (and most important) requirement for your NetOps and DevOps teams.

Data Center Networks

Simplify operations and assure reliability with the modern, automated data center. Juniper helps you automate and continuously validate the entire network lifecycle to ease design, deployment, and operations.

Data Center Interconnect

Juniper’s DCI solutions enable seamless interconnectivity that breaks through traditional scalability limitations, vendor lock-in, and interoperability challenges.

Automated Secure Data Center

The Juniper automated secure data center unites the multivendor automation and assured reliability of intent-based networking software with Juniper’s scalable and programmable switching and routing platforms.

AI Data Center

Deploy high performing AI training, inference, and storage clusters with speed and flexibility. Juniper Validated Designs offer confidence and speed, giving you up to 10x better reliability.

Apstra FAQs

What is Juniper Apstra?

Apstra is data center fabric management and automation software.

What are the benefits of Apstra?

  • Apstra offers several benefits for data center network management and automation:
  • Reliable data center operations and automation through intent-based networking (IBN)
  • A single point of management for Day 0 through Day 2+ operations
  • Multivendor support that’s unique in the industry, including compatibility with data center equipment and software from Juniper, Cisco, Arista, and SONiC
  • Minimal learning curve, thanks to an intuitive and point-and-click interface
  • Ability to validate data center design, deployment, and operations regardless of the vendor, protocol, and topology, from core to edge
  • Accelerated operations and MTTR, enabled by a single source of truth, powerful analytics, and root-cause identification

What are the latest use cases that Apstra supports?

Apstra 4.2.0 brings usability and intent-based analytics enhancements to operators and developers. Juniper Validated Designs (JVDs) ensure data center reliability based on proven, repeatable architectures. Flow data allows operators to connect data center fabric management with application performance. Integrations with Terraform and Kubernetes, along with existing Juniper integrations with key cloud tools and technologies, ensure that private data center infrastructure and operations seamlessly fit into an organization’s cloud strategy.

What devices does Apstra support?

Juniper Apstra software runs on data center equipment from Juniper, Cisco, and Arista, and on devices running the SONiC open-source networking operating system. See the full list of supported environments here.

What topologies does Apstra support?

With Apstra Freeform Reference Designs, Apstra empowers organizations to customize, automate, and manage their networks across virtually any topology, from core to edge.

What are Apstra reference designs?

Apstra provides 3/5-stage, spine-leaf, collapsed fabric, and Freeform reference designs. These reference designs address the challenge of creating a coherent data center network that’s more than the sum of its functioning components. Apstra reference designs define how the business intent of the user is mapped to enforcement mechanisms and what expectations must be satisfied for the intent to be deemed fulfilled.

What are some common Apstra data center network use cases and functions?

Some typical use cases and functions of Apstra include the following:

  • Lifecycle management, including unified management across data centers from a single centralized tool
  • Network operational visualization with no-code Graph Explorer, integrated flow data, and monitoring with intent-based analytics
  • Network operating system upgrade management
  • Protection from configuration and change management errors with configuration rollback tools
  • Outage root-cause analysis for accelerated MTTR
  • Integrated data center interconnect (DCI) lifecycle management with seamless VXLAN stitching
  • Security policy evaluation and assurance
  • Configuration and event correlation between VMware environments and data center networks
  • Capacity planning and utilization monitoring

What license options are available for Apstra?

Juniper offers a three-tiered licensing subscription model, enabling you to choose the one that unlocks the greatest value for your investment.

  • Tier 1: Standard, which includes basic configurations and operation
  • Tier 2: Advanced, which includes all the features in Standard and supports full operation, assurance, and advanced intent-based analytics (IBA)
  • Tier 3: Premium, which includes all the features in Advanced and supports large-scale multivendor environments and policy control

 

Contact your Juniper sales representative to discuss the appropriate license tier for your data center.

What license tier is required if I need to manage multiple vendors?

The Premium license tier includes support for both Juniper and non-Juniper devices. The Standard and Advanced tiers provide support for managing Juniper devices only.

What are the installation requirements for Apstra?

Customers have a choice of a hardware or virtual platform. View Apstra supported hypervisors, versions, and recommended VM resources here.

Where can I get help with deploying Apstra?

Juniper has a full slate of training and professional services available to meet your needs. Contact your Juniper Sales Representative for more information. 

Does Apstra support brownfield environments?

Yes, and Juniper and partners can provide professional services to assist you. 

How do I upgrade to the latest Apstra release?

Refer to the Apstra user guide for upgrade procedures. Note that since the Apstra platform is a management tool and does not operate in the network data plane, upgrades will not impact network traffic.

What external server virtualization and workload management systems does Apstra integrate with?

Apstra integrates with VMware NSX-T and VMware vCenter to provide visibility and configuration validation to both network and VMware operators. This integration speeds the resolution of any mismatches among port groups, fabric VLANs, and Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP) configurations. It also accelerates the troubleshooting of any virtual networking and VM traffic issues.

What are best practices for Apstra deployment and Apstra-managed network designs?

Installation, user, and developer guides, implementation best practices, and additional support resources can be found here