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EX4200 Line of Ethernet Switches
with Virtual Chassis Technology
The Juniper Networks EX4200 line of Ethernet switches are truly unique, delivering the
best elements of chassis-based systems in a compact and efficient form factor.
Designed for access and aggregation deployments, the EX4200 switches are a superset
of the EX3200 switches, available in the same 24- and 48-port 10/100/1000BASE-T
configurations with full and partial PoE, plus optional GbE and 10 GbE uplink modules.
The EX4200 line also offers a 24-port 100BASE-FX/1000BASE-X SFP-based platform for
Gigabit aggregation deployments requiring the long distance links afforded by fiber.
Virtual Chassis Technology
What sets the EX4200 switches apart is the Virtual Chassis technology that expands
port densities on an as-needed basis. Using Virtual Chassis technology, up to 10 EX4200
switches can be interconnected over a 128 Gigabit-per-second (Gbps) backplane, creating
a single virtual switch supporting up to 480 10/100/1000BASE-T ports and up to 40 GbE
or 20 10 GbE uplink ports.
Interconnected EX4200 switches act as a single logical device, sharing a common
operating system and configuration file; users manage and operate the Virtual Chassis
configuration just like a chassis-based system, greatly simplifying system operations,
maintenance and troubleshooting.
With the EX4200 switch, businesses can start with a single rack-unit device and, as requirements
grow, add new units incrementally, avoiding the large up-front investments required by chassis-
based solutions. Since switches are only added as needed, power and cooling costs are kept to a
minimum, lowering ongoing operational expenses.
High Availability
The EX4200 switches also feature many of the same HA feature as chassis-based
solutions, including internal redundant hot-swappable power supplies and a field-
replaceable fan tray. Three blowers on the fan tray—only two of which are needed to cool
the entire switch—dramatically increase the availability of networked applications. Power
supplies and fan trays are common across the EX4200 line, so spares can be stored onsite
for rapid MTTR.
In a Virtual Chassis configuration, Graceful Route Engine Switchover (GRES) ensures that
network operations continue uninterrupted and no critical routing data is lost following
a master Routing Engine failure. Master and backup Routing Engines are automatically
assigned by the Junos OS, dictating an orderly transfer of control-plane functions.
