Updated
Why the Juniper MX304 Is a Game-Changer for Edge Networking
Juniper MX304: a 2U router with 4.8 Tbps, up to twelve 400 Gbps ports, one or two Routing Engines and inline MACsec, with figures from Juniper's guide.
In the catalog: MX304-BASE
Model pages: Juniper MX304
Juniper's MX304 system overview describes the MX304 as a highly compact 2U platform with 4.8 Tbps of system capacity, built on the Trio 6 chipset for edge uses such as business, residential, mobile, cable and data center service. The router grows by line-card modules, and it can run one Routing Engine or two. This page sets out those figures from Juniper's documents, and what they mean when you are choosing a chassis, a Routing Engine count and a line card. The base system is the MX304-BASE, and the family is on the Juniper MX304 page.
At a glance
| MX304 | |
|---|---|
| Height | 2U; 3.5 x 17.63 x 24.01 in (H x W x D) |
| System capacity | 4.8 Tbps |
| Chipset | Trio 6 |
| Line-card modules (LMICs) | up to 3, each with 1.6 Tbps of forwarding capacity |
| Ports | up to 12 x 400 Gbps or 48 x 100 Gbps, or a combination |
| Routing Engines | 1 or 2, each with 8 cores and 128 GB of RAM |
| Power supplies | 2 (1+1): JNP-PWR2200-AC, -DC or -HV |
| Fan modules | 3, front-to-back cooling |
| Encryption | inline MACsec on all ports at all speeds |
Three LMICs, three bundles
Ports come from line-card modules, or LMICs. Each LMIC holds optics directly on the card and is a field-replaceable unit. The MX304-LMIC16-BASE carries 16 ports of 100GbE, or four ports of 400GbE, and the 16-port card draws 410 W at most and weighs 6.17 lb (2.8 kg). Three LMICs at 1.6 Tbps each make up the chassis's 4.8 Tbps.
The chassis is sold in two bundles. Both include two power supplies and three fan trays:
- MX304-BASE: one Routing Engine. The second Routing Engine slot can take a third LMIC, so a BASE system can reach three LMICs.
- MX304-PREM: two Routing Engines, which gives routing-engine redundancy. With both Routing Engine slots filled there are two LMIC slots. The MX304-PREM is the one to choose when the router cannot go down for a Routing Engine failure.
Juniper states that Routing Engines, power supplies and cooling fans all have hardware redundancy options, and that only a fully configured router provides complete redundancy. From Junos OS 24.4R1 the LMICs are hot removable and hot insertable.
Power and heat
Juniper's hardware guide gives a heat output of 4,095 BTU per hour at 1,200 W for a two-Routing-Engine system with two LMICs and 32 ports of 100GbE optics at 25 C. The power supply modules come in AC, DC and high-voltage AC/DC versions, so the router can be fed from a data center DC plant or from a high-voltage feed. The router operates at altitudes up to 6,000 ft with no performance loss.
Security and the Routing Engine
The MX304 has MACsec available on all ports and at all speeds in inline mode. Juniper says this adds no latency and needs no external crypto component. The Routing Engine is built on a CPU with 8 cores and 128 GB of RAM, which Juniper says meets the control-plane scale needs of the platform.
Where it fits
Juniper names the MX304 for service uses that include business edge, peering, backhaul, VPC gateway and enterprise WAN. Compared with the one-unit MX204, it is a bigger and more flexible router: the MX204 is a fixed box with 400 Gbps and no way to add ports, while the MX304 adds LMICs and runs to 400GbE. The MX204 vs MX304 guide compares the two directly, and the MX204's own lifecycle dates are in Juniper MX204 end of life.
What to check before buying
- Which bundle it is. A bare chassis, a BASE system and a PREM system are different products with different Routing Engine counts.
- How many LMICs it comes with, because the line card is a separate part.
- The power supply type: AC, DC or high-voltage.
- Rack depth. At 24 in the MX304 is deeper than the MX204.
Every router Townsend ships is tested first. If you need a bundle or line card that is not listed, send a quote request.
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