Data Center LAN Migration Guide - Juniper Networks

Data Center LAN Migration Guide
Two-Tier Design Facilitates Cloud Computing
By simplifying the design, by sharing resources, and by allowing for integrated security, a two-tier design also enables
the enterprise to take advantage of the benefits of cloud computing. Cloud computing delivers on-demand services to
any point on the network without requiring the acquisition or provisioning of location-specific hardware and software.
These cloud services are delivered via a centrally managed and consolidated infrastructure that has been virtualized.
Standard data center elements such as servers, appliances, storage, and other networking devices can be arranged in
resource pools that are shared securely across multiple applications, users, departments, or any other way they should
be logically shared. The resources are dynamically allocated to accommodate the changing capacity requirements of
different applications and improve asset utilization levels. This type of on-demand service and infrastructure simplifies
management, reduces operating and ownership costs, and allows services to be provisioned with unprecedented
speed. Reduced application and service delivery times mean that the enterprise is able to capitalize on opportunities
as they occur.
Achieving Power Savings and Operating Efficiencies
Fewer devices require less power, which in turn reduces cooling requirements, thus adding up to substantial
power savings. For example, a simplified design can offer more than a 39% power savings over a three-tier legacy
architecture. Ideally, a common operating system should be used on all data center LAN devices to reduce errors,
decrease training costs, ensure consistent features, and thus lower the cost of operating the network.
Consolidating Data Centers
Due to expanding services, enterprises often have more than one data center. Virtualization technologies like server
migration and application load balancing require multiple data centers to be virtually consolidated into a single, logical
data center. Locations need to be transparently interconnected with LAN interconnect technologies such as virtual
private LAN service (VPLS) to interoperate and appear as one.
All this is possible with a new, simplified data center LAN design from Juniper Networks. However, as stated earlier,
Juniper recognizes that it is impractical to flash migrate from an existing, operational, three-tier production data center
LAN design to a simpler two-tier design, regardless of the substantial benefits. However, migration can begin as a result
of any of the following trigger events:
• Addition of a new application or service
• Refresh cycle
• Server virtualization migration
• Data center consolidation
• Business continuity and workload mobility initiatives
• Data center core network upgrade
• Higher performance and scalability for security services
The design considerations and steps for initiating migration from any of these trigger events is covered in detail in
Chapter 3: Data Center Migration—Trigger Events and Deployment Processes.
12 Copyright © 2012, Juniper Networks, Inc.