Juniper Networks has announced Juniper Bots, a series of new applications that simplify network operations by translating intent into automated workflows, as well as updates to the Juniper Extension Toolkit.
Juniper Bots comprise a growing ecosystem of new software applications focused on intent and analytics that automate workflows and break the cycle of complex machine-focused automation tools. The bots, which leverage both the Contrail and AppFormix platforms, incorporate real-time analytics that are designed to translate higher-level business requirements (the “what”) into automatic configuration changes across the network (the “how”). New bots that Juniper is announcing include:
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- Contrail PeerBot automates the traditionally cumbersome process of network peering – managing multiple Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) routing and complex policy enforcement – to simplify policy enforcement and on-demand scaling.
- Contrail TestBot, an application that’s part of the firm’s broad effort to help network operators embrace a DevOps approach for Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment, automates the continuous auditing of design, provisioning, and deployment changes in the network.
- AppFormix HealthBot is a machine learning fitness and health tracker for the network that leverages AppFormix to collect real-time network data and glean insight, HealthBot translates troubleshooting, maintenance, and real-time analytics into an intuitive user experience to give network operators actionable insights into the health of the overall network.
The firm has extended the current management and control API framework of Juniper Extension Toolkit (JET) to the data plane, enabling developers to create applications with direct data plane access on Juniper’s vMX and MX Series 3D Universal Edge Routers. Developers using JET now have access to advanced network programmability with Junos OS, giving them increased control over the silicon that powers the most programmable edge routers in the industry.
Sally Bament, vice president, service provider marketing, Juniper Networks, said, “Operating a network is one of the most resource-intensive IT functions within any enterprise, cloud or service provider organisation. Whether it’s ongoing maintenance or moving workloads to the cloud or deploying new services, each step has traditionally required attention to detail and countless hours of planning and execution.
“Juniper Bots bring us closer to our vision for The Self-Driving Network, one that requires less human intervention and the ability to focus on more strategic business initiatives. To move at the speed of business, network operators need to spend less time precisely managing manual network knobs and levers, and more time expressing intent.”
