Hi Lee.
I hope you´re doing well.
Here some details that may help you understand a bit more about PFE and RE in Junos.
Junos OS runs on the Routing Engine. The Routing Engine kernel coordinates communication among the Junos OS processes and provides a link to the Packet Forwarding Engine.
A switch has two primary software processing components:
Packet Forwarding Engine:
—Processes packets; applies filters, routing policies, and other features; and forwards packets to the next hop along the route to their final destination.
Routing Engine—Provides three main functions:
Creates the packet forwarding switch, which provides route lookup, filtering, and switching on incoming data packets, and then directs outbound packets to the appropriate interface for transmission to the network.
Maintains the routing tables used by the switch and controls the routing protocols that run on the switch.
Provides control and monitoring functions for the switch, including controlling power and monitoring system status.
Cheers.
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