Hello Everyone!
I am so excited that it is FRIDAY!!!! It's been such a busy summer, so it will be good to have a nice relaxing weekend.
You know what makes me even more excited than a relaxing weekend? That's right, FEATURE FRIDAY!!
And guess what! We released a new version of the Session Smart Router software on July 18th! A major version too! 6 dot OHHHHHH yea!!!! So that means, it…is…RELEASE EDITION!!!!!!! <Insert Sirens and Confetti>
6.0, wow. I can't believe we made it. This is THE release we've all been waiting for. So many cool features come in this release. Let's take a look at some of my favorites:
- IP TTL Handling
- IPv6/v4 Dual Stack Operation
- Appliance Image-based Installation
- Mist Self-Registration and Onboarding
IP TTL Handling
Last time we talked, we discussed Secure Vector Routing (SVR). With SVR, because the packets just look like standard TCP/IP packets, as each packet traverses a hop, SSR or not, its TTL will decrease by 1. Many people like this because it helps allow trace-route to work and you can use the TTL value to determine how many routers your packets are traversing. However, if you were using tunnels and have now switched over to SVR, you may not like this. Because of how IP headers are applied with tunnels, the original TTL is preserved on both ends of the tunnels. Well, you no longer need to fret, with this IP TTL Handling feature you can now choose if you want to preserve your TTL by adding some padding to the TTL value. You can either put in a numeric value for your padding or choose automatic and have the SSR use its BFD to determine how much padding to add to the TTL. Click here to check out a description of this feature.
IPv6/v4 Dual Stack Operation
That's right, you read that correctly. The Session Smart Routers now have full Dual Stack Operation!! Want to configure that network-interface with both IPv4 and IPv6 addresses? Go right ahead. Back when I was a Technical Trainer, this was a request I saw very often. Got to make your network future proof and prepare everyone for IPv6.
Appliance Image-based Installation
This only applies to Mist-managed deployments right now, but an image-based ISO installation process has been implemented. For conductor-managed deployments, the package-based installation is used. The image-based installation creates two volumes on the disk, installs the full 6.0 image into one of the volumes, and boots into that image. When an upgrade is initiated, the new ISO image is copied into the other volume. The upgrade process then copies configurations and persistent information from the old image to the new image, then reboots into the new version. Click here to check out a description of this new installation method and see the steps on how to use it.
Mist Self-Registration and Onboarding
New enhancements to WAN Assurance allowing you to fully manage your Session Smart Routers from the Mist Cloud. If you've watched any of the demos or visited us at any of the conferences, you may have already seen how cool this is. For those that have not, the benefits that come from the SSR being managed by Mist are countless. Some highlights:
Simplified Management and Configuration
- If you already manage your APs and Switches using Mist, you can now manage your SSRs through the same dashboard for single pane of glass management.
- If you are only an SSR customer and are thinking about upgrading your APs and Switches, this will make that onboarding process a lot easier.
- We love the Conductor for all of the fine-grained features it offers, but sometimes simple is the way to go. With Mist management you don't need to know about Tenants, Services, Neighborhoods, etc.
Reduce Troubleshooting Time
- You can use Marvis and AI/ML to help you monitor and troubleshoot your network. Marvis gives you proactive information to help you resolve issues often before the end user notices. Marvis is also an easy to use virtual assistant with an intuitive chat function that helps you identify and resolve issues. This significantly reduces MTTR when trouble tickets come in. For example, you can type "Justin had a bad Zoom call" and Marvis will tell you exactly what went wrong and how to fix it.
Faster Deployments
- There is true ZTP. You can simply scan a QR code or input a claim code, plug your router in to the internet and then let it receive its configuration from the Mist Cloud. Boom done.
Enhanced Visibility
- If you get the Full Stack (AP, Switch, SSR), you will have true client to cloud visibility of your network and when an issue arises, you will know where the issue is, i.e. on the client, the AP, the cables, the switch, the router, the ISP, or the application itself. Think about how much time this will save you on troubleshooting!
For details, on how to onboard your SSRs to the Mist Cloud, check out these docs. We will definitely be writing a lot more about WAN Assurance in the future, but also check out:
Blog: Assuring Excellent User Experiences with AI-Driven SD-WAN
Demo: Design, Deploy, and Operate a Full Stack Branch with Mist AI Demo (17:09)
Demo: AI-Driven SD-WAN Demo: WAN Assurance (5:37)
Video: Why Juniper Full Stack – Sudheer Presents at Networking Field Day 27 (13:32)
To learn more about these features and the others released in 6.0, see this link.
Now, we want to hear from you! Let us know what you are thinking:
- Which 6.0 feature excites you the most?
- Are you going to check out WAN Assurance?
- How would you like your SSR to handle TTL with SVR? Keep it as is or add some padding?
- Once you get some experience with some of these new features, let us know what you think about them and if they solve any of your current issues.
Looking forward to hearing back from you! Let us know if there are any features you would like to see us talk about. In the meantime, have a safe, happy, and healthy weekend!
#FeatureFridays #6.0
#WANAssurance #IPv6 #IPv4 #Mist #ttl #Marvis #AI/ML #SSR #SessionSmartRouter
------------------------------
Justin Melloni
------------------------------