FreeBSD vs. Junos Network Operating System (Junos OS)

FreeBSD is the closest to a UNIX style operating system. This has been extensively used by vendors in the field of routing, switch and security as their base operating system. This speaks for itself being a reliable, scalable and secure operating system.

Incentivized

Juniper Operating systems are well suited for distribution and edge networks. When we evaluated them for a proposal to core networks we decided to go with other vendors, as the processing capacity of core routers was lower. Typical environments Junos OS has fit in our organization are enterprise, customer edge, distribution networks.

Incentivized

• stability
• security
• scalability

Incentivized

• BGP auto-peering
• Juniper ATP cloud for threat profiling
• Segment Routing algorithms allows customization

Incentivized

• Installation can be tricky for first timers
• You need to be comfortable using a command line terminal most of the time

Incentivized

• GUI has come a long way, but can be improved
• SDN features
• Training, documentations and online discussion forums can be improved.

Incentivized

FreeBSD was the only operating system out of many I tried to install easily on older hardware and to run in a very performant way. For example, I had a lot of trouble trying to get Ubuntu to install on older hardware and when it did, it was too slow to use. FreeBSD installed quite easily and even after installing a desktop such as XFCE - it still run surprisingly fast. I was very impressed with it's performance, which it seems is a goal of the FreeBSD project.

Incentivized

We have stuck to iOS for datacenter networks for many years due to familiarity and ease of use. Junos OS is well suited for business customers, due to cost-effectiveness and not frequent changes to end routers. Junos OS is very comparable to its competitors, but it bit behind on core layer solutions.

Incentivized

• As FreeBSD is free - the ROI is at least the cost of some commercial Linux or Windows based OS (which can be very expensive)
• Allowed the re-use of older hardware that would have otherwise been disposed
• No cost development environment
• Opportunity for a no cost server setup also

Incentivized

• Junos OS is cost effective
• Uptime is impressive and has proven availability
• Lack of training among employees has made it harder for few teams to troubleshoot

Incentivized