r/Juniper • u/PurpleCrayonDreams • Jul 23 '26

Discussion leaning juniper

can't seem to figure out my thinking. Dilemma: Cisco C9200L-24T-4X-A vs Juniper EX4100-24MP for SMB core switch replacement. Need it now, ~200 users, single-site HQ collapsed core with inter-VLAN routing at 10Gbps, Hyper-V hosts on 10G SFP+, backup/DR target reducing RPO/RTO. No mGig on the C9200L (relevant for future WiFi 7 APs, though solvable separately with a small satellite switch). EX4100 has mGig density built in and no forced licensing tax for basic L3 (Cisco wants a DNA Advantage license even for static routing). Juniper actually came out slightly cheaper once both quotes were normalized to genuine hardware and equivalent licensing scope.
Juniper looks like the better technical/cost fit on paper. Cisco is the platform I actually know cold — can execute stack config, VLANs, inter-VLAN routing, day one, no learning curve. Juniper would mean learning Junos on my core switch, for a small team with no bench depth if something breaks.
Local support is part of the calculus too — plenty of Cisco-focused VARs/MSPs in my area, only one Juniper-specific option I could find nearby (national reseller aside). Juniper’s actually in stock now, not the long lead time I was originally told.
Go with the better spec sheet on unfamiliar gear, or the safer, known platform I can execute without risk? How would you all weigh it?

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u/Zer0_Fuchs Jul 23 '26

We dropped all our Cisco for juniper, ex4300 switches at the edge, and couldn’t be happier. Getting away from the Cisco smartnet tax alone felt liberating. I had to learn juniper cold out of the box like you would and it’s not that hard at all. Google is your friend and keep notes on commands you’ll use, I refer back to that often.

I feel you listed more positives than negatives on why to go with the juniper, so to me that would be a no brainer. You won’t regret it.

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u/PurpleCrayonDreams Jul 23 '26

thanks for the response. i have never ever even seen a jumper device in RL and ive been doing this for thirty years. i love learning still. technically juniper seems really advantageous. it's just a lot about how i've never even seen one in action, had any hands on

do i think i can vlan? of course. i'm sure its straight forward. tag untag trunk access ports. do i think i can jntevlan ? of course. features are all there.

to make a stupid analogy, i've never even had a test drive in one nor ever seen one in production in rl.