NA005 - HPE Juniper MIST Automation and the SSR400 launch

Juniper Mist SSR Platform and API Automation with Daniel Petrov and Thomas Munzer

Network Auto Magic Podcast Episode Summary  

Juniper Mist SSR Platform and API Automation

Episode Overview  

This episode features Steinn & Urs discussing Juniper’s Session Smart Router (SSR) platform and Mist automation capabilities with two Juniper guests:

Episode Guests  

• Daniel Petrov: Product Manager for HPE Juniper Networking AI-native SD-WAN team
• Thomas Munzer: Platform team member focused on API integrations and automation (And Steinzi’s personal hero)

Listen to the show on YouTube:  

Listen to the show anywhere:  

• YouTube: @networkautomagic
• Spotify: Network AutoMagic
• Apple Podcasts: Network AutoMagic
• RSS Feed: Anchor.fm

Show notes resources:  

• Create a free MIST account
• Handy mist link repo
• Mist Chrome extension
• Mist API specification official (You need to be logged into a free mist account)
• MIST API reference
• Mist example apps
• Mist postman collections
• SSR400 datasheet
• SSR400 blog
• Secure vector routing explained - SESSION SMART NETWORKING – HOW IT WORKS

What we cover:  

Key Technology Highlights  

SSR (Session Smart Router) Platform  

• Core Technology: Secure Vector Routing (SVR) - eliminates traditional IPsec tunnels
• Key Benefits:
  • Sub-second failover capabilities
  • No fragmentation issues (maintains 1500 MTU)
  • Selective encryption (doesn’t double-encrypt already encrypted traffic)
  • Tunnel-less overlay architecture
  • Fast boot times (under 2 minutes)

New SSR 400 Series  

• Features: Built-in switching, PoE support, 5G capability, built-in Wi-Fi, fanless design
• Power Efficiency: Designed for customers deploying 20,000+ devices
• Security: Built-in IDP engine with simple profile selection
• Licensing Change: Eliminated bandwidth-based licensing in favor of three tiers (Standard, Advanced, Premium)

Security Features  

• Quantum-resistant encryption (NIST FIPS 203, 204, 205 standards)
• Advanced anti-malware and antivirus protection
• SSL proxy capabilities
• Security assurance analytics (13-month traffic analysis)

API and Automation Ecosystem  

API Architecture  

• Scale: Over 1,000 API endpoints
• Philosophy: API-first development - UI uses the same public APIs
• Coverage: Everything visible in UI is accessible via API
• Consistency: Same endpoints work for both SRX and SSR platforms despite different underlying OSes

Developer Tools  

• Python SDK: Comprehensive software development kit
• Terraform Provider: Recently launched for infrastructure-as-code
• Postman Collections: Pre-built workflows and practical examples
• Open API Specification: 100,000+ lines of documentation
• Chrome Extension: Discovers API calls made by the UI

Integration Features  

• Webhooks: Proactive notifications instead of polling
• Audit Logging: Complete change tracking with before/after states
• Template System: Centralized configuration management
• Multi-tenancy: MSP-friendly with UUID-based resource identification

Mist Cloud Platform Benefits  

Management Features  

• Automatic Patching: Security updates applied automatically
• Marvis AI: Proactive troubleshooting and network optimization
• TDR Testing: Built-in cable testing without connected devices
• Dynamic Packet Capture: Automated network troubleshooting
• Idea Portal: Customer feature request and voting system

Operational Advantages  

• Centralized Control: Single pane of glass for access points, switches, and WAN
• Monthly Feature Releases: Continuous platform improvements
• Virtual Lab Support: Can test configurations in virtualized environments
• Instant Power-On: PoE devices get power immediately during boot

Automation Use Cases  

• Site Deployment: Template-based rollouts across thousands of locations
• Security Policy Management: Centralized firewall rule automation
• Network Monitoring: Custom dashboards and executive reporting
• Change Management: Configuration versioning and rollback capabilities
• Multi-vendor Integration: Works alongside other Juniper products (Apstra for data center)

Enterprise Adoption  

• Scale: Customers deploying hundreds of thousands of sites
• Industries: Banks, retail (largest fast food chain), and enterprise customers
• Gartner Recognition: Top-right quadrant for five consecutive years

Developer Resources  

• Apps Lab Portal: Collection of automation scripts and examples
• GitHub Repositories: Python script libraries and tools
• Documentation: Comprehensive API guides and best practices
• Support: Direct access to product teams for troubleshooting

Technical Architecture Notes  

• Cloud-Native Design: Configurations pushed from cloud to devices
• Resilient Operations: Network continues functioning during cloud connectivity loss
• Data Privacy: Only metadata sent to cloud, full packets remain on-premises
• Version Control: Template cloning and configuration management capabilities

Future Outlook  

The episode emphasizes Juniper’s rapid development velocity, strong customer feedback integration, and the strategic advantage of having a unified automation platform across the entire network stack from data center (Apstra) to campus and WAN (Mist).