Juniper Networks rebuilt its long-standing Contrail Networking platform to be more Kubernetes-friendly in a move targeted at helping telecommunication service providers adopt containers and microservices.

Ben Baker, senior director for product marketing and business analytics at Juniper, explained that the move to make Contrail “Kubernetes-native” makes the newly dubbed CN2 “an extension” of Kubernetes.

He noted that CN2 operates at its base layer as a Kubernetes container networking interface (CNI) using the Kubernetes extension framework that allows it to work as a piece of cluster infrastructure. This extensibility allows telecom operators to use different Kubernetes tools, like kubectl or K9s extensions, to manage their container deployments.

However, Baker added that CN2 is more than a CNI for Kubernetes in that “it gives you this seamless entry point into the Kubernetes ecosystem” of GitOps and infrastructure-as-code models.

“Anytime you're dealing with a telco, you need to think about the legacy and what currently exists, and investment protection is always very important to us,” Baker said. “So with CN2 there’s no need for telcos to get rid of existing investments in virtual network functions, and [virtual machines], and OpenStack environments. We still see a ton of OpenStack environments at telcos, and we don’t think that’s going away anytime soon. But, CN2 bridges the gap between that newer mode of operation with Kubernetes, and applications containerized, and these microservices architectures.”

CN2 joins a growing list of telco-focused platforms that are using Kubernetes and cloud-native principles to help operators act more like hyperscalers. Vendors like Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE), IBM, Dell, Mirantis, and VMware have pumped out systems in this space, while the hyperscalers themselves are also aggressively targeting hosting platforms at operators.

Baker said that CN2’s biggest differentiator in the market is in how it deals with multi-cluster management. He explained that as operators begin deploying their 5G networks, and more specifically in how network functions and applications are being architected, “everything is more dispersed and disaggregated with these architectures.”

“This leads to massive Kubernetes cluster sprawl that make already complex telecom environments harder to manage,” he said. “You need a cluster for each application, for each vendor, and then for the developer environment, the test environment, the production environment, so you have all of these clusters sprawled out.”

CN2 can also run on a single, primary cluster and can serve as the CNI for all clusters. “This is a big deal, and we are confident we solve this better than other competitive solutions out there,” Baker added.

Baker also pointed to efforts around open radio access network (RAN) deployments that will require operators to use Kubernetes to help manage the deployment of hundreds of thousands of new cell sites to support mobile edge computing (MEC) use cases.

“One of the fundamental economic drivers for 5G is you’re getting more dispersed cell sites, operational complexity only gets higher, and you can’t multiple by five the number of cell sites, your edge compute nodes without a heavy dose of automation or it will just become an operational mess,” Baker said.

One move that might trip up some Kubernetes proponents is that Juniper constructed CN2 with open source components, but as a closed source solution.

“Instead of open sourcing as with previous versions … version 22.1 will mark CN2’s introduction – and those that want access can get free trial licenses from Juniper,” wrote James Kelly, senior director of product marketing at Juniper, in an accompanying blog post.

The CN2 launch continues what has been a Juniper journey to integrate Kubernetes into its Contrail platform.

A big push came in late 2000, when it added support for Kubernetes environments running on Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud, and VMs.

“CN2 has been developed to be Kubernetes native, but for us it feels like a natural progression,” Baker added.