Hello everyone, I just acquired an older SRX110H2 switch and I’m planning to install it on my existing setup to connect a server. I have several devices—laptops, printers, etc.—that I want to reach across all my systems. My current setup runs Windows 11 Pro with a Ryzen 9 5900X (12 cores/24 threads), 3.6GHz processor, 128GB RAM at 1333 MHz, ROG Crosshair VIII Hero WiFi motherboard, and an RTX3060 graphics card (supports two monitors). I also have a Viglen IX1300 Server running Windows 10 Pro, Intel Xeon, 8GB DDR3 RAM, a RAID array with three 2TB HDDs in RAID 5. The switch I’m using is a Juniper SRX110 System Server, which has 2GB RAM, eight ports, and a CF card slot (a 2GB card will arrive this Monday).
I have no prior experience with servers or switches, so I’m looking for guidance on the essentials. I’d like to understand what I can configure, how to secure the system, route my ISP router through it, and more. Do you have any simple (KISS) resources or someone here who’s comfortable walking me through this? I’m new to programming, servers, or networking—just basic DOS skills and assembling PCs. Thanks in advance!
That's a complete branch router, that is not a switch. It's like a combo unit but on steroids (for being so old). I honestly, if you want simple, would suggest you just get a gigabit unmanaged switch. That is going to require SSH or Telnet and likely a console cable to get it setup the first time. If you want to keep it simple, don't mess with this unit, it's enterprise grade and as such is not as simple as push a couple buttons, check some boxes, and done. If you really want to learn you're in for a steep learning curve, that's about all I can say. @mynameisjuan might be able to provide more insights as I believe he's worked(works) with Juniper gear
Do you have console access to this box? like @Lurick mentioned, there is a bit more to this box than just a simple switch. If you hook up a serial to USB cable and run putty (windows) or minicom (Linux) you can set the baud rate to 9600 with 8N1, and it should display a terminal. There you can check JunOS version. depending on the version, there might be slight changes in policy/configuration. If you want it to be a dumb switch though,. it should be fairly simple to setup. But if you want to manage your traffic, it will get quite involved quite fast.
Honestly, looking at the specs some more I don't think these ports are switched and would never act like a switch. I believe they're all routed ports with a firewall built into the box. It might have a built in switch chip (which wouldn't surprise me) but everything I see tells me they won't act like switched ports and more like L3 ports. I definitely wouldn't try to setup a firewall/gateway as a switch though.
It's an SRX unit. These enclosures are designed as security appliances or firewalls. You can set them up as switches, though it involves some setup. I previously operated an SRX345 at home. I should explain how I got it to function properly. Configure protocols like L2-learning, global-mode switching, and for each interface specify the relevant interfaces (e.g., { ge-X/X/X }). This changes the behavior so the device essentially skips its security features and acts as a switch. A packet will now pass through the switch chip directly to another port, bypassing further processing on the SRX. This configuration is a bit confusing for a security device, but it works well if you already have an SRX and need a switch.
Check out these connect cables and it suddenly works. https://www.amazon.com/Ethernet-Splitter...00A128S24/ This alternative is a much faster option compared to the one I shared earlier.
It belongs to the J-series, quite outdated. I’d recommend a budget unmanaged gigabit switch since SRX1xx supports fast Ethernet. Also, if you don’t have a Junos image saved somewhere, things will get tough. Junos runs on freeBSD and doesn’t cope well with power outages. If your SRX110 drops power without a maintained partition, it’s likely corrupted—about 99% of the time. Without a backup, the device will fail completely. And you can’t get this without a valid Juniper support agreement. This claim probably didn’t exist in 12.x (the latest supported version) and is usually enabled by default. Just set `interfaces fe-0/0/x unit 0 family ethernet-switching vlan members [ x ]`. You can skip some security layers for traffic switching, but keep firewall rules for protection. On the current branch SRX3xx, you can still use most security options with secure-wire (a transparent L2 firewall) or VLANs on older Junos. It’s not unusual and works well in modern branches. Even Junos has it enabled by default—keep it on for optimal performance.
I didn't have a solid reason to keep it. It came from an online auction of computer items like leads and radios, so I wondered if I could repurpose it. Unfortunately, I feel it's beyond my technical abilities, so I'll sell it and buy an 8-port TP switch (the one I ordered: TP-Link TL-SG108S, 8 Port Gigabit Ethernet Network Switch, Ethernet Splitter, Hub, Desktop and Wall-Mounting, Sturdy Metal, Fanless, Plug and Play, Energy-Saving). Thanks a lot for your help!
This helped me realize things more clearly. I’m planning to replace this with a fresh switch and dispose of the old one!