Juniper Networks' SD-WAN feature is part of its Cloud CPE (Customer Premises Equipment) solution. Cloud CPE is designed to deliver virtualized network services using SD-WAN functionalities, enabling efficient and flexible network management.
In an API-based SDN implementation, the SDN controller communicates with the network devices through APIs, but the control plane typically remains on the individual devices. This means that routing and signaling logic are handled by each device itself, rather than being centrally managed by the SDN controller. The SDN controller provides an abstraction and management interface, but it does not move the control plane off of the devices.
The Path Computation Element Protocol (PCEP) enables communication between a Path Computation Client (PCC) and a Path Computation Element (PCE), which is typically a component of the NorthStar Controller. This protocol is used specifically for learning about the network topology and LSP path state. PCEP is fundamental in the NorthStar Controller's operation to compute and manage paths in a WAN network.