Juniper Networks recently added a new resource for those new to JUNOS, or looking to try new things with JUNOS.  They are calling it the Day One series and it shows potential.  The goal of each Day One guide is to provide clear, concise, and practical step-by-step instructions for completing common tasks.

Day One booklets give technical readers just what they need to get started on “day one” whether the topic is beginner or advanced; functions, services, or platforms; Juniper specific or general industry. The instructional design focuses on the practical aspects of each topic in a short 64- to 128-page format. The concise booklets offer straightforward explanations, step-by-step instructions, and lots of examples along with best practices, short cuts, alerts, and other tips. They also include Try It Yourself sections that let readers practice commands, configurations, and other steps on their own.

The first booklet, Day One: Exploring the JUNOS CLI,  was released back in May and covers – you guessed it, the JUNOS CLI.  An obvious place to start for this series, it gives a very good basic overview of how to interact with a device running JUNOS.  This first booklet is geared towards those who have never used the JUNOS CLI before and provides a great foundation for the series.

Two new booklets were just announced this week.  They are: Day One: Configuring JUNOS Basics and Day One: Applying JUNOS Automation.  While Exploring the JUNOS CLI and Configuring JUNOS Basics are both members of the JUNOS Software Fundamentals sub-series; Applying JUNOS Automation introduces the new JUNOS Software Automation sub-series.  This is particularly interesting as an indicator of what is to come: I think that we can safely assume that these will not be the only two sub-series’ within the Day One series of booklets (in fact I am sure of it – more on that another day); which means that we can all look forward to many more of these very useful, specialized, practical guides, eventually covering many aspects of networking and features of JUNOS.

I would like to congratulate Juniper Networks on a great concept which has thus far been executed very well!  No one is born a JUNOS expert and not everyone can have one on speed-dial.  This bare-bones practical approach promises to provide plenty of great guides focused on just what you need to know to get going.  Best of all, they are free! Simply register (or use your existing login) and download.  You can also purchase printed copies for around eight bucks.