P-Style PIC

From Juniper Clue

The P-Style PIC was the first PIC style produced by Juniper, for its M40 router. It was later adopted for use in the M20 router, which utilizes the same FPCs and PICs as the M40. Today the M20 is the only currently produced product which utilizes the P-Style PIC. The P-Style interface is currently used only on type-1 PICs intended for use in the classic FPC.

One of the biggest problems with the P-Style PIC is the lack of a mechanism to physically remove the PIC from an FPC, short of pulling out the FPC (disabling it and any other PICs on it in the process) and pulling the P-Style PIC free by hand. The P-Style PIC attaches to the FPC via 2 small screws, which are easily lost and require a P2 screwdriver for proper operation. This is very similar to the Cisco VIP architecture from their 7500 series routers.

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It has been suggested that Juniper might be able to phase out the P-Style PIC altogether in favor of the PE-Style PIC, by making minor physical modifications to the FPC, and issuing a new Craft interface for the M20 which includes per-PIC offline/online buttons. However, based on the M20's age and continued use of components which are not shared with other product lines, it seems more likely that the M20 will simply be EOLed when a replacement product is available.