Which task does a Routing Engine perform in Junos OS?

In Junos OS, the Routing Engine is primarily responsible for managing the routing protocols and the routing table. One of its critical tasks is to calculate the best paths for network traffic and subsequently install all active routes into a separate forwarding table, commonly referred to as the Forwarding Information Base (FIB). This process ensures that the routing decisions made by the Routing Engine are effectively used for actual packet forwarding.

The forwarding table allows the device to efficiently route incoming packets based on the predefined routes, ensuring that traffic reaches its desired destination swiftly. This separation of the controlling functions of the Routing Engine from the actual forwarding hardware helps optimize network performance and can enhance overall system stability.

While other components may handle physical connections or failover scenarios, those tasks do not align with the core function of the Routing Engine in the context of routing and forwarding within the Junos OS architecture.