re: Cisco Storms the Metro EdgeLet me explain to you why this article is nothing but Cisco propaganda.
Firstly, the smaller GSRs are just that... smaller GSRs. Good move on behalf of Cisco, but not really innovative or *new*. Nothing here that I would catorgorise as "storming into the edge".
Secondly, the IP Services Engine line cards that offers enhanced services... the fact that any practical detail about the card's capabilities is not printed in the article is indication enough to me that the author has either not done the research, or simply ommitted any real information you and I could use.
So, the IP Services Engine cards... they exist in only OC3 and OC12 form. Thats 155M and 622M folks. No ethernet, not DPT/RPR, no OC48, no OC192. Hmmm, not really in the same league as the article which goes on and on about 10GE and OC192 and DPT/RPR. And hardly storming...
According to the Cisco web site, the IP Services Engine has the following 'enhancements'... APS, IPv4 unicast forwarding, IPv4 multicast forwarding, xACLs, CAR, a little netflow, and some testing and diags. I'm struggling to find something here that gonna shake my world. How about some traffic shaping, how about some VPN or IPSec functionality, how about ATM encap, how about something at all.
No mention from the Ciso site about performance improvements of the card either. Just leaves you wondering about reality.
re: Cisco Storms the Metro EdgeFirstly, the smaller GSRs are just that... smaller GSRs. Good move on behalf of Cisco, but not really innovative or *new*. Nothing here that I would catorgorise as "storming into the edge".
So, what are your qualifications for an edge router? Are there any out there that meet your specifications and are 10 gig capable?
No mention from the Ciso site about performance improvements of the card either. Just leaves you wondering about reality.
"Cisco 12000 Series ISE line cards are built on an architecture that is optimized to deliver 4 Mpps forwarding performance with a comprehensive suite of edge features."
re: Cisco Storms the Metro EdgeOf course I don't have a set of specs that I think define an edge router. Those of us in customer-land need to continually match customer requirements with vendor capabilities. And most of the time, it's a business issue, rather than who's got the biggest fastest widget.
Features and capacity... there's the quandry. Everyone will say 'you can have both', but you never can. I don't wanna start a vendor war here, so I'll just go with this... Cisco once famously refused to contribute to the old Switch Performance Metric that the Tolley Group defined, stating that business customers were more interested in features than outright performance. For this 'heresy' Tolley savaged Cisco online, though I doubt anyone really took the Tolley Group seriously anyway. The point is... Cisco were absolutely right back then, capacity/throughput/speed is not a feature, its a characteristic that needs to be balanced with the needs of now and the forseeable future.
Good spotting on the 4Mpps reference... pity we didn't see that in the original LR article.
re: Cisco Storms the Metro EdgeSorry, since I don't write for an online mag, I miss stuff. There is reference to an OC48 ISE at...
That's some good research... the article boasts an 80 Gb box, but if all you can use with these not-so-hot features is four 2.5 Gb interfaces, it's a totally different story. Also, does this IP services line card take up one interface slot? How many 2.5 Gb interfaces can the ISE service? There's a lot of caveats here.
re: Cisco Storms the Metro EdgeThat's some good research... the article boasts an 80 Gb box, but if all you can use with these not-so-hot features is four 2.5 Gb interfaces, it's a totally different story. Also,
Don't confuse the 12404 with the ISE, one is a linecard, one is a chassis. Nothing stops you from loading the 12404 up with DS1 interfaces, in which case you will not get 80Gb, but if you want to load it up with OC192 interfaces, then you will get 80 Gb.
does this IP services line card take up one interface slot? How many 2.5 Gb interfaces can the ISE service? There's a lot of caveats here.
A. The Cisco 12000 Series IP Services Engine (ISE) is a new Layer 3 forwarding engine for Cisco 12000 Series Internet Routers. It forms the basis for a new line of unique programmable, high-performance, edge-optimized line cards:
Cisco 12000 Series Sixteen-Port OC-3c/STM-1c POS/SDH ISE Line Card
Cisco 12000 Series Four-Port OC-12c/STM-4c POS/SDH ISE Line Card
Cisco 12000 Series One-Port OC-48c/STM-16c POS/SDH ISE Line Card
Cisco 12000 Series Sixteen-Port Channelized OC-3/STM-1 (DS3/E3) POS/SDH ISE Line Card
Cisco 12000 Series Four-Port Channelized OC-12/STM-4 (DS3/E3, OC-3c/STM-1c) POS/SDH ISE Line Card
Cisco 12000 Series One-Port Channelized OC-48/STM-16 (DS3/E3, OC-3c/STM-1c, OC-12c/STM-4c) POS/SDH ISE Line Card
re: Cisco Storms the Metro Edge" Also, does this IP services line card take up one interface slot?"
The ISE "IP Services Engine" is not a dedicated card, it is a series of new line cards. I would suppose it uses Ciscos PXF architecture but I don't know for sure.
re: Cisco Storms the Metro EdgeThe ISE "IP Services Engine" is not a dedicated card, it is a series of new line cards. I would suppose it uses Ciscos PXF architecture but I don't know for sure.
PXF is used on the Catalysts I believe. These cards are a new linecard architecture for the GSR, called, oddly enough ISE :)
http://www.cisco.com/warp/publ...