[c-nsp] ASR920 vs NCS5000

[Lukas Tribus]

> Now with the NCS5000 I'am wondering now how it competes with the ASR920. It
> has 1/10G and four 100G ports, thats some difference, but beyond that,
> mainly feature-wise (IOX vs XE) what can I expect from both?

The NCS500x is a dumb, dumb switch.

Its a cheap and fast-tracked Trident II+ implementation in IOS-XR.

If you are looking for a dumb P box (LSR) in your MPLS core, with no specific QoS
or queuing requirements, but only straightforward label swapping, then I guess
the box could do the job.

If you are looking for a PE connecting customers, QoS, and whatnot, do not
even think about the NCS. This is not a platform you want to have customers
connected to it. Just go through the QoS limitations in the configuration guides ...

The ASR920 is a small PE device, and will do its job well, has seen lots of deployments
and the code is mature. I doubt the same can be said about the NCS.

Like I said, I would definitely take a look at it for a "dumb and simple MPLS core", but
not for a customer connected device.


Lukas