[c-nsp] 7304 impressions

[Paul Lustgraaf]

> Does anyone have any 7304 impressions to share ?
> 
> We're considering the platform as a replacement for several 7200s
> where higher capacity & higher density is desired (multiple OC3s,
> DS3s).  These are places on our network where the 7200s don't quite
> cut it anymore but the a 7600 or GSR is just too much.  So the 7304
> seems to fit the requirements nicely.
> 
> The 7304 seems to only support 12.2S trains. So software options are a
> little limited.   Impressions on stability, performance, anything else
> ?  We're leaning towards the NPE-G100 engine (this thing is G1 based,
> right?).  The 3.5 pps offered by the NSE engine is nice on paper, but
> I don't think I'd want to deal with PXF.

I have four 7304-NSE100s that I use for campus border routers.  Early
software didn't support the PXF very well, but now I'm at 12.2.20S6
and life is relatively good.  As long as you avoid features not
supported by PXF, like source routing, the PXF works really real.

I have GE and OC3s on mine, with actual traffic in the few hundred
megabit range.  CPU is nominal with PXF turned on, even with fairly
large ACLs (few hundred lines).

With the PXF processor off, it appears that about 500 Mbps with my
traffic mix and ACLS would be about the limit that the NSE100 can
handle CPU-wise.  The NPE-G100 should be about twice that, but I have
no experience with it.

Your mileage may vary, as the saying goes.

Paul Lustgraaf                   "Change is inevitable.  Progress is not."
Manager of Network Services
Iowa State University Academic Information Technologies  grpjl at iastate.edu
Ames, IA  50011                                               515-294-0324