[c-nsp] GigE Edge router

[Paul Connally]

We currently have a Cisco 7200 that's running a couple of FastE's and
a DS3 to our upstream providers (speaking BGP), and 100Mb FE to our
LAN.  We're about exceed 100Mb across the WAN, so we're looking to
upgrade to GigE on at least two providers and one of the LAN
interfaces.

We would like (if possible) something that is port-dense in the GigE
area.  Upgrading to a higher end Cisco or Juniper is likely to be
fairly expensive for both the chassis and multiport Gig cards.  We're
toying with the idea of something like a Cisco 4507R or 4510R; they
claim to be able to do layer3 OSPF and BGP, and they offer GigE cards
with a high number of ports.

Can anyone give me some pros/cons of utilizing a 4500 series as a
multihomed, BGP speaking edge router?  Is there a clear reason NOT to
do this, and to go with something like a Cisco 7600 or Juniper M
Series (where the modules are lower density and higher cost per port)?