[c-nsp] 6500/7600 split, Was Re: EOS/EOL for the 7500 platform

[Dale W. Carder]

On Dec 15, 2006, at 3:34 PM, Peter Salanki wrote:
> I would say that the enterprise and service provider type of networks
> are converging in technology
<snip>
> so I would rather expect a merge of the two BUs than
> even more segregation.

Maybe I'm the only one who thinks the split might be in our best
interest, because Cisco just can't pull it off.

The LAN feature set is huge.  The WAN feature set is huge.  So,
in development of new software, the testing process is probably
getting absolutely out of control.  I would guess that the "suits"
realized that to be competitive, new features need to make it out
the door faster.  To do this, split the software (and testing
process) in half over time.

Look at the competition.  There's a vendor that makes a switch
that can kick the 6500's butt.  There another vendor who's router
kicks the 7600's butt.  If Cisco is forced to keep the "all in one"
platform, the other two vendors will probably spank them because
they can innovate faster within their speciality.

My guess is that the 6500 will continue to be *the* LAN switch/router
platform, with just enough WAN features to get by.  The 7600 will try
to be a Metro/WAN router with just enough LAN features to get by.

It's great that the all-in-one platform has lasted this long.  I
think it could have gone longer if CatOS were abandoned much sooner,
if more effort were put into the PFC, and if the execs at Cisco could
actually manage this big a team for this big a project.  Now, it's
too late.

Just my $0.02US,

Dale

----------------------------------
Dale W. Carder - Network Engineer
University of Wisconsin at Madison
http://net.doit.wisc.edu/~dwcarder