[c-nsp] ME6524 alternative

[Rubens Kuhl Jr.]

>> Cost issues and the relationship wit the local subsidiary; we have
>> very little problems with the ME6500, one being the BFD with SVIs
>> issue that you don't like either if I recall correctly.
>
> Cost is high but it can cut both ways.  That leads to a long discussion for
> another day and I'm sure you're already familiar with all the talking
> points.

Yeap, but we've got a 3x price hike on the ME6500 from our initial
purchase to current quotes, which left us no choice but to evaluate
alternatives.

> The BFD on SVIs is definitely something that bit me on all my SX/SR
> platforms.  I still don't have a working solution for that problem.

I would really love to just hear what Cisco says about why BFD on SVIs
are a bad thing. They might have a good point.


>> Are you sure ME3750s are doing good for your network ? We had tons of
>> issues with 3750-Metro, a product that I strongly recommend for my
>> competitors... we haven't tested ME3400 which sound very nice (but
>> doesn't have MPLS) or 4500 with Sup-VI (no MPLS on the software yet).
>
> We haven't had any problems with them.  I just returned from the MetroE
> training course in SJC and the ME3750 played an important role in the
> course.  It worked fine in the class.  I think it's important that people
> understand what the ME devices were designed for and deploy them with that
> in mind.  This is something that I failed at initially.  The ME3750 wasn't
> designed to be a generic DC-powered L3 switch.  It was purpose-built for
> L2VPN termination and some aggregation.  When people like myself think that
> it's an all-encompassing MPLS box then they get sorely disappointed.  I was.
>  But it works well for what it was designed to do.

It's good to know that Cisco changed the speech regarding this
product. I think that if one uses only as PE (no other P or PEs
relying on it for LDP of a critical backbone), and it uses only 2
uplinks (no ring or mesh, two uplinks to a P backbone), no L3VPN, it
might work. In the mean time, I'm glad that all the 3750-Metro we've
got were operational leases: we will return them all, so I won't have
to write !@%¨#%¨#@ on the customer satisfaction surveys anymore.


Rubens