[c-nsp] ASR1004 vs 7606(RSP720-CXL)

[Asbjorn Hojmark - Lists]

On Fri, 27 Nov 2009 14:33:37 +1100, you wrote:
>> Except, of cause, the N7K doesn't currently do MPLS and won't for
>> another year, and when it does it will, as always, be released in
>> fases. 

> fast forward to now from Nexus first release and some of the functionality
> enabled by Nexus and NX-OS are used by many folks outside of the 'strict'
> historic DC positioning

Yes, but MPLS was specifically mentioned. So when will the N7K do MPLS
VPN, TE, EoMPLS, and VPLS? Oh, it isn't even EC'd? And that's just at
the high level, so when we get to the nitty gritty details of each of
them, there will be more waiting...

>> 'Don't send a switch to do a router's job'.

> "routers" will always have deeper buffers, esoteric queueing structures
> and more functionality by virtue of the choice of software processing
> and/or programmable NPUs used.

Hardware architecture aside, 'routers' will normally also have those
crucial 'router features' from day 1. You won't have to wait years for
them.

> however many folks today consider c6500/c7600 to be "router" platforms
> and they are fundamentally PFC3 based.

Yup, but if you want to do anything remotely 'fancy', you'll be using
the NPU-based blades at more or less the same price per blade as the
whole original router...

> i think both have their places.

Sure, there's a place for a great DC switch. The switching fabric in
the N7K is a fantastic piece of engineering, for example, and it's a
good thing it found it's way into the ASR 9000 too.

-A


PS: Even then 6500 does MPLS VPNs, and we have DC customers who can't
migrate to the N7K (for higher density 10G and lower price per 10G
port), because it doesn't do MPLS VPNs. (Oh, and that box from Vendor
J does).