[c-nsp] Cisco CNR

[Kurt Bales]

Hey All,

We have received a request from a customer who is looking to upgrade or
replace a Cisco Network Registrar (CNR) 5.1 system. I have read through the
Cisco documentation for the product, as it is not something I have had to
implement before. I have contacted our distributor who was unable to give
any guidance on the product. I am waiting on a callback from our Cisco
Channel Manager to discuss the options further.

As I understand it, the CNR product is essentially a combination of IP
management, device config and firmware management, TFTP, DHCP and DNS
configuration and maintenance. The key being a work flow for integration of
each of these aspects for large scale CPE deployments.

Is upgrading this to a newer (and non-EOL) version going to be an extremely
complicated task, or would an engineer experienced in Cisco router and
switch deployments be able to migrate.

Would a custom application that tied these various services be easier than
doing an upgrade. Both our engineers and our programmers have experience
writing custom applications for provisioning and managing Cisco and Juniper
network equipment.

The current deployment is in a gated community estate with a HFC network run
to a couple of hundred residences including both CPE and Cisco ATAs.

If anybody with experience rolling out these devices wanted to discuss
experiences with deploying this kit with me off list it would be greatly
appreciated.

Regards,

Kurt Bales