[c-nsp] 6500, 7600 or ASR

[Jon Lewis]

On Thu, 29 Aug 2013, chip wrote:

> Let's all also remember the TCAM limitations on the 7600/Sup2T platform.
> With the BGP table growing like it is, you'll need to carve up IPv4/IPv6
> TCAM allocation and could likely run out in the not-so-distant future.
> IMHO, unless something amazing happens for the 7600/Supervisor platform,
> this thing is dead as a DFZ BGP router and people should be looking
> elsewhere moving forward.  Both ASR lines (1k/9k) offer much better
> "router" capabilities and growth paths.  The 6500/7600 platform has had a
> helluva run, but I believe its time has passed.

The TCAM limitation will kill the 6500/7600 platform for BGP router use 
_unless_ cisco comes out with a new PFC and DFCs that raises the limit.  I 
still wonder what they were thinking with the Sup2T and why it didn't get 
any more routing slots than the Sup720-3BXL.  This platform is the 
cheapest way to get lots of gigabit (or even 10 gigabit) ports and line 
rate performance in a BGP capable router...but sometime in the next couple 
of years, the current Sups and DFCs probably won't handle a full table. 
More TCAM and faster CPUs could keep the 6500 series viable for a long 
time.

I haven't followed the thread closely enough to know if "netflow" was ever 
elaborated.  The 6500 does netflow.  Whether the netflow it does is 
sufficient for the OPs needs is the question.

----------------------------------------------------------------------
  Jon Lewis, MCP :)           |  I route
                              |  therefore you are
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