[c-nsp] XRv (xr on a server)

[Nick Hilliard]

On 03/10/2013 16:16, quinn snyder wrote:
> on a side note -- it requires a lot of compute to run successfully (ram
> and proc).

It shouldn't need that much (although the csr1000v's insane compute
requirements are a complete mystery to me) - anyway, ram and cpu are both
cheap resources these days.

> large scale networks will require large pools of  resources.

This may or may not be true, depending on the scale of what you're trying
to model.  A hypervisor with 8 cores and 128 gigs of ram costs a small
amount of money, and would be enough to run a relatively large model
deployment.

> the software may be free -- but running it may not be if you're short on
> servers.

The software costs money to develop but there is no cost associated with
making another copy of it.

The most important thing for Cisco to remember is that it's trivial to
build virtualised test labs with Junos Olive.  This approach allows people
to learn enough about the operating system that they feel comfortable about
switching to or buying more Juniper kit.  I know a good many people who
started out with Olive and who liked it so much they started buying Juniper
kit in volume.  Cisco really missed the boat on this - to their cost.

I don't particularly expect Cisco to provide this sort of facility for
free, but unless they refrain from their usual policy of premium pricing,
I'll shrug my shoulders, then move on and spend my budgets on other vendors.

Nick