[c-nsp] LSR platforms

[aaron1 at gvtc.com]

For several years, I've been running an MPLS network with several ASR9000's on 1/10/20-LAG gbps interfaces.  They operate very well.  ASR9006's mainly, and a ASR9010

I've heard of the NCS5xxx as potentially what you might want as a dedicated P LSR.  Can't speak from experience, other then early trials with it in my lab (but that was from several years ago, and it had serious issues, but in their defense, might have been because it was an early release, I dunno)

More recently, as we evaluated our growth and bandwidth expansion strategy, we realized to move to 100 gig interfaces, would need to gut the ASR9xxx...(from older trident lc's and 4g rsp's) so we went back and look at other vendors.  We decided to drop in a "super-core" at 6 key locations, and uplink the previous ASR9k ring into the new Juniper MX960 super-core.  Have been quite pleased with the MX line.  You have MX240 small, MX480 medium, MX960 large.  Cisco has similarly sized ASR's.  

Both Cisco's ASR and Junipers MX are sweet, and stout products with their respective XR and Junos OS's.  I've grown to like Junos more, even though XR was quite the (needed) improvement for the small/medium SP. (I guess some folks were benefiting from XR in the GRS and CRS for years)...frankly, seemed cisco HAD to get XR into something mid-sized to compete with Juniper's Junos.  My perspective.

BTW, on mpls agg edge we had Cisco ME3600's for years too, pretty decent, but out grew them...likewise, went with Juniper ACX5048 there.  I'd probably consider the ACX5448 or even more so the MX204 for that smaller edge at this point, as I don't think the ACX5048 integrates routing into MPLS L2 services... where as I was able to accomplish that on ME3600's and I think MX204 can too. (I think even the ACX5448 can)... but we are able to do lots of L3VPN on the ACX5048 for residential bb, and cell back haul pw's ... tons.

Sorry for getting long winded


- Aaron