[25685] in North American Network Operators' Group
RE: Anyone using?
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Timothy Brown)
Fri Oct 29 09:25:52 1999
From: "Timothy Brown" <tim@e-connectsolutions.com>
To: "Chris Flores" <cflores@ixc-comm.com>
Cc: <nanog@merit.edu>
Date: Fri, 29 Oct 1999 09:23:20 +0100
Message-ID: <NDBBJKAAOKIPGLHOIABCCEDCCBAA.tim@e-connectsolutions.com>
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> Simon,
>
> You missed the question. Timothy is interested in finding companies who have
> deployed the latest generation of edge devices. These devices specialize in
> QoS, VPNs and more intelligent(CPU intensive) features. A GSR is not in the
> same classification since this router is meant for the core. Vendors
> competing in the edge space are Shasta, Ennovate, Cosine and Unisphere to
> name a few.
>
> CF
Hi, just piping up for myself a little bit.
Yes, Chris is correct. I am interested in the VSR 15K as a non-core device
(e.g., distribution) for regional hub(s). There is no particular reason I
could not use a Cisco GSR. Perhaps it is best to make it clear what I am
looking for.
I want a chassis-based solution able to provide regional connectivity to a
number of access-level routers. There is a need to provide incredible density
(well, incredible for me, but I don't run a big network) over disparate access
technologies (frame, E-1/T-1, ATM). I don't have a very solid understanding of
many optical technologies just yet, but I am under the impression I can lay my
own dark fiber and put some sort of box on either end, not necessarily a VSR
15K, and run data across it without any telco intervention. Cisco has a line
card (apparently for the GSR) which supposedly does this, their OC-48/STM-16
bidirectional regenerator. Requirements for the chassis-based solution are the
ability of the company providing it to encrypt the data passing over the line
(including such things as routing updates, etc). I know this sounds weird, and
I may not be explaining it all properly. The box has to rock-solid - you can
assume I will be placing it somewhere where I can't go and fix it every time it
breaks. In the past, I have understood that Cisco's reliability record on
devices doing "weird things" has been better than Nortel's.
So, the questions are:
- Does it break under real production loads?
- Is Nortel's engineering team the type to do custom solutions?
(e.g., I provide encryption, they integrate it into their code?)
- Can it terminate(?) dark fiber?
- Does it speak everything it has to? What about non-IP traffic?
- Is the GSR a better solution?
- Is there any other box that can terminate a ghastly amount of
frame, T-1/E-1, DS-3, and OC-48+ circuits?
Regards,
Timothy
