ASR9000
Encyclopedia
The ASR9000 is a router built by Cisco Systems
, and is intended for Service Provider
market.
The major characteristics are:
or a Router, where a switch bridged L2/Ethernet
traffic, and a router forwarded L3/IP
traffic. As products became more sophisticated, the distinction between a switch and a router became blurred, as high-end switches were being designed to, in addition to bridging, to route traffic as well, and likewise routers were being designed to do L2 switching also. At the same time, it was becoming clear that the needs for the Enterprise market were diverging from those of the Service Provider market. Though still maintaining the terms Switch and Routers in their product names, Cisco divided their high-end networking products into those aimed for the Enterprise market and those aimed for the Service Provider market. In reality, many Enterprise customers use equipment Cisco categorizes under the banner of Service Provider, and vice-versa.
Prior to the introduction of the ASR9k, Cisco's high-end SP product portfolio consisted of the CRS-1, the GSR
, and the 7600
(and the 6500
). The ASR9k fits well within this product portfolio; it is the logical successor to the GSR and the 7600. When the CRS-1 is deployed in a large network at the core, the ASR9k complements it on the edge; both run IOS-XR. In 2011 Cisco announced capacity upgrades and support of innovative new network Virtualization (nV) capability for the ASR9000. In 2011 the ASR9K was awarded "Best Carrier Ethernet Aggregation Product" at the Carrier Ethernet World Congress
Cisco Systems
Cisco Systems, Inc. is an American multinational corporation headquartered in San Jose, California, United States, that designs and sells consumer electronics, networking, voice, and communications technology and services. Cisco has more than 70,000 employees and annual revenue of US$...
, and is intended for Service Provider
Network service provider
A network service provider is a business or organization that sells bandwidth or network access by providing direct backbone access to the Internet and usually access to its network access points...
market.
The major characteristics are:
- From the ground up designed for Metro EthernetMetro EthernetA Metro Ethernet is a computer network that covers a metropolitan area and that is based on the Ethernet standard. It is commonly used as a metropolitan access network to connect subscribers and businesses to a larger service network or the Internet...
networks - Designed for Video and other High Bandwidth applications
- Supports a variety of interface types, those commonly used by Service Providers
- Uses IOS-XR, a full-featured OS
History
In the past, networking equipment was categorized as either a SwitchNetwork switch
A network switch or switching hub is a computer networking device that connects network segments.The term commonly refers to a multi-port network bridge that processes and routes data at the data link layer of the OSI model...
or a Router, where a switch bridged L2/Ethernet
Ethernet
Ethernet is a family of computer networking technologies for local area networks commercially introduced in 1980. Standardized in IEEE 802.3, Ethernet has largely replaced competing wired LAN technologies....
traffic, and a router forwarded L3/IP
Internet Protocol
The Internet Protocol is the principal communications protocol used for relaying datagrams across an internetwork using the Internet Protocol Suite...
traffic. As products became more sophisticated, the distinction between a switch and a router became blurred, as high-end switches were being designed to, in addition to bridging, to route traffic as well, and likewise routers were being designed to do L2 switching also. At the same time, it was becoming clear that the needs for the Enterprise market were diverging from those of the Service Provider market. Though still maintaining the terms Switch and Routers in their product names, Cisco divided their high-end networking products into those aimed for the Enterprise market and those aimed for the Service Provider market. In reality, many Enterprise customers use equipment Cisco categorizes under the banner of Service Provider, and vice-versa.
Prior to the introduction of the ASR9k, Cisco's high-end SP product portfolio consisted of the CRS-1, the GSR
Cisco 12000
The Cisco 12000, also known as a Gigabit Switch Router or GSR, is a series of large network routers designed and manufactured by Cisco Systems. It is marketed primarily to large service providers, as well as for use in some enterprise networks...
, and the 7600
Cisco 7600
The Cisco 7600 series is a series of large network routers designed and manufactured by Cisco Systems.-Key Features:* Chassis ranges: 3-slot , 4-slot , 6-slot , 9-slot and 13-slot ....
(and the 6500
Catalyst 6500
The Catalyst 6500 is a modular chassis network switch manufactured by Cisco Systems since 1999, capable of delivering speeds of up to "400 million packets per second"....
). The ASR9k fits well within this product portfolio; it is the logical successor to the GSR and the 7600. When the CRS-1 is deployed in a large network at the core, the ASR9k complements it on the edge; both run IOS-XR. In 2011 Cisco announced capacity upgrades and support of innovative new network Virtualization (nV) capability for the ASR9000. In 2011 the ASR9K was awarded "Best Carrier Ethernet Aggregation Product" at the Carrier Ethernet World Congress
IOS-XR Release Support
| Date | Release | Details |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 3.7.2 | Initial release of ASR9k |
| 2009 | 3.7.3 | |
| 2009 | 3.9.0 | |
| 2010 | 3.9.1 | |
| 2010 | 4.0.0 | |
| 2011 | 4.0.1 | |
| 2011 | 4.1.0 | |
| 2011 | 4.1.1 | |