Can a router replace (temporarily) a failed CSS?

[bill.zeng]

This may sound strange. But in a practical environment, if a CSS fails (assuming there's no spare or standby/redundant one), can one use a router to replace the CSS and simply copy over the CSS config (taking out the content networking part) in order to continue with the basic TCP/IP routing?

Isn't a CSS just a router plus layer-7 (fw) pathing? ;)

Please comment. Thanks!

[bhose]

Hi,

While the CSS does do basic routing, replacing one with a router is not a simple cut and paste of the config. The CSS is not an IOS type device so the configuration is very different.

[ngorenko]

If you want to replace CSS, you need to specify more detail what tasks CSS performs in your environment.

1. If CSS performs LB in 3- 7 layers, it is possible to replace CSS with Cat6500 with MSFC and native IOS (with or without CSM).

2. The router can replace CSS only to perform LB on 3d layer (but of course peformance will be dramatically decreased)

The router is not designed to perform LB functions.

3. CSS is not a router, CSS is content switch with content routing functions (content routing is not equal to normal routing)

[pknoops]

Bill,

Let me add to the other comments and state that the CSS does not run IOS at all and quite honestly acts as a L3 switch more then it does like a router. What I am getting at is that the VLANs on the CSS need to be bridged, so this is where things can get a bit tricky as far as copying config from CSS to router.

Regards

Pete Knoops

Cisco Systems