Nexus 9k as a WAN Edge Router??? vs. ASR1001

[M30625]

Even though you can do it,, does anyone know some good technical reasons why a Nexis 9k should not be used as a WAN edge router terminating Ethernet handoffs from a service provider, especially if the ethernet access is connecting to an MPLS provider with 100s of sites. Please feel free to compare advantages/ disadvantages to using and ASR1001. Thank you!!!

[Andrea Testino]

Hi there!

If it helps at all -- The Nexus 9Ks were made for Data Centers. I like to think of them as switches that happen to have the MPLS feature available. Their routing scale and buffering architecture may be likely to burn you at some point by using them in a way they were not intended. Just the wrong tool for the job.

There is a -R (Broadcom-based) Nexus 9K (there's a Nexus 3600-R series as well) that has a much better-suited routing scale (larger forwarding tables) and different buffer architecture for this very application though. 

If you are trying to bypass the ASR's lack of port density, cost, etc. I'd look at the NCS5500 as an example.