Opinion choice cisco

[pierrea33]

Hello,

I allow myself to write to you because we have in the company where I work routers that we would like to change to cisco products.

In particular, we saw the

cisco n9k-c93180yc-fx

what do you think ?

We need a router that supports at least two full tables and the prefixes that we retrieve on different IX (2 in total).

This one may seem right to me, I also saw an

NCS-5501

how many prefixes can it support ?

Thank you in advance and have a good day,

Pierre

[M02@rt37]

Hello @pierrea33,

Cisco Nexus series switches, including the

Nexus 9300

series to which the

Cisco N9K-C93180YC-FX

belongs, are primarily designed for data center LAN (Local Area Network) deployments rather than serving as traditional routers for routing traffic between different networks.

The Nexus switches are often used in data center

top-of-rack or end-of-row

deployments to provide high-performance, low-latency, and high-density switching for servers and storage within the data center network. They are optimized for data center environments and offer features like Virtual Port Channels , VXLAN (Virtual Extensible LAN) to address the specific needs of modern data centers.

While Nexus switches have some L3 capabilities, such as static routing and basic IP routing, they are not typically used as primary routers for managing complex routing tasks, especially handling full BGP routing tables from multiple Internet Exchanges. Instead, for such routing-intensive scenarios, Cisco's routing-focused products like the Cisco NCS series routers, including the

NCS-5501

are more suitable.

What have you got now as routers?

Maximum number of supported prefixes can vary based on the specific use case and the amount of available memory. You mean full table Internet ?

https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/collateral/routers/network-convergence-system-5500-series/ncs-5500-5700-platform-ar-wp.html

[pierrea33]

Hello M02@rt37,

Thank you for your answer.

Currently we have

Arista 7280SR3-48YC8

The

cisco N9K

evoke before seemed to me to be a good understanding because we are looking for distribution but also to do L3, when I was talking about maximum prefix, I meant by that the number of times that can support the routing table with BGP, knowing that a full table is about

900k of prefix,

I would need at least

1800k to see 2000k

Can an NCS have an amount of evolutive ram ? How does it go ?

Have a good day,

Pierre

[Flavio Miranda]

Hi @pierrea33 

 Nexus is not a router and

NCS-5000

is end of sale.

Look for

ISR4331

or, depending on the nework size,

ASR9K

[pierrea33]

Hi @Flavio Miranda,

Thank you for the answer but an ISR is not suitable for what I am looking for, what variant of the

N9K ?

[Flavio Miranda]

You can check here

https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/routers/asr-9000-series-aggregation-services-routers/index.html#~models

[M02@rt37]

 @pierrea33,

you need routing?  go to

ASR9k or NCS5XX

[pierrea33]

M02@rt37,

Thank you for your response.

Okay, Do you have a model to advise me that would hold

2000k-2500k

of prefix ?

[M02@rt37 · Accepted solution]

@pierrea33,

Number of prefix depend of the equipment/IOS etc etc

What is your current router model ?

here the portfolio Cisco Router with their role:

https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/routers/product-listing.html

[Flavio Miranda]

Antother good cisco option would

ASR-1001X

https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/collateral/routers/asr-1000-series-aggregation-services-routers/datasheet-c78-731632.html

[Flowace · Accepted solution]

Hello,

Choosing the right router for your company's needs is an important decision, and I'll be glad to provide some insights on the

Cisco N9K-C93180YC-FX

and

NCS-5501

models.

1. Cisco N9K-C93180YC-FX:

   • The

     Cisco N9K-C93180YC-FX

     is a fixed-configuration, data center switch designed for high-performance and low-latency networking environments.
   • It is part of the

     Cisco Nexus 9300 series

     which is optimized for

     1/10/25/40/50/100 Gigabit Ethernet

     deployments.
   • The

     N9K-C93180YC-FX

     is known for its versatility and scalability, offering support for both Layer 2 and Layer 3 features.
   • It can handle large amounts of traffic and is well-suited for data center deployments and spine-leaf architectures.
   • Regarding routing capabilities, the

     N9K-C93180YC-FX

     can support two full tables and handle BGP routing with the prefixes obtained from different Internet Exchanges (IX).

2. Cisco NCS-5501:

   • The

     Cisco NCS-5501

     is a member of the Cisco Network Convergence System (NCS) series, designed for service provider core and aggregation networks.
   • It is optimized for high-performance, highly scalable, and carrier-grade deployments.
   • The

     NCS-5501

     supports various interfaces, including

     10/25/40/100 Gigabit Ethernet.

   • For routing capabilities, the

     NCS-5501

     can handle a large number of prefixes. The specific capacity depends on factors like the amount of memory and software configuration. With appropriate memory and software licensing, it can support multiple full BGP tables.

When choosing between these two routers, consider the specific needs and requirements of your network environment. The

Cisco N9K-C93180YC-FX

is more focused on data center deployments and may be a suitable choice if you primarily require high-performance switching capabilities with some routing features.

On the other hand, the

Cisco NCS-5501

is designed for carrier-grade deployments and can handle a significant number of BGP prefixes, making it a good fit for service provider networks or large-scale deployments requiring extensive routing capabilities.

To make an informed decision, it is essential to evaluate the specific use case, scalability needs, and future growth expectations of your network. Additionally, consider factors like software licensing, support, and any other additional features required for your environment.

I recommend reaching out to Cisco or an authorized Cisco reseller for more detailed information on each product's capabilities and their suitability for your company's specific network requirements.

As always, consult with networking professionals or specialists who can assess your network's exact needs and help you select the most appropriate solution. I hope this information helps you in making the right choice for your company's network infrastructure. Have a great day!

[pierrea33]

Hello,

Thank you for your message I will study this !

[Flowace]

okay

[r.heitmann]

Nexus 93180yc

is an uncommon solution for an internet-access-router, but - of course it can act as high-performance

IP-Router, routing-tables for IPv4/v6

might be large enough for todays requirements:

https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/collateral/switches/nexus-9000-series-switches/datasheet-c78-742284.html

Item	Cisco Nexus 9300-FX Series Switches
Maximum number of IPv4 Longest Prefix Match (LPM) routes**	1,792,000
Maximum number of IPv6 Longest Prefix Match (LPM) routes**	896,000

How long do you want to use this device before it will be replaced? 3 years, 5 years?

As others mentioned:

• a device "designed as a router" might be more flexible regarding routing-table size.
• former "ISR"-Routers are called "Catalyst" today:

https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/collateral/routers/catalyst-8300-series-edge-platforms/datasheet-c78-744088.html