PRP of GSR

[anantmc]

Hi Forum

Does 2 Fast Ethernet interfaces on Performance Route Processor of 12000 series performs normal Ethernet operations or they are for some specific purpose?

Thanks in Advance

Regards

[Josef Oduwo]

The PRP includes two 10/100 Mbps Ethernet ports, each using an 8-pin RJ-45 receptacle for either IEEE 802.3 10BASE-T (10 Mbps) or IEEE 802.3u 100BASE-TX (100 Mbps) connections whilst the PRP-2 includes a 10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet port, which uses the above connections and also a 802.3 Gigabit Ethernet connection.

These Ethernet interfaces are described as primarily management interfaces for the 12000 PRP: http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/sw/iosswrel/ps1829/products_feature_guide09186a00800a8571.html#wp1040011.

I would imagine this duality provides for high availability and redundancy.

The PRP-2 has a single such interface and here, the (Gigabit) ethernet port is for "router configuration and maintenance" (http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/hw/routers/ps167/products_data_sheet0900aecd800f414a.html).

Josef.

[anantmc]

Hi Josef

Thanks for the reply. I have gone through the Data Sheet of PRP but no where it is mentioned these are the management ports.

Regards

Anant

[dwyerr]

Hello,

Here is the install guide for the prp.

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/partner/products/hw/routers/ps167/products_installation_and_configuration_guide_chapter09186a00801f6dca.html#wp1061788

Notice the quote "Providing two IEEE 802.3, 10/100-megabits-per-second (Mbps) Ethernet ports for Telnet functionality "

If you think about the GSRs architecture for a moment, it is designed to handle all of the forwarding functions on the actual line card and not the RP. In fact this how the router can perform as it does , it does not need to consult the route processor to make forwarding decisions. These decisions can be made locally on the line card, typically within ASICs at wire speeds. (This is a very simplistic description of the gsr.) Also consider the type of line cards one would have running in a GSR - OC48 , OC12 , OC3, multiport GIGE , etc etc.

Keeping all of the above in mind, consider what would happen if you tried to route traffic coming from multiple high speed high density line cards, operating at wire speed, through the ethernet ports on the RP/PRP. It would be disastrous.

HTH.

-Rob

[anantmc]

Hi Rob

Thanks for the reply

Regards