T1 over Ethernet?

[Henry Pugsley]

I have a customer who currently has several T1 tie trunks to link remote PBXs together.  They also have a high speed metro Ethernet service that links all of the sites.  Since the cost of T1s is increasing and the cost of Metro-E is decreasing, they want to find a way to send the T1 traffic over the Metro-E.  I found a 3rd-party product that fits the bill (http://www.rad.com/15/E1-T1-Circuit-Extension-over-Metro-Ethernet/4581/) but I would like to use the existing Cisco gateways if possible.

Unfortunately, the PBX uses a proprietary TDM protocol that splits the raw T1 into 6 control channels and 21 voice channels.  It is an ancient PBX (Intecom Aastra) that apparently predates the development of modern PRI protocols.  All of the Cisco documentation I've found for extending T1s focuses on normal voice circuits, where the T1 is split into 24 channels and signaling is handled just like another voice channel.  I don't see how to do this with the proprietary PBX protocol.

I found the Four-Port T1/E1 Circuit Emulation Network Module (NM-CEM-4TE1), but that is EOL.  It is replaced by the MWR-2941 which is also EOL, replaced by the ASR 901 -- which has a $7k list price.  Are there any other alternatives in the Cisco world?

[Joseph W. Doherty]

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Posting

Unfortunately, I'm unable to help you with your original question, but I did want to mention, if some T1 traffic is passed across a metroE link, you might have quality of service issues.

[Henry Pugsley]

QoS has been taken into account.  The Metro-E provider supports a priority voice queue and each site has 1 gigabit connectivity to a main site with 10 gigabit connectivity.

[Joseph W. Doherty]

Disclaimer

The Author of this posting offers the information contained within this posting without consideration and with the reader's understanding that there's no implied or expressed suitability or fitness for any purpose. Information provided is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as rendering professional advice of any kind. Usage of this posting's information is solely at reader's own risk.

Liability Disclaimer

In no event shall Author be liable for any damages whatsoever (including, without limitation, damages for loss of use, data or profit) arising out of the use or inability to use the posting's information even if Author has been advised of the possibility of such damage.

Posting

Well as long as your T1 circuit emulation traffic is placed in PQ, then you should be okay.