Basically, routers rely on computation to move traffic based on complex software, offering intelligence at the expense of speed. Switches, on the other hand, depend on mostly predefined hardware designs to forward data at the fastest possible speed. Today's routers typically incorporate L2 switches, and many modern switches have some Layer 3 routing capability. Routers offered by Cisco, the producer of 90% of the world's routers, have improved significantly in capability and performance and Cisco makes an extensive product line that includes routers built to meet the requirements of customers from individual telecommuters to nationwide service providers.
The most recent ISR routers from Cisco offer the speed and built-in functionality to support data voice and video plus virtualization while also offering fault tolerance, web-based administration, seamless scalability, and enhanced protection. Cisco's ISR routers enable your business to establish a firm foundation for an information environment that can evolve seamlessly as you hire new workers, open extra sites, deploy additional services, extend your system to customers and partners, and support an expanding mobile workforce. Progent's Cisco qualified CCIE network engineers offer fast and economical remote expertise to assist you to plan, deploy, administer, update, and troubleshoot Cisco's latest routers and can assist you to maintain your older routers or move efficiently to Cisco's newer router products.
Cisco Routers for Home and Small Offices and Branch Offices
Cisco's routers for smaller companies and remote offices provide affordable and reliable entry-level alternatives that allow limited sets of users to have secure connectivity to wide area networks. These single-configuration desktop routers include at least four Ethernet ports with wireless options and built-in firewall for advanced security. Built for simple setup, administration, and support, Cisco's entry-level routers reduce total cost of ownership by cutting equipment and operational expenses. Progent's online troubleshooting specialists have extensive backgrounds providing immediate and economical IT assistance for small companies to set up and support these routers, and Progent's Cisco-certified CCIE network consultants can help your company to understand whether and how these routers can add to the strategic value of your information network.
ISR 900 Series Routers
The Cisco ISR 900 Series desktop routers are small-footprint, quiet, fixed-configuration devices designed for SMBs, branches, and home offices. These entry-level routers include four managed GE switch ports and can support Metro Ethernet, LTE, and DSL WAN connectivity. Cisco's ISR 900 router product line provides triple the IPsec performance of the ISR 800 Series family of routers. All ISR 900 Series routers feature Group Encrypted Transport VPN, dynamic multipoint virtual private network VPN, Cisco FlexVPN, and firewall. VPN performance is as high as 250 Mbps. All versions allow up to 50 virtual LANs. Supported automatic failover protocols for business continuity include Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol (VRRP), HSRP, and Multigroup HSRP. Provisioning and management can be performed with Cisco Configuration Professional Express, Cisco DNA Center, and Cisco IOS Software. Cisco ISR 900 Series routers do not work with Cisco SD-WAN.
Cisco's ISR 921 router features dual GE WAN ports, LTE Cat 4, and an internal power supply. GE WAN VPN performance is 150 Mbps. The ISR 926 and ISR 927 models use external power and feature a single WAN port, Category 4 LTE, VDSL2 and ADSL2/2+. GE WAN VPN throughput for both routers is 150 Mbps. The top-of-the-line Cisco ISR 931 features dual GE WAN and includes an internal power supply. VPN performance is 250 Mbps.
Cisco Meraki MX Series SD-WAN Security Appliances
The Cisco Meraki MX family of desktop routers provide software-defined wide area networking and cloud-based unified threat management in a single compact appliance able to handle 50 to 200 users. Each MX series appliance must be licensed for the Meraki cloud. For venues having several WAN network connections (e.g., MPLS, broadband, cellular), SD-WAN technology permits admins to assign the WAN connection a given app uses or to build performance-based algorithms to determine the preferred interface. MX fixed-configuration desktop security appliances share important features that include:
Cisco 1000 and 1100 Series ISR Enterprise Branch Routers
Cisco 1000 and 1100 family Integrated Services Routers (ISRs) powered by Cisco IOS XE software are a selection of fanless appliances designed to deliver network connectivity, wireless support, and multilayer security for SMBs, enterprise branch offices, retail stores, kiosks, and machine-to-machine environments. Parallel processing CPU cores and compatibly with Cisco IOS XE allow these routers to offer features consistent with Cisco's entire line of Enterprise routers. 1000 family ISR models are available with 4 or 8 LAN switch ports and provide GE packet forwarding. Various models include PoE and PoE+, auto provisioning, plus a selection of built-in or pluggable connections including LAN, WAN, wireless LAN, G.fast DSL, 4G LTE wireless, 802.11ac Wi-Fi, and SFP Fiber. Cisco 1000 family ISR routers can be used with Cisco's SD-WAN subscription services for seamless multi-cloud connectivity, multilayer security, and centralized management of hybrid networks.
Cisco's 1RU or desktop 1100-4G ISR router includes four built-in GE ports, built-in 3G/4G LTE wireless with two LTE antenna SMA sockets, and a micro-SIM slot. Encryption speed is 200 Mbps. The 1100-6G ISR router adds two 1G SFP ports and features encryption performance of 520 Mbps. Cisco's desktop-only ISR 1101-4P router comes with four built-in GE connections, supports 802.11ac and 3G/4G LTE wireless, and features encryption performance of 280 Mbps. Cisco's ISR 1109-2P/4p desktop routers have two or four built-in GE interfaces and dual pluggable 3G/4G LTE wireless ports. Encryption speed is 200 Mbps.
The Cisco rackmount or desktop 111x-4P/8P ISR routers have four or eight built-in switched GE ports (two or four with Power over Ethernet) and feature VDSL2/ADSL2+, 802.11ac Wi-Fi, 3G/4G LTE, and 1G SFP. Encryption packet processing performance is 280 Mbps. Cisco's 1RU or desktop ISR 1111X-8P router includes eight built-in GE interfaces (four with Power over Ethernet) and a port for SFP. Encryption throughput is 340 Mbps. The ISR 112x-8P router has eight built-in switched GE interfaces with PoE and supports SHDSL, VDSL2/ADSL2+, 802.11ac Wi-Fi, 3G/4G LTE wireless, and SFP Fiber. Encryption packet processing rate is 340 Mbps. The Cisco ISR 1161X-8P router includes eight switched GE ports with Power over Ethernet and provides 3G/4G LTE and SFP Fiber. Encryption packet processing rate is 450 Mbps.
Cisco Catalyst 8000 Series WAN Edge Platforms for SD-WAN and Routing
Cisco Catalyst 8000 line of routers are modular devices intended to work at the WAN edge to support hybrid network environments that can include multiple public and private clouds and cloud-hosted applications. Catalyst 8000 routers use Cisco IOS XE SD-WAN Software and provide scalability, intelligent cybersecurity, and 5G access. Performance is optimized using purpose-built silicon, a multicore architecture, high port density, and line-rate encryption. Cisco's subscription software suites provide continual access to current SD-WAN technology and allow centralized management with enhanced cybersecurity, application-optimized policies, segmentation, and cloud integration.
Catalyst 8200 Series WAN Edge Routers
Cisco Catalyst 8200 routers are successors to Cisco's 4300 Series Integrated Services Routers (ISRs), delivering higher IPsec performance and expandability, hardware-accelerated crypto, plus higher integrated WAN port density. These 1RU routers are built to bring Cisco's Secure Access Service Edge (SASE), Software-Defined WAN (SD-WAN) and 5G-connection technology to enterprise branch offices and the enterprise WAN edge. Cisco's Catalyst C8200L-1N-4T model features four CPU cores, supports 500 Mbps IPsec traffic, and permits 1,500 SD-WAN tunnels. The Catalyst 8200L router does not support container-based applications. The Catalyst C8200-1N-4T model includes eight CPU cores, delivers 1Gb IPsec throughput, permits 2,500 SD-WAN tunnels, and enables edge computing with existing container architectures. Both appliances come with one NIM slot, one Pluggable Interface Module (PIM) slot, two 1G Ethernet WAN ports, and two 1G Ethernet WAN Small-Form-Factor Pluggable interfaces. Four-port and eight-port 1 Gigabit Ethernet switch NIM modules are available for both 8200 routers.
Cisco Catalyst 8300 WAN Edge Routers
Catalyst 8300 Series WAN Edge routers are intended to supersede Cisco's 4400 Series Integrated Services Routers, delivering Cisco's secure SD-WAN solution to mid-sized and large company branches seeking high WAN IPSec performance with integrated SD-WAN services. Advanced features include 5G wireless support, integrated cybersecurity, WAN MACSec, integrated enhanced Layer 2 switching, and Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) with application-aware optimization. Cisco Catalyst 8300 Series WAN Edge routers support edge computing for an in-place container architecture for Cisco UCS-E modules available on Cisco's 4000 Series ISR routers. All models in the Catalyst 8300 Series family support 4,000 SD-WAN tunnels and include backup power supplies for improved availability.
The Catalyst 8300-1N1S-6T router model is a 1RU device that features eight CPU cores and delivers 2G SD-WAN performance and IPsec performance of up to 1.9Gbps. The unit comes with a single Service Module plug-in slot, a NIM slot, and six integrated 1G Ethernet WAN interfaces. The Catalyst 8300-2N2S-6T appliance is a two-rack unit router that includes 8 CPU cores and supports 2G SD-WAN throughput and IPsec data rates of up to 1.9Gbps. The unit has two SM plug-in slots, two Network Interface Module slots, and six integrated 1-Gigabit Ethernet WAN ports. The Cisco Catalyst C8300-1N1S-4T2X router model is a 1RU appliance that includes eight CPU cores and delivers 5G SD-WAN performance and IPsec throughput as high as 15Gbps. The router has one a single SM expansion slot, a NIM slot, two built-in 10-Gigabit Ethernet WAN interfaces, and four built-in 1G Ethernet WAN interfaces. The Cisco Catalyst C8300-2N2S-4T2X device is a two-rack unit router that features 12 CPU cores and delivers 5G SD-WAN data rates and IPsec performance up to 18Gbps. The unit includes two Service Module expansion slots, two Network Interface Module slots, two built-in 10-Gigabit Ethernet WAN ports, and four built-in 1-Gigabit Ethernet WAN interfaces. LAN modules modules available from Cisco range from a 4-port 1G Ethernet switch Network Interface Module module to a 50-port Catalyst L2 switch Service Module.
Catalyst 8500 Series Aggregation Edge Routers
The Cisco Catalyst 8500 Series Aggregation Edge routers are fixed, one-rack unit aggregation appliances for SD-WAN and colocation environments. Built-in features include route processor, embedded services processor, plus aggregation hardware for various interfaces and connectivity choices. IPsec performance is twice that of Cisco's prior generation ASR1001-X router. Flexible interface options include 1GE to 100 GE WAN interfaces. The routers come with redundant AC or DC power units for improved availability. Software subscription packages provide continuing use of Cisco DNA Center Software for SD-WAN and routing and enable unified management of cybersecurity, application-aware policies, segmentation, and cloud support.
The Catalyst C8500L-8S4X router is designed to provide the same basic functionality as Cisco's ASR 1000 appliance. The C8500L-8S4X comes with four 1/10GE WAN interfaces and offers as high as 20 Gbps aggregate performance. SD-WAN IPsec throughput is up to 19Gbps. The Cisco Catalyst C8500-12X router features 12 integrated 1/10GE WAN interfaces and delivers as high as 120 Gbps aggregate data rates. SD-WAN IPsec throughput can reach 51 Gbps. The C8500-12X4QC aggregation router includes four built-in 1/10GE WAN interfaces and eight 1G interfaces and delivers up to 200 Gbps aggregate throughput. SD-WAN IPsec performance is up to 68 Gbps.
Cisco Integrated Services Generation 2 Routers
Cisco's Integrated Services Generation 2 routers are designed to provide branch offices of enterprises with advanced video and voice applications, virtualization, security, and dependable WAN access. Integrated Services Generation 2 routers feature a design that protects past investments in modules for older ISR routers and reduces future costs by allowing easy installation of additional modules as they become available. In comparison to previous ISR routers, Cisco's Integrated Services Generation 2 routers offer 2-7 times more throughput, far more, and easier support. All Cisco Integrated Services Generation 2 routers offer GE switching and incorporate multi-core processors and multigigabit fabric for higher throughput. ISR G2 routers also support smart power control for better energy conservation.
A major innovation with Integrated Services G2 routers is the IOS Universal image which includes all of the IOS technology sets so that your company can quickly license and activate extra features as desired without needing to download and copy a different IOS Software image to yourCisco router. Progent's team of CCIE network consultants can provide proven skills to assist you to plan, configure, and maintain multi-site installations of Cisco ISR Generation 2 routers that enhance branch office efficiency and cut the price of expansion and maintenance.
Cisco's ISR 800 Line of Routers
The 800 Series of ISR routers has been superseded by the higher performance Cisco ISR 900 series but remains widely used. Cisco's comprehensive portfolio of 800 Series ISR routers consists of desktop, fanless devices designed and priced for small organizations, branch offices, retail shops, telecommuters, and customers of ISPs. A wealth of models in the 800 family of routers have been released with many options for many years. The 881 Series of ISR routers exemplifies the wide selection of options available within the Cisco 800 line of routers. Models in Cisco's 881 Series router portfolio can enable converged media networks by delivering voice and video, Wi-Fi and cellular wireless and data in one integrated appliance. Advanced data protection can include encryption, VPN tunneling, firewall, and URL filtering. For survivability, available options for 881 routers include redundant WAN connections or support for wired broadband WAN connections like DSL as well as multiple cellular 3G and 4G wireless connections all built into one desktop appliance.
The basic Cisco 881 router includes a 4-port 10/100-Mbps managed switch with up to 15 Mbps throughput, the ability to handle up to 20 users, 2-port integrated PoE, and IPv6 compatibility. Cisco's 881W ISR router includes 802.11g/n Wi-Fi. Cisco's 881 SRST router includes 4 FXS ports and 1 FXO port for public-switched-telephone-network (PSTN) fallback with Cisco Survivable Remote Site Telephony (SRST). With a Cisco Unified Border Element (CUBE) license, Cisco's 881 ISR router allows SIP trunking as a replacement for legacy PRI lines or FXO voice connectivity to a PSTN service provider. SIP trunks also support offsite call agents in Cisco Call Center deployments.
4000 Series ISR Routers
Cisco's 4000 Series ISR Routers are modular and scalable routers intended for organizations with a large number of branches and offsite workers who need direct access to private data centers and public clouds across VPNs and the Internet. The 4000 series delivers the throughput required for distributed enterprise sites to support mobile workers, Cloud-based services, and HD multimedia applications by using WAN optimization, deep packet inspection, and advanced traffic-management techniques. Models in the ISR 4000 product line run Cisco's IOS XE software, come in a 1RU or 2RU package, can support as much as 2 Gbps of traffic, and can have up to 3 interface module slots, 2 service module slots, 4 integrated 10/100/1000 Ethernet switches, and 8 CPU core server modules. Cisco ISR 4000 models can support integrated Gigabit Ethernet, T1/E1, T3/E3, PRI and xDSL. To handle unified communications, the 400o ISR provides extensive edge support for policy-enhanced session border control, telephony fault tolerance, and Time Division Multiplexing gateways.
The main difference between the Cisco 4400 and 4300 Series is the inclusion of dual power supply support in the 4400 Series, providing a higher degree of fault tolerance. Cisco's 4321 Integrated Services Router comes in a 1 RU desktop form factor with two network interface modules (NIMs), provides as much as 100 Mbps performance, and can handle 240 Digital Voice and Video Channels. The 4331 model has a 1 RU form factor with two network interface modules, offers up to 300 Mbps performance, and allows up to 360 Digital Voice and Video Channels. Cisco's 4351 router has a 2 RU package with three NIMs, offers as much as 400 Mbps performance, and supports 720 Digital Voice/Video Channels. The power-redundant 4431 ISR Router has a 2 RU package with three NIMs, delivers as much as 1 Gbps performance, and supports 720 Digital Voice and Video Channels. The fault-tolerant 4431 model has a 2 RU package with three NIMs, offers up to 2 Gbps throughput, and supports 1200 Digital Voice and Video Channels.
Cisco's WAN Edge Routers and Service Provider Routers
Cisco's WAN edge and service provider routers offer larger businesses with fast, protected headends to manage branch office and remote user traffic and to provide ISPs cost-effective WAN edge solutions. Cisco's WAN aggregation and carrier router product line features the ASR 1000 routers and the 9000 Series Aggregation Services routers.
Progent's nationwide team of CCIE network engineers have extensive experience working with enterprise businesses and Internet service providers to plan optimal installations and seamless upgrades of Cisco's WAN edge routers. Progent's GIAC-certified information assurance consultants can provide objective, third-party security inventory assessments, penetration testing and advanced Security information and Event Management (SIEM) solutions to help companies that use Cisco's WAN aggregation routers to meet business guidelines and statutory mandates for IT information security and reporting.
Cisco ASR 1000 Series Aggregation Services Routers
Cisco's ASR 1000 Series WAN Edge line of routers is positioned in the center of Cisco's midrange routers that concentrate on aggregating services at the WAN edge. Cisco's ASR 1000 WAN Edge routers provide a small form factor, multi-function solution for large businesses looking for satellite office aggregation at supergigabit Ethernet speeds. Cisco's ASR 1000 routers incorporate a revolutionary design that combines hardware acceleration with programmable versatility in order to deliver a rich set of concurrent services while preserving dependable performance.
ASR 1000 Aggregation Services routers feature Cisco's new QuantumFlow Processor incorporating 40 purpose-built Packet Processing Engines (PPEs) that in combination can support up to 160 concurrent processor threads. This parallel CPU architecture, combined with on-board acceleration for every service, enables the high-end ASR 1006 WAN Edge router to expand up to 000 hardware queues, 32,000 clients, 4K IPsec tunnels at 10,000 sessions per second, and 2 million Netflow log records. This CPU power permits Cisco's ASR 1000 Series WAN Edge routers to support a broad range of advanced services concurrently in massive volume while avoiding performance degradation that could violate adherence to SLAs. Examples of these advanced services include Cisco Firewall, IPS, Network Address Translation, Flexible Packet Matching, and deep packet inspection. The Cisco ASR 1000 also allows tiered traffic control for performing numerous levels of Quality of Service to a packet in one pass, enhancing the user experience for high-bandwidth multimedia applications.
Cisco ASR 9000 Series Routers
Cisco's ASR 9000 Series Routers are intended as WAN-edge routers for service providers who are required to deliver the highest quality HD multimedia services to home, business, and mobile customers by providing non-stop availability, high speed, and application-aware intelligence. All platforms in the Cisco ASR 9000 family of Routers run Cisco's IOS XR, a self-healing, distributed operating system designed for non-stop availability. Throughput of Cisco's ASR 9000 Series of Aggregation Services Routers can be expanded up to 96 Tbps per chassis. the Cisco ASR 9000 family of Aggregation Services Routers support Gigabit Ethernet, 10 Gigabit Ethernet, and 100 GE and feature redundant fabric and power modules, power entry modules, and fan trays plus backup control planes.
The Cisco ASR 9001 platform is a carrier-edge router that comes in a 6 RU form factor with 120 Gbps of full-duplex fabric capacity. The ASR 9001 has two bays to accept port adapters for 1 GE, 10 GE, and 40 GE. The chassis includes four 10 Gbit Ethernet enhanced Small Form-Factor Pluggable (SFP+) ports and ports for GPS clocking, building integrated timing supply, and management. The Cisco ASR 9904 Router comes in a 6 RU chassis and provides line-rate 10 and 100 GE connectivity in space-limited environments. The 4-slot router can support up to 4 Tbps of switching capacity in a single box. The ASR 9912 Router comes in a 30 RU form factor and includes 12 slots slots able to provide up to 550 Gbps of switching capacity. The ASR 9912 Router incorporates 2 route processors as well as 6+1 Fabric Cards for N+1 redundancy.
How Progent's Consultants Can Help Your Company to Support Cisco Router Products
Progent's Cisco certified engineers can assist your business to design, configure, and manage a converged network infrastructure that can simplify processes, reduce costs, and speed time to positive return on investment. By teaming Cisco routers with Catalyst switches expertise and Catalyst and Meraki Wi-Fi wireless expertise, Progent can dramatically increase the business value of your network infrastructure. Progent offers on-premises and off-site troubleshooting and can provide data center support throughout the U.S.
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