Cisco Debuts New Enterprise Router Family

Five years ago, Cisco set out to develop a new line of edge routers: $250 million and over 100 engineers later, enter the Aggregation Services Router (ASR). The platform runs on IOS XE, a new version of Cisco's Internetwork Operating System that incorporates software virtualization to provide high-availability for multiple services, including firewall, IPSec VPNs, deep packet inspection and session border control. First out of the gate is the ASR 1000 series, the first three routers in the new family.

CISCO ASR 1002

The smallest of the ASR family, the 1002 is a 10-Gigabit Ethernet device in a 2-rack unit form factor. It includes a 10-Gigabit firewall and provides 3.5 Gigs worth of encryption. Pricing for the ASR line starts at $35,000.

Cisco ASR 1004

Cisco's ASR 1004 is a 4-rack unit device. Like the other members of the ASR line, it is based on Cisco's new QuantumFlow Processor, launched last week. QuantumFlow can process 24 million instructions "in the blink of an eye," Cisco says.

CISCO ASR 1006

The Cisco ASR 1006 is (you guessed it), a 6-rack unit device, making it the biggest of the trio. Cisco says it has filed over 42 patents on the ASR line, which will be ready to order this month and begin shipping in April.

THE ASR 1000 SERIES FAMILY

The new ASR line comes a few months after Cisco stopped selling its 7500 Series routers, making the ASR one of the recommended upgrade paths for 7500 Series customers. It is available in 5-Gig and 10-Gig versions, with a 20-Gig model set to debut four months later.