Go with what you know
When I speak of Cisco routers, I think think Cisco 2600 series and 3600 lines. For many years these lines as a standard Cisco router to a network of medium-sized businesses. “Serving In fact, most companies still use these models today, even though Cisco has recruited two more lines than last year.
But despite this fact, if I have a new website for my 70-point WAN, I would always choose a Cisco 3640. I can handle buying the used one for under $ 2000, it has everything I need, and I installed the same router with any other remote location.
It’s a way to select a product to an existing network running with what you know. Note that I did not even need to think really what provides the router for 70 sites, product selection is almost a cookie cutter process.
Of course, this approach has disadvantages. For example, select a discontinued product means you do not have many new features Cisco.
Do your homework
However, if you want to choose a router for a new network, or a function, we can not necessarily rely on the same old router. How do I know which router to choose? In my experience, evaluation and review of the eight following criteria can help you determine what best suits your needs router.
Performance
Cisco uses for its routers, how many packets per second, the router could forward. For example, a Cisco 2610 or 2612 Series Routers estimated 15,000 packets per second can be transmitted with fast switching on a Cisco 7500 Series routers can be estimated at 2 million packets per second transmitted.
But such information is not as easily available as in the past. This is because data are only estimates under the best conditions possible. When you begin, all functions such as QoS, firewalls or VoIP, change all the numbers.
Scalability
Router processors are often extended so that it relates mainly to the RAM and Flash.
Extensibility
He is the number of LAN and WAN interfaces supported by the router. The router is usually a predetermined number of interfaces, but some routers, like the 3600-series, no. So look for the number of interfaces you can add to the standard.
Supported Software Features
For example, you might need a router to support a particular interface or a VoIP function.
“Integrated Services”, supported by the router
This is the functionality supported by a router, which previously required separate boxes. For example, the denial of 16 – or 32-port switching module in a router, the need for an Ethernet switch, firewall, VPN servers, IDS / IPS sensor in a router, the need for barrier firewall, VPN concentrator and deny dedicated IDS / IPS device.
Manageability
How easy or difficult it is to manage the router? Does the router come with a GUI, or it is only command line? Is there an interface that helps you manage multiple routers to facilitate the administration is growing as the company who can?
Redundancy
Does the router provide the redundancy necessary to work at a critical point in the network? Some examples of redundant power supplies are hot-swappable or routing protocols, high availability such as HSRP or VRRP.
Support and reliability
Cisco routers have always been very reliable, and Cisco has always been a high level of support. When you buy a router, you have different levels of support options. Select the best value for your company.
Of course using these features in your decision process requires some research. You can go through the portfolio of Cisco products, scan the data and select the router itself.
Or you can also use the above criteria to work directly with a reseller Used Cisco to determine which routers offer the features you need. Cisco provides a well written, a router guide Detailed (PDF) that compares all of its current router. In all cases, you have to ask many questions, do your research and be able to justify your decision.
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