Key Features and Beneﬁts

•State of the art queuing and congestion management techniques: Random Early Detection (RED), Weighted RED (WRED) and Deﬁcit Round Robin (DRR) that provides an enhanced Weighted Fair Queuing mechanism

•MPLS Switching support to deliver the scalable trafﬁc engineering features

•Carrier Class Design

•Redundancy in all key system components, i.e. processors, switch fabric, line cards, power and cooling, to minimize network disruption in the event of a failure

•Hot-swap capability enables components to be added or removed without service disruption

•Switch fabric redundancy provides fail-over to backup fabric with no data or user session loss

•APS/MPS enables SONET/SDH resiliency capabilities for providing interface redundancy

•Network Equipment Building System (NEBS) and European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) compliance for installation in service provider central-ofﬁces.

Cisco 12000 Series Architecture

System Level

The Cisco 12000 Series is based on a high speed distributed routing architecture combined with state-of-the-art switching core that delivers Layer 3 routing at gigabit speeds.

The Cisco 12000 Series is optimized for performing routing and packet forwarding functions to transport IP datagrams across a network. The routing function is performed in the Gigabit Route Processors (GRP) responsible for running the routing protocols and building the routing tables from the network topology. This information is then used to build the forwarding tables distributed to the line cards. In addition, the GRP is also responsible for the system control and administrative functions.

•The packet forwarding functions are performed by each of the line card (LC). A copy of the forwarding tables computed by the GRP is distributed to each of the line cards in the system. Each line card performs independent lookup of a destination address for each datagram received on a local copy of the forwarding table and the datagram is switched across a crossbar switch fabric to the destination line card.

All cards are installed from the front of the chassis and plug into a passive backplane. This backplane contains serial lines that interconnect all of the line cards to the switch fabric cards as well as other connections for power and maintenance functions. Each slot in the Cisco 12000 Series has up to 4 serial line connections (1.25 Gbps), one to each of the switch fabric cards (see below) to provide a total capacity of 5 Gbps per slot (2.5 Gbps full duplex). The 12410/12416 utilizes 4 sets of 4 serial line connections in each slot, providing each slot with a switching capacity of 10 Gbps full duplex.

•Switch Fabric

At the heart of the Cisco 12000 Series is a multi-gigabit crossbar switch fabric that is optimized to provide high capacity switching at gigabit rates. The crossbar switch enables high performance for two reasons: connections from the line cards to a centralized fabric are point-to-point links that can operate at very high speeds; multiple bus transactions can be supported simultaneously increasing the aggregate bandwidth of the system. A Cisco 12000 Series switching fabric must be conﬁgured to full fabric (40 Gbps for 12008, 60 Gbps for 12012, 80 Gbps for 12016, 200Gbps for 12410, and 320Gbps for 12416) in order to support all the current line cards. Please note that the number of fabric cards needed to be installed for a full fabric set will differ according to each chassis.

The switch fabric includes two card types: Switch Fabric Cards (SFC) and Clock and Scheduler Cards (CSC). Each Cisco 12000 Series must have at least one CSC in the chassis. The CSC handles requests from line cards, issues grants to access the fabric and provides a reference clock to all the cards in the system to synchronize data transfer across the crossbar.

The SFC receives the scheduling information and clocking reference from the CSC cards and performs the switching functions.

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12000 specifications

Cisco Systems has long been a leader in the networking industry, providing robust solutions designed to meet diverse networking needs. Two notable products in their router lineup are the Cisco 10720 and the Cisco 12000 series. Both of these routers are designed for high-performance environments, catering to service providers and large enterprises.

The Cisco 10720 is a versatile edge router designed primarily for broadband and multiservice applications. A key characteristic of the 10720 is its ability to support various protocols, including IP, MPLS, and Ethernet, facilitating seamless integration into existing networks. It can handle multiple services concurrently, such as voice, video, and data, making it an ideal choice for service providers looking to offer bundled services to their customers.

One of the main features of the Cisco 10720 is its modular architecture, which allows for scalability and flexibility. Network operators can tailor the configurations to their specific requirements by adding or upgrading modules as needed. The 10720 also supports Quality of Service (QoS) capabilities, ensuring that critical applications receive the bandwidth they require, ultimately enhancing user experience.

On the other hand, the Cisco 12000 series, including models like the 12006 and 12008, represents some of the highest-performing routers available. The 12000 series is known for its high capacity, reliability, and ability to operate in a multi-protocol environment. Designed for the core of networks, these routers can handle massive amounts of traffic, making them suitable for Internet backbone deployments and large enterprise networks.

A standout feature of the Cisco 12000 series is its support for multiple interfaces and protocols, including OC-3, OC-12, and Gigabit Ethernet. This flexibility in connectivity makes it adaptable to a variety of network environments. Additionally, the 12000 series employs Cisco’s innovative Distributed Cisco IOS architecture, which provides fault tolerance, consistency, and high availability.

Both the Cisco 10720 and 12000 series routers incorporate advanced security features, ensuring that data remains protected even amidst heavy traffic. With capabilities such as IPsec encryption and advanced filtering mechanisms, they are well-suited for secure and resilient network operations.

In conclusion, both the Cisco 10720 and the Cisco 12000 series routers exemplify cutting-edge technology and engineering excellence, catering to high-performance networking requirements. Their features and capabilities ensure that organizations can build reliable, scalable, and secure networks, capable of supporting emerging technologies and growing traffic demands.