Re: Anyone Deployed Ascend's GRF IP Switch?

["Gary Zimmerman" <garyz () savvis com>]

Joe, I agree with you.  We have several of the GRF2s (16 slot) and a few
GRF400s, (1 - 7513) almost cisco fee.  I have been working with the GRF
since last August and we like it alot.  It does take a while to get the
gated stuff down, but once you get past that then these routers will handle
some traffic and some large BGP tables.  We run a ATM network and believe
that IP switching is the right way to go and the GRFs are the first step in
that direction.  Move the processing to the board instead of a central
processor also makes alot of sense.

Gary Zimmerman
V.P. Network Engineering
SAVVIS Communication Inc.
http://www.savvis.com

----------
> From: Joe  Shaw <jshaw () insync net>
> To: Lane Patterson <lane () isi net>
> Cc: Christofer Hoff <hoff () nodewarrior net>; nanog () merit edu
> Subject: Re: Anyone Deployed Ascend's GRF IP Switch?
> Date: Sunday, August 24, 1997 1:32 PM
>
>
> The new name for the BFR (Big F**king Router) is the GSR.  As much as I
> like cisco and it's configurablility, The Ascend GRF is still a very
> powerful box for a lot less than the biggest cisco out there that can't
> perform close to it.  The only problem I have with the GRF is that if
> you're a newbie to GateD, then it will take you a bit of tinkering to get
> a working setup.  This was my case since I'm much more accustomed to the
> Cisco way of doing things.  However, the GRF is a nice change.
>
> Joe Shaw - jshaw () insync net
> NetAdmin - Insync Internet Services
> "Learn more, and you will never starve." - Paraphrase of Lee
>
>
> On Fri, 22 Aug 1997, Lane Patterson wrote:
>
> > Talk to Nathan Stratton at Netrail.  He's our collective test case :-)
> >
> > Aren't you looking at Cisco's BFR too?
> >
> > -Lane
> >
> > On Fri, 22 Aug 1997, Christofer Hoff wrote:
> >
> > > -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
> > > Hash: SHA1
> > >
> > > We are in the development phase of engineering the deployment of 
> > > approximately
> > > 60 POPs throughout the US.  Our 'standard' configuration is normally 
> > > based upon
> > > cisco equipment and more often than not consists of a 7513 connected 
> > > to a Catalyst
> > > 5000/5500 via FDDI with the various internal LAN segments switched
> > > from there via FD 100BaseTX.
> > >
> > > We've begun to explore the viability of deploying the GRF for several

> > > reasons,
> > > not the least of which is cost and performance.  Given (and taken 
> > > with a grain
> > > of salt) the apparent performance differential between the cisco 7513

> > > and the 
> > > Ascend GRF (the GRF outperforms the 7513 substantially in our tests,)

> > > my
> > > concerns are more operations-related. 
> > >
> > > The GRF DOES support the 'full' implementation (including extensions)

> > > of 
> > > BGP4 and the other 'vanilla' TCP services that you'd come to expect 
> > > from
> > > a router (er, layer 3 switch?) of this caliber.  Since it's NOT a 
> > > cisco, 
> > > we'd have to deviate and not utilize EIGRP as our IGP of choice, and 
> > > deploy
> > > OSPF which poses its own set of issues.
> > >
> > > SO, the bottom line...has anyone else deployed multiple GRF400's with

> > > success.  
> > > Ascend will tell you that UUNET has deployed (or is going to) a 
> > > hundred or so.
> > > I want to talk to people USING the technology, not thinking about it.
> > >
> > > Your comments and opinions are welcomed.
> > >
> > > TIA,
> > >
> > > Christofer Hoff
> > >
> > > -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-----
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> > > iQA/AwUBM/3KcnRoVZYHVpX1EQKKwgCgsnu30mTvCXZRyH68TOWeq3z0uZkAnj0F
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> > >
> > >             ,,,
> > >            (o-o)
> > > ------.oOO--(_)--OOo.---------------------------------
> > > Christofer L. Hoff            \  No true genius is
> > > Chief Nerd,                    \  possible without a
> > > NodeWarrior Networks, Inc       \  little intelligent
> > >                                  \  madness!
> > > hoff () nodewarrior net              \
> > > http://www.nodewarrior.net         \ -Peter Uberoth
> > > "Nuthin' but Net!"                  \
> > > ------------------------------------------------------
> > >        310.568.1700 vox - 310.568.4766 fax