RE: list thoughts on "unsupported" hardware?

["Austad, Jay" <JAustad () temgweb com>]

I couldn't find anything that said the 7500 is end-of-life/support/etc...
This is all I found on their site regarding the 7500:
End-of-Sale/End-of-Life: FEIP2-DSW-2TX & FEIP2-DSW-2FX 
09/Jul/2003 

End of Sale/End of Life: SA-ENCRYPT Services Adapter 
31/Mar/2003 

End of Sales - VIP2-50, No. 1868 
20/Aug/2002 

End of Sales: Route Switch Processor 2, No. 1866 
20/Aug/2002 

End of Sales: SRPIP-OC12, No. 1867 
20/Aug/2002 

I know it doesn't answer your question, but it appears that the 7500 is
still on the list.

-jay

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Ray Wong [mailto:rayw () rayw net]
> Sent: Monday, September 15, 2003 2:07 PM
> To: nanog () merit edu
> Subject: list thoughts on "unsupported" hardware?
>
>
>
>
>
> I realize this isn't arguing about Windows patch mechanisms, 
> but recently
> realized I've never answered this issue to my own 
> satisfaction... How long
> do we keep upgrading and using network hardware once it's 
> fallen off the
> support lists?  The Cisco 7500 finally went off back in Feb 
> of this year,
> as I recall.  3rd party upgrades, and used parts, are still 
> readily available.
>
> (Actually, does anyone have suggestions on vendors for said 
> upgrades and
> parts?  I've noticed a lot more discounting than in the past, 
> but usually
> from vendors I have no experience with).
>
> A client I've recently taken on happens to be relying on a 
> 7500 for their
> border.  In reality, their current use could fit on a 
> 2621/2650, though they
> have been much larger in the past (there's a small pile of 
> DS3 cards sitting
> on the shelf).  They're still relying on a single provider 
> for connectivity,
> etc.
>
> So, does anyone have any thoughts on how long we should be letting our
> poorer customers/employers live with products that are 
> officially off the
> support lists?  Clearly there will be (i.e. IOS) image 
> support for quite some
> time.  Is keeping (tested) spares around sufficient to 
> justify actually
> spending some money to fit the newer/larger images?  
> Newer/still current
> hardware seems much more a no-brainer, but advocating 
> spending a thousand
> bucks to avoid spending 5x that on a more current fire-sale 
> item is a little
> less clear, to me.
>
>
> -- 
>
> Ray Wong
> rayw () rayw net