Cisco 7200 Series Routers

Nov 30, 2011- Cisco 7200 Series Routers are modular routers that support a multitude of performance, service and density needs. The 7200 router is the hardware industry’s most widely deployed universal services aggregation router for enterprise and service provider edge applications.

History
7200 routers were first shipped several years ago, replacing the now defunct 7010, which had had its heyday in the 1990s. The first 7200 models were somewhat average in their capabilities and performance. In essence, the 7202, 7204 and 7206 routers were all variants on what was basically a workman-like router able to expand with the requirements of the infrastructure. 2007 saw Cisco revolutionize the entire series for the better, simply by introducing new core modules to the existing models. This enabled the company to effectively do wholesale upgrades to the original series without having to unrack anything.

Models
There are currently three models of the 7200 available on the market. They are the 7201, 7204VXR and 7206VXR. There is at present only one end-of-sale model, the 7206. The models are differentiated by the number of slots in their chassis. For example, the now defunct 7204 had four slots in its chassis whilst the 7206 had six. Different models also have different types of midplane. In terms of midplanes, there are two main designs: the original midplane with an early Network Processing Engine (NPE) and the VXR midplane with a later NPE.

Features
The 7200 router has a number of impressive features including manageability and serviceability. It also boasts a varied array of connectivity options. Several features have recently been added to it in order to improve its already outstanding performance. For example, the new Port Adapter Jacket Card provides increased flexibility and scalability. The new VPN Services Adapter offers increased VPN performance. Last but not least, the new NPE-G2 Network Processing Engine aggregates services at up to 2Mpps, making the overall product a triumph in cost-effective yet exceptional performance.

Benefits
The router’s WAN edge facilitates such stunning quality of service (QoS) feature performance that it has won awards. As for broadband aggregation, up to 16,000 PPP sessions per chassis are possible with the 7200 router. Meanwhile, the IP Security (IPsec) VPN is scalable to 5000 tunnels per chassis. There is also IP-to-IP gateway support, which provides a network-to-network interface point for signalling several things including interworking, media interworking, address and port translations and bandwidth management.

Configuration
Due to the sophistication of the 7200 router, configuring and maintaining it can be somewhat challenging for those with limited technical skills. Configuration of this router should be undertaken only after a period of assessment and planning, preferably after undergoing specific training or amassing relevant experience. Additional support can be found on the Cisco website’s software support matrix and on the same site’s customer forums. Alternatively, consider seeking help from a friend or neighbor with broad technical knowledge.

EMS
Some companies with 7200 routers on their core network have been known to experience the problem of the 7200 crashing and the network going down. This scenario can be avoided by installing an EMS (Element Manager System) in order to manage the routers. In the event of the routers malfunctioning or crashing, the EMS has the ability to automatically generate a maintenance request. The performance of this and other cost-effective, time-saving tasks means an EMS is excellent value for money when deployed in conjunction with a 7200 router.
7200 routers are notable for a wide variety of attractive reasons but they are probably most well known for their power and functionality. These two characteristics are the reason why companies and individuals continue to invest in the purchase of these routers and will keep on doing so for the foreseeable future.

Scott LaPlant is a network engineer from Escanaba, Michiga. Scott Laplantalso possesses deep experience in corporate IT management, including telecommunications networks.

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This release was published on openPR.