Because the network edge is the convergence point for terminating customer connections and deploying new services, it is imperative for edge devices to support application and service continuity, without network failure. Cisco IOS Software Release 12.2SB for the Cisco 10000 Series Router offers important high-availability enhancements that can help your service provider business:
Improve service delivery: Support differentiated service-level agreements (SLAs), mitigate user and service disruptions from software and hardware failures, and help ensure continuous operations during network and service upgrades
Reduce time to revenue: Facilitate rapid, nondisruptive deployment of new features and services
Reduce operational expenses: Minimize the costs associated with planned and unplanned downtime, including SLA penalties, network administration, and troubleshooting and maintenance costs
Protect investments: Deliver advanced IP/MPLS edge services and performance on your existing edge-routing platform
The new Cisco IOS Software enhancements include:
Figure: Cisco IOS High-Availability Enhancements
Cisco IOS In-Service Software Upgrades (ISSU): Industry's first, comprehensive, transparent software upgrade capability for the IP/MPLS edge router. Apply bug fixes and deploy new features and services through in-service upgrade of the complete Cisco IOS Software image. This complete-image Cisco IOS ISSU capability extends Cisco's high-availability innovations for minimizing planned downtime delivered earlier in Cisco IOS XR Software for service provider networks and in Cisco IOS Software Modularity for enterprise campus and data center networks.
Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) Nonstop Routing (NSR): This unique, self-contained routing solution extends IP high-availability capability and benefits to the entire edge. BGP NSR enables you to "maintain all necessary" BGP routing and session information with customer edge (CE) routers during a processor switchover or during a planned ISSU software upgrade for a provider edge (PE) router. CE routers do not need to be NSF-capable or NSF-aware to benefit from BGP NSR capability on PE routers.
MPLS Nonstop Forwarding with Stateful Switchover (NSF/SSO): This feature extends proven NSF/SSO high-availability technology to MPLS forwarding, MPLS Label Distribution Protocol (LDP), and MPLS VPN (including inter-autonomous system and carrier supporting carrier [CSC]), mitigating service disruptions, reducing downtime costs, and increasing operational efficiency.
Line-Card Redundancy with Y-Cables: This transparent line card failover solution takes advantage of the Cisco 10000 Series 4-Port Channelized T3 Half-Height Line Card hardware support for Y-cables to mitigate service disruptions and reduce network outages for line card hardware and software failures.
(PDF - 630 KB)