router lifetime

Sun Oct 3 19:26:22 UTC 2010

Ability to route IPv6 != ability to route IPv6 as well as IPv4. Depending on the hardware, there will always be unavoidable tradeoffs, which tend to be either in reduced throughput capacity, typically noticed on particularly on software-switching platforms, or the number of routes/ACLs/etc you can put in the CAM of a hardware-switching box.

Most hardware sold today has plenty of headroom to do both, but don't forget that flinging v6 packets around is inherently more resource-intensive than flinging v4. 

-C

On Oct 2, 2010, at 6:22 27PM, Brandon Kim wrote:

> 
> Well a lot of routers even 3 years ago support IPv6. You can dual-stack pretty much any router today if you have
> the right IOS. But I do understand your concern, if you want to future proof your purchase, I'd think any modern
> router today with a good support contract will take care of you for quite some time.
> Make sure it's not close to EOL. 
> 
> What kind of router are you considering? Is this for a large network? What are the network needs?
> 
> 
> 
>> Date: Sat, 2 Oct 2010 17:09:20 -0700
>> From: franck at genius.com
>> To: nanog at nanog.org
>> Subject: Re: router lifetime
>> 
>> I'm looking at various scenario, but basically it is looking at IPv6 in fact.
>> 
>> It seems to me, that using a router/network appliance today for IPv6 will need to be replaced in 3 years or less.
>> 
>> Looking at past, anything older than 3 years is not a viable solution for deploying IPv6.
>> 
>> So I feel that routing/network appliance equipment have a life cycle similar to a PC, despite the fact as someone pointed out, they will run fine for many many years.
>> 
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Heath Jones" <hj1980 at gmail.com>
>> To: "Franck Martin" <franck at genius.com>
>> Cc: nanog at nanog.org
>> Sent: Saturday, 2 October, 2010 4:34:40 PM
>> Subject: Re: router lifetime
>> 
>>> How long do you keep a router in production?
>>> What is your cycle for replacement of equipment?
>> 
>> Hi Franck
>> 
>> It really depends on the type of network you are running, the rate at
>> which new features & bandwidth are required, and the availability of
>> software and hardware upgrades. Also, in a lot of cases it is vendor
>> driven - devices that are still very much in production are forced to
>> be replaced because of vendor product lifecycle and the phasing out of
>> support, even when serving their requirements well.
>> 
>> 
>> Care to elaborate a little more on your planned scenario?
>> 
>> 
>> Cheers
>> Heath
>> 
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