Anyone Deployed Ascend's GRF IP Switch?

Tue Aug 26 06:25:05 UTC 1997

At 09:50 PM 8/25/97 -0700, joseph j. kim wrote:
>
>On Mon, 25 Aug 1997, Justin W. Newton wrote:
>
>> At 08:35 PM 8/25/97 +0000, Nathan Stratton wrote:
>> >
>> >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?
>> >
>> >We have been trying to get a BFR (now GSR) in, but I think Cisco does not
>> >want a GSR next to a GRF or something. :-)
>> >

Since I began the thread with my request for REAL-LIFE evaluations of those
who had installed the GRF versus the (AVAILABLE) Cisco 7500-series routers,
I've received over 100 replies -- some copied to the list, others not.
The replies present an interesting dichotomy -- some replies are obviously
generated from pure brand-bigotism, others actually allowed logic and 
sensible TECHNICAL evaluations speak for them.

What I asked for were ENGINEERING data -- not marketing diatribe.  Some
of the people on this list need to seriously re-evaluate their job
descriptions and realize that evangelism is one thing -- serious
technical evaluations are quite another.

>i don't understand all of the mail comparing the two, there is really no
>comparison. the GSR blows the GRF away. there is an order of magnitude
>difference in the aggregate b/w supported between the two correct? 4Mb/s
>vs 40Mb/s. Also, not that I know anything about the GRF but I think Cisco
>claims that 7500 real-world performance is much better than the GRF400.

So, I am to assume that you have (or have had) both a GRF and a GSR in your
lab for evaluation?  Aggregate bandwidth means squat in the real world if 
you can't forward/switch packets efficiently in a loaded network.  When
my GRF gets here, we'll be switching out one of our 7500's (for eval., of
course!) and putting it to real-world tests (full BGP, HSSI and Fast
Ethernet.)

What worries me is that your statements above seemto blindly contradict one
another:
First you state "... the GSR blows the GRF away" and then you go on to say
"Also, not that I know anything about the GRF," and "...maybe someone can 
post some performance numbers."

Anyone (including myself) can read a piece of marketing fluff and make
an uninformed decision, but I think that it makes more sense for 
everyone involved if we try to provide one another with information that
goes beyond what one may find in a Tolly Group report.  In the REAL world,
there's quite a difference between a device that "works" and one that
"works well."  

Cisco and Ascend both make great products.  Each company has its strengths
and weaknesses.  What we need to do is /dev/null the "Chevy vs. Ford"
sandbox drivel and provide one another with useful information.

I don't mean this in a harsh manner -- I just want to point out that there
was not much meat with your potatoes.

CHris

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