ISP customer assignments

Tue Oct 13 20:32:51 UTC 2009

Dan White wrote:
> I don't recall if Pannaway is a layer 3 or layer 2 DSLAM, but we have a mix
> of Calix C7 (ATM) and Calix E5 (Ethernet) gear in our network. We're kinda
> in the same boat, but we expect to be able to gracefully transition to dual
> stacked IPv4/IPv6 without having to replace DSL modems, by reconfiguring
> the modems into bridged mode and leaving the layer 3 up to the customer's
> router.
> 
> We're also in the process of budgeting for a new broadband aggregation
> router next year that will handle IPv6.
> Ask Pannaway if they can bridge traffic (either ATM PVC, or Ethernet
> QinQ/VLAN per subscriber) up to a broadband aggregator, like a Redback or
> Cisco.

In Pannaway's case they want to pretend to be in the router business and 
we ended up buying their BARs.  Their DSLAMs (BASs) are aggregated into 
their BARs and the BAR ring terminates on my Cisco core.  I would love 
to eliminate the BARs from the equation but that's not an option.  I've 
been by several (dozen) people that their Minnesota Pannaway office 
stopped selling the BARs and instead worked with Cisco for aggregation. 
  I've also been told by Cisco folks that numerous sites are trying to 
get Cisco to take the Pannaway BARs in on trade-in.  It would appear 
that no one like the BARs.  Occam did it right.  They didn't try to 
pretend to be in the router business.  They stuck with L2.

We're also in a bit of a pickle because we're using "smart" DSL 
modems/routers.  I've argued for years for dumb DSL modems that had no 
routing/NAT capabilities at all.  Unfortunately I didn't win that 
argument.  Now we have what amount to CPEs that do not support IPv6. 
Whether they'll even pass IPv6 packets in a bridging mode is yet to be 
determined.  Since some of the modems are Pannaway and given my 
experience with Pannaway and trying to bridge things over it without 
Pannaway messing with it in the middle (VLAN carrying IS-IS for 
example), I fully expect problems...

It's no secret; I do not recommend Pannaway products based on my 
firsthand experience.  Their SE actually told us 2 years ago that IPv6 
was a fad and would never be adopted.

Justin