TechStop » ISR G2

Cisco ISR G2 VPN Accelerator

Joshua Wood — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 16:24:12 +0000

Hi all, ever since the ISR G2 routers have been announced the question has been out there about when Cisco will release a VPN accelerator card for the G2 line. Recently Cisco has released the long awaited card. A lot of the time you want to deploy a router at your branch offices for use with a dynamic routing protocol such as DMVPN which the ASA line can’t do. While a small router will work for the branches what router do you use at your head office?

A router by itself just doesn’t have the ability to maintain the number of VPN tunnels that you need for a large environment. For the longest time the answer to use a G1 router with the VPN accelerator card for that generation. Now you can use the G2 line of routers and all of the features that are a part of that router.

ISR G2 VPN Module: http://www.cisco.com/en/US/prod/collateral/modules/ps2706/ps12202/data_sheet_c78-682436.html

Until next time,
TechStop (JW)

Cisco Should Make Products Not Hardware

Joshua Wood — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 16:42:39 +0000

Hi all, I like Cisco. Someone would say I love Cisco. They make great products. They fill the voids that are in the market with solid solutions but here is what I don’t understand, perhaps you can enlighten me. Why isn’t Cisco moving towards a services focus more than a hardware one. I have said this before, in the age of virtualization Cisco needs to narrow their product lines and offer their products as virtual appliances not hardware products.

There are two trains of thought here so bear with me. First path, they make the products that don’t require specific hardware virtual appliances. AND THEY DON’T OFFER HARDWARE VERSIONS. This would reduce the complexity of scoping, buying, supporting and understanding their product lines thus reducing cost for them and their customes. It would also allow customers the flexibility of running their products on whatever hardware meets the specifications that are needed. Take the wireless LAN controller product, why offer that as a hardware appliance? If someone needs the hardware to run it on there should be a sku that is a router with service module that runs VMware that this comes pre-installed and configured that you can order. It would be ready to use right out of the box. You can get these VMware based service modules for some of their smallest routers.

There are cons to this of course. It puts a strong reliance on the VMware technology that Cisco doesn’t control and the cost of the router might be more than the cost of a 1U server. While this isn’t my preferred option it is one that I hope they have considered.

Second path, and this is the best path in my mind. Use the ISR G2 licensing model and make different products additional columns in the IOS licensing model. You already have voice, security and data right now, create an additional set of columns for WLC, ASA or ISE. That way the hardware that is great and already well-known only needs a license key to open up the functionality even further. This reduces so many various areas to one that are a lot easier to control that the benefit would be huge. Most if not all of the issues with the first option are removed as well.

Until next time,
TechStop (JW)

Cisco IOS ZFW vs ASA

Joshua Wood — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 14:34:44 +0000

Hi all, the ASA is Cisco’s premiere firewall solution with most of their marketing leading people towards the ASA when they need a firewall. The Cisco IOS has more features, more horse power and is more flexible than the ASA. This leads you to question why Cisco just doesn’t use the licensing model that they introduced with the ISR G2 routers and add a column entitled ASA or Firewall and put all of their features into that, discontinue the ASA and call it a day.

Sure there is an argument for a firewall that doesn’t have all of the features of a router but that is a little bit like saying no wants to break into a crappy sub-mini-car but the RV but the SUV has lots of stuff in it so let’s go for that one. Given the choice I would rather have the standard command line interface and routing abilities of the router rather than lock myself into a firewall platform that has fewer features simply because someone told me the firewall is what I should have. What are your thoughts?

Until next time,
TechSto (JW)

Cisco IPS/IDS for the Router

Joshua Wood — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 13:16:29 +0000

Hi all, Cisco has several products. In fact most would agree that their product line is too complicated and filled out but that is a topic for another time. Let’s say you have a router and it sits at a point in your network where you want/need an IPS/IDS. You don’t want to put in another piece of hardware. Now wouldn’t it be nice if that router could also run IPS/IDS. Well it definitely can. In fact it is a full featured IPS/IDS with signature updates and the works and it can run on most ISR G2 routers.

The IPS/IDS solution from Cisco fits right inside the IOS and can be applied to any set of interfaces that you want. They provide this is an upgrade SKU or a bundle. The updates for the IPS/IDS will keep going as long as you have a SmartNet contract. Also, it is really REALLY easy to configure and get going. Have a look at the step-by-step guide listed below.

Getting Started with IOS IPS ― A Step-by-Step Guide: http://www.cisco.com/en/US/prod/collateral/iosswrel/ps6537/ps6586/ps6634/prod_white_paper0900aecd805c4ea8.html

Until next time,
TechStop (JW)

Cisco IOS 15.x for Switches

Joshua Wood — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 23:07:21 +0000

Hi all, by now most if not all people have come across IOS version 15 for routers. The new ISR G2 series which is quite is amazing runs IOS 15 out of the box. But what about switches, well it turns out that for some switch platforms (note more may follow) Cisco is moving them to the same standard naming strategy as well. The switches aren’t yet getting the same licensing model as the routers. If you want the different feature sets then you still need the correct version and that doesn’t bog you down with the online registration but that is likely to follow as well.

I say that this is about time. Cisco knows that it needs to reduce and simplify its product lines. This is a good step towards that, they just need to pick up the pace.

Until next time,
TechStop (JW)