Enterprise Router

[Richand]

Hi All,

I'm pricing up a replacement router for one of my sites, currently they have a Cisco 1841 and as do many of our other sites but this particular site is a head office with its own software development and engineering department and they hammer the router and its CPU is at 90+ percent for most of the day and then dies down in the evenings. no broadcast storms and the network is as segmented as I can get it, engineering and R&D sit behind a 1941 to prevent them killing the main router, which they did before I segmented them on a weekly basis with storms and the like!

so, I want to replace the 5-6year old router with something else, I have implemented a newer 1941 at a couple of sites and these hardly flinch with traffic demands so I have priced one up and its nearly £1600 when you add the license for DATA and SEC!

Is there any alternatives that are compatible with MPLS/GRE Tunnels, IPSec tunnels and DMVPN that are cheaper and easy to learn as a CCIE, I have used screenOS and Sonicwall(argh!) but am not up on the datasheets and capabilities or all the vendors out there so wondered if you guys use any alternatives?

 

[bigredshark]

You're getting stung on price there, you should be able to get a 2911 with the data and sec licenses for a good bit less than that. Even then, it's still not a lot to pay for that class of hardware.

Juniper SRX hardware of varying descriptions will fit your requirement, JUNOS is arguably superior to old school IOS in every way these days and performance is generally better at a given price point.

 

[Caged]

ScreenOS is also not JUNOS, it will make a lot of sense to you I'd expect.

 

[Richand]

You're getting stung on price there, you should be able to get a 2911 with the data and sec licenses for a good bit less than that. Even then, it's still not a lot to pay for that class of hardware.

Juniper SRX hardware of varying descriptions will fit your requirement, JUNOS is arguably superior to old school IOS in every way these days and performance is generally better at a given price point.

I feel the price is high, will get some comparable pricing from alternative suppliers for both the 1941 and the 2911 as suggested, I would prefer to stay cisco at all sites for support reasons but if it means paying over the odds then I will swap.

I have asked for some quotes for the SRX series stuff, 210 and 220 look like they should fit the bill.


also I have looked at the HP MSR2003 which looks like an alright piece of kit, ever used one?

 

[bigredshark]

I feel the price is high, will get some comparable pricing from alternative suppliers for both the 1941 and the 2911 as suggested, I would prefer to stay cisco at all sites for support reasons but if it means paying over the odds then I will swap.

I have asked for some quotes for the SRX series stuff, 210 and 220 look like they should fit the bill.


also I have looked at the HP MSR2003 which looks like an alright piece of kit, ever used one?

I would say it's only £1600, less than the cost of a decent server, let it's running the network connection for a head office. Over 6 years (the last router you mentioned) that's less than £250 a year...

 

[Richand]

I would say it's only £1600, less than the cost of a decent server, let it's running the network connection for a head office. Over 6 years (the last router you mentioned) that's less than £250 a year...

I completely agree, unfortunately I have been told to go find something cheaper by the money men.

directors all have ipads, iphones, new cars etc etc but infrastructure is a joke!....lets not get me started eh!

 

[Caged]

I was going to say that it's probably not you in charge of the decision.

If you're Cisco everywhere then it really doesn't make any sense at all to have one branch on something different just to save a few hundred pounds. If nobody with much of a clue is checking over your proposals then get a quote for a totally different Juniper that costs more so you can show the Cisco is the cheapest option you found.