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Vendor C does this with their IP PBX as well, practically all their
other appliances, and their firewalls are just nicely packaged PCs.<br>
It might take a while for this to filter down to the routing side
though.<br>
<br>
If anyone remembers MLS switching, there was the ability to have some
more intelligent route processors distributing switching information
out to ASICs (old Catalyst 5000 Netflow Feature Cards)<br>
<br>
<br>
Leo Bicknell wrote:
<blockquote cite="mid:20070814135453.GA38680@ussenterprise.ufp.org"
type="cite">
<pre wrap="">In a message written on Mon, Aug 13, 2007 at 05:53:00PM -0700, Scott Whyte wrote:
</pre>
<blockquote type="cite">
<pre wrap="">Pick a newly released Core 2 Duo. How long will Intel be selling it?
How does that compare with getting it into your RP design, tested,
produced, OS support integrated, sold, and stocked in your depots?
</pre>
</blockquote>
<pre wrap=""><!---->
Intel designates chips for "long life". That's why Vendor J is
still souring P-III 600's, which were new almost 8 years ago now.
Which one of the current chips is in that bucket, I don't know, but
the vendors could find out.
Plus, your argument doesn't hold for the simple reason that servers
have the same lifespan as routers in most companies. HP, Dell,
IBM, they don't seem to be going under with changes in Intel's line
of chips. They don't seem to have support issues. As the vendors
move to off the shelf parts the arguments about testing, stocking,
and so forth start to go out the window.
More importantly, why specialize? Vendor J's RE is basically a PC
connected to the backplane with FastEthernet. They did a lot of
engineering in airflow, sheet metal, and other packaging issues to
put it in a Juniper package, but to what end?
Compare with Avaya. When they moved to a Linux brain in their phone
switch line they moved the brain out of the specialized forwarding
hardware (the old Definity PBX) and into a, wait for it, PC! Yes,
an off the shelf 2U PC they source from a third party, connected
to the backplane with Gigabit Ethernet.
</pre>
</blockquote>
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