On 6/27/23 18:45, Tarko Tikan via juniper-nsp wrote:
Previously mentioned centralized boxes are actually becoming more and
more common now (in addition to non-redundant pizzabox formfactor that
has been available for ages) that single NPU can do 2+ Tbps. For BCM
J2 see ACX7509, Nokia IXR-R6d or certain Cisco NCS models. All pretty
good fits for SP aggregation networks.
Single NPU doesn't mean non-redundant - those devices run two (or 4 in
ACX case) BCM NPUs and switch "linecards" over to backup NPU when
required. All without true fabric and distributed NPUs to keep the
cost down.
IMHO these are very compelling options for SP market, you get
selection of linecards for different applications/architectures yet
the overall size of the device (and power consumption) is small. I've
been trying to explain to one of the major vendors that they should
build similar device with their own silicon so you get similar
benefits while keeping the rich featureset that comes with vendor
silicon compared to BCM.
Ah, okay - I'm with you now.
I had a totally different definition in my head for what "centralized"
meant.
Yes, agreed - these make sense because of just how cheap, yet fast,
Broadcom chips are.
Like you, I've been pushing our friendly vendors to build similar
architectures with their in-house silicon, and like you, it has fallen
on deaf ears.
Because IP traffic is becoming more and more public, the need for
features that drove end-to-end on-net VPN's in silicon will continue to
decline. If that helps operators to simplify their product technical
configuration to where Broadcom can handle 90% of all scenarios, giving
up the other 10% may be worth the capex/opex savings. It is that 10%
that many operators want to keep, and the traditional vendors are
locking up that 10% in their own silicon to print money.
With every passing year, Broadcom adds to the things I want that it
could not do. I am close to the 90% for some of these platforms, to
where I can consider them now.
Mark.
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