Preface: CRS-X Delivers 10 Times the Capacity of CRS-1, Providing Lasting Investment Protection for More Than 750 Customers and 10,000 Systems Deployed Worldwide.
Cisco has unveiled its third generation CRS system-the Carrier Routing System-X (CRS-X) with 400 Gbps of slot capacity this week. It is the latest core router. When it comes to big, fast routers, Cisco’s CRS family has helped to pioneer the space.
Note: Carrier Routing System: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrier_Routing_System
Carrier Routing System-X (CRS-X), the newest addition to the industry-leading CRS family
Cisco is introducing a new router that will be able to handle the dramatic increase in demand for Internet downloads.
The Cisco CRS-X, which will be available this year. The system will use the company’s new CPAK optical transceivers to support 
400 Gbps per slot. The system capacity will be able to expand to nearly 1 Pbps in a multi-chassis deployment. The result is a system with 10X the capacity of the original CRS-1, which was introduced in 2004 as a new class of core routing system designed to scale network capacity to accommodate the proliferation in video, data and mobile traffic, which has taken place over the last decade.
The CRS family of routers focus on extreme scale, and the CRS-X is no exception. One standard 7 ft rack chassis CRS-X deployment can deliver up to 12.8 terabits per second. The system can be clustered together in a massive configuration of up to 72 chassis, which would deliver up to 922 Tbps of throughput. The original CRS-1 in a similar clustered configuration could only scale up to 92 Tbps.
The CRS-X delivers such massive scale thanks in part to an enhanced fabric backplane that can enable a new generation of line cards. The CRS-X can now handle up to 400 Gbps per slot, up from only 40 Gbps on the CRS-1 and 140 Gbps on the current CRS-3.
There is now also a 4x 100GbE line card that can be plugged into each of the CRS-X router’s 16 slots, delivering a total of 64 x 100 GbE ports.
The CRS-X line cards employ Cisco’s new CPAK CMOS photonic technology, which is designed to reduce power consumption and the cost of sparing. Interfaces on these line cards can be configured for either single port 100GE, 2x40GE, or 10 x10GE and either short-, long-, or extended-reach optics by selecting a specific CPAK transceiver, Cisco says.
Note: Cisco CPAK for 100-Gbps Solutions https://www.cisco.com/en/US/prod/collateral/optical/ps5724/ps2006/white_paper_c11727398_031813_ns581_Networking_Solutions_White_Paper.html
This allows service providers to meet demand for 10G, 40G and 100G Ethernet applications without replacing hardware, Cisco says.
For IP and optical convergence, the CRS-X supports integrated optics or Cisco’s Network Virtualization (nV) optical satellite. The nV configuration allows operators to logically link physical CRS-X chassis with a shared control plane, and then extend system capabilities with remote virtual line cards out to the edge.
The remote virtual line cards are provisioned and managed as distributed line cards of the host CRS-X routers. This allows operators to provision the bandwidth they need with a single management and control plane, Cisco says.
Cisco did not disclose pricing for the CRS-X. It will go up against Juniper’s T4000 and PTX core routing systems and perhaps Alcatel-Lucent’s 7950 XRS.
Quick Review on Cisco CRS-X (from https://newsroom.cisco.com: PR-Cisco Adds Carrier Routing System X (CRS-X) Core Router to Industry-Leading CRS Family)
Highlights/Key Facts
- The Cisco CRS is the industry’s most robust, scalable, widely deployed multi-chassis core router. Line cards supporting 4×100 GE and 400 Gbps per slot allows for unmatched economical scale of 64×100 GE ports in one chassis with a total multi-chassis system capacity of nearly 1 petabit per second.
- The CRS-X 400 GE Line Card with Cisco AnyPort Technology uses Cisco’s CMOS photonic CPAK to reduce power consumption and increase 100 GE port densities by a factor of three compared to competitive solutions. CPAK technology also enables network operators to mix and match interface rates (10 GE, 40 GE, and 100 GE) and distances (SR, ER, and LR) within a single card.
- The CRS-X uses the IOS-XR software, a unique self-healing and self-defending operating system designed for “always on” operation while scaling system capacity.
- The Cisco CRS elastic core architecture delivers flexible scale, transport and services to help service providers minimize network complexity and maximize service monetization. Cisco nV Technology along with nLight Technology enables the optical transport equipment to be managed as a single entity, simplifying provisioning and network operations for dense 100 GE.
- Internet traffic growth has accelerated since the original CRS-1 routing system was introduced to the industry in 2004, as noted in the Cisco Visual Networking Index (VNI) Forecast (2012-2017), issued in May 2013. The most recent VNI predicts global IP traffic to grow threefold from 2012 to 2017, reaching an annual run rate of 1.4 zettabytes by the end of 2017, up from an annual run rate of 522.8 exabytes at the end of 2012. Traffic growth and complexity is driving convergence at the core of the network. Multiservice, multipath and multi-access traffic requires a core solution such as the CRS-X, which can support massive scale, continuous operation, cloud intelligence, carrier-grade network services, and IP and optical convergence.
Executive Quotes
Mike Haberman, vice president of network operations, Verizon Wireless: “The Cisco CRS provides Verizon Wireless with an intelligent core solution and the ability to scale up to 400 Gbps per slot, which will meet our service demands well into the future.”
Junichi Miyakawa, executive vice president, board director & CTO, SoftBank Mobile Corporation:
“We are very pleased at the continued development of the Cisco CRS platform, which has served as the foundation of our advanced network infrastructure for many years. With the ability to scale to 400 gigabits per second and highly available architecture, the CRS continues to provide unparalleled investment protection and help ensure SoftBank Mobile’s ability to remain one of the leading broadband content and service providers in Japan.”
Surya Panditi, senior vice president and general manager, Cisco’s service provider networking group:
“Cisco’s flagship networking platforms are designed with investment protection for decades and beyond, unlike other technology providers, which force operators to rip and replace their products on a regular basis. Service providers, large educational and research networks, and government agencies around the world are preparing for the next-generation Internet and the increasing demand for video, collaboration and distributed computing. Cisco CPAK technology and 400 Gbps per slot CRS-X demonstrate Cisco’s commitment to leading the industry in IP core technology and protecting the investment of our existing CRS customers.”
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