Next-gen Cisco router offers 322tbps capacity

Cisco has unveiled a router that allows every movie ever made to be streamed in four minutes
 
The firm says its much-anticipated 322 terabit per-second CRS3 architecture offers 12-times more traffic capacity than competing solutions, and lays the foundation for next-generation Internet services for the next decade.
 
It is currently in field trials, and is expected to launch in 3Q10, Cisco SVP Pankaj Patel said during a webcast unveiling the router yesterday.
 
The massive router uses the same chassis route processors, fans, and power systems as the previous CRS1 router, to minimize the cost of upgrading.
 
Particular emphasis was placed on video capabilities, which Cisco says has enough capacity to handle every person in China making a video call simultaneously.
 
The firm already hosts 8,000 Telepresence meetings per week, and it predicts demand for that service, and other video applications, will grow rapidly over the next decade.
 
“Video is the killer app. It brings things to life,” John Chambers, Cisco’s chairman and CEO explained during the webcast.
 
Cisco is pitching CRS3 as a complete architecture for all next generation Web content and services. It links with Cisco’s Nexus and Unified Computing Systems to allow unified delivery of cloud services, which the firm says is necessary to address growing use of cloud-style data centers caused by increased use of mobile and video applications.
 
The router is compatible with IPv6 and core IP/MPLS technologies, which Cisco says has allowed it to include a cloud VPN for Infrastructure as a Service in the architecture. That means it can offer pay-as-you-go capabilities on compute, storage, and network resources.
 
A Network Positioning System designed to optimize content discovery and delivery by sourcing extra capacity and resources to cope with spikes in demand for services, is also included.
 
Cisco says the combination of those two elements alone will help cut operators costs, and allow them to become smart pipes for content.
 
AT&T has already used CRS3 to power its recent trial of 100Gbps broadband.
 
Cisco’s announcement boosted stock markets for a second day in a row, the Wall St Journal reports.