Cisco Routers, new or used?`

[Gantry]

We have an aging Engage T1 router that is causing some major headaches and are thinking about replacing it with a Cisco. There seems to be quite a market for used Cisco gear and we're thinking about going that route. Anyone have any recommendations about used Cisco's and the best places to get one?

If we did go new, it would probably be a 1720 with the CSU/DSU WIC. It looks like we can get a 2500 series for less than half that price, which is very appealing. I am for the most part a Cisco novice, but I don't think we really need any advanced features. The Engage is about as basic as you get....

Thanks in advance for the help...

 

[Fatt]

A used 2500 or 2600 is nice. Get a 2600 if you see one for a good price.

Anyway, make sure you have enough memory to hold the IOS.

I think it's up to 10 meg now...

 

[randal]

I've had the chance to work on a lot of low-end Cisco stuff, and I must say that the 2500s are the workhorses of the internet -- especially if you can snag one with a t1 card in it. Having the integrated DSU/CSU makes it really, really easy to get things up and running completely. I just setup a Cisco 1600 here at the house, and man, what a snap. Besides me being a bonehead and erasing the IOS image off the flash and the ensuing debacle, it is very, very, very simple to get going.

My take? Go to Egay and find a 2500 w/ an internal dsu/csu -- they're pretty cheap, definitely in the < $300 range. They're cheaper than the 1600/1700/2600s you see running around, but will work beautifully on with a T1.

$.02
randal

 

[Gantry]

Wow, those 2500 series are dirt cheap! 2600 with CSU/DSU looks to run about $600-700 on EBay while the 2500 swith CSU/DSU runs under $300. Are there any red flags to look out for? Like a minimum IOS version or flash amount?

 

[Santa]

If all you are using the router for is for a T1 I would check out what type of CSU/DSU you are getting with the 2500.

 

[Fatt]

If it don't already have 16megs in it then you can always buy some more ram from cisco.

I believe you need about 10 megs to run the current IOS but I'm not in front of a cisco router so I can't do a show version.

If you get the 2500 you'll be very happy, and the cisco IOS has some very powerful tools for filtering.

If you get one, let me know...
There's a way that you can use the router to calculate your wildcard masks for you.

 

[ScottMac]

I'm pretty sure the current version is ~10 Meg (as mentioned by Fatt). If you get a low flash/ram unit, it can usually be upgraded. Crucial.com has RAM for ~US$35.00 (16meg), and CDW.com has Kingston flash for ~US$65.00 (8 meg).

If you buy the Cisco memory and flash, it'll cost MUCH more ($800-1000.00)

If you check out cco.cisco.com, there are instructions for the how's and where's relating to each model.

Good Luck

Scott

 

[Gantry]

From what you guys are saying, upgrading to the newest IOS is pretty much a given? Most of these come with 11.2...

I don't mind upgrading to the newest IOS, but what are the benefits over 11.2 in terms of a plain old t1 line?

 

[randal]

I've got a bunch of routers running 11.0-11.2 ... doesn't seem to affect things. Other part is that upgrading the IOS costs a pretty penny -- Cisco didn't get big by being free

randal

 

[spidey07]

Randy,

11.2 and 11.3 are just fine for what you want to do - route frames over a T1.

Here's a few reasons why folks upgrade (or have to)
1) biggie - Some hardware and modules are ONLY supported on a certain revision or higher.
2) upgrade if you are experiencing a documented bug in the code and it affects your configuration
3) Features, 12.x added NAT and DHCP to the base IP train.

you may want to check cisco.com to make sure the features/hardware you want to use are supported in the IOS you are getting. There are about 20 different versions of IOS from IP-only to IP-plus, to IP-firewall-DES, desktop-plus, to enterprise. Each going up in price and each adding features along the way.

IP-only (ALL routers are licensed for this) will route IP frames just fine though.

 

[Gantry]

I was hoping I could get a guest CCO account and get IOS upgrades that way, but I guess not...

This router will do straight, no-frills IP routing, so 11.2 looks like a winner to me. We have firewalls and DHCP servers to handle all the IOS 12 add-ons....

Would RAM upgrades benefit my setup at all, given I stay with 11.x? It is pretty cheap, though if flash only holds the IOS image, there seems to be no need. What about upgrading the standard RAM, is it used for tables or caching?

 

[spidey07]

Gantry,

Flash is used for the IOS image itself. The only time you need bigger flash is when the image is too big for your installed flash (like when you upgrade or change to a different feature set)
Ram is where the software is running and also used for packet buffers. You can allocate ram to processor and buffers and change to suit your needs.

So if you have enough flash to hold the image and meet the minimum RAM requirements for the image, you're all set.

 

[me19562]

I think that the minimum IOS version that any Cisco router directly connect to the internet should be running is the 12.0(22) to comply with the SNMP vulnerability issue and I believe that Cisco is given that upgrade for free. That image is around 5MB.

 

[geckojohn]

I do Cisco specifying for a large scale... email or pm me if you have any questions. I would recommend getting new equipment for the warrenty and tech support, as they are both necessary for an IT department.

/John

 

[Fatt]

Originally posted by: geckojohn
I do Cisco specifying for a large scale... email or pm me if you have any questions. I would recommend getting new equipment for the warrenty and tech support, as they are both necessary for an IT department.
/John

And I would recommend buying a new Jaguar XKR as they are very nice and will often get you laid.


My point being that budgetary contraints can often make decisions for us.

 

[IgorTs]

have 2610 with CSU/DSU, cheap, PM

 

[Gantry]

A bit too late Igor, picked up a Cisco 2524 with CSU/DSU for $225 on EBay...

Going new for warranty and tech support is good if you have the money, but we're a small place and cheap. Also, our local ISP is very good with support and knows Cisco. Lastly, if there is a problem with the Cisco at any time, we'll plug the old Engage back in...

Thanks for all the help guys, I learned quite a bit. Next challenge will be to program it...