Multi-protocol router scorecard
Hank Nussbacher
CAVEATS
-------
The following scorecard tries to compare various multi-protocol
routers. The current scorecard mainly contains information for
cisco and Wellfleet but any other vendor is welcome to send me a
complete set of manuals for their equipment so that I can analyze
and update the scorecard.
The fact of the matter is that certain features and "gotchas"
only appear when testing the actual equipment. I hope that the user
population of multi-protocol routers will assist me in making this
scorecard as comprehensive as possible so that people who follow do
not have to go through what I have gone through.
It was difficult to decide whether to include future release
notes in this scorecard. I trust the user population in the
Internet to take each promise for a "future feature" with a grain of
salt and to keep watch on the vendors that indeed they follow
through with their promises. All too often vendors state certain
features will be available in a certain release and sometimes their
deadlines slip. It is advised that people should not base their
decisions on the future release notes. [That was a long caveat].
If you have comments, suggestions, additions, or subtractions
or corrections, please send them to:
HA...@VM.TAU.AC.IL or HA...@TAUNIVM.BITNET (but not to both!)
The scorecard will be updated on a monthly basis.
If you read this report and are not connected to the Internet,
you can send your comments to:
Hank Nussbacher
Computer Center
Tel Aviv University
Ramat Aviv
Israel
This report may be freely reproduced, as long as it is not altered
in any sort of way.
[The above employer has nothing to do with this scorecard so if
something bothers you about it, I take full responsibility.]
END OF CAVEATS
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Distribution:
ci...@spot.colorado.edu
well...@nstn.ns.ca
tc...@nic.ddn.mil
ri...@mcsun.eu.net
p4...@devvax.tn.cornell.edu
Usenet: comp.dcom.lans
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Comparison of Multiprotocol Routers
Henry Nussbacher
August 1990
Version 1.5
+--------------+--------------+---------------+
Multiprotocol | cisco AGS+ | Wellfleet LN | Proteon p4200 |
Router | Rel. 8.1(14) | Rel. 5.35 | |
+--------------+--------------+---------------+
1. General | | | |
- # of slots | 9 | 4 | |
- Processor | 68020 | 68020 | |
- Memory | 4Mbyte | 4Mbyte | |
- Updates via | ROM, TFTP | diskette,TFTP| |
- Speed of bus | 530Mb/sec (a)| 320Mb/sec | |
- Boot from | | | |
- ROM | Yes | No | |
- Net-boot | | | |
- IP | Yes | No | |
- Decnet (MOP) | No | No | |
- Diskette | No | Yes | |
- Another router | Yes | No | |
- Volatile changes | Yes (b) | No | |
- CPU statistics | Yes (c) | No | |
- Memory stats | Yes | No | |
- Ease of install | Very easy | menu driven | |
- Documentation | Difficult | Skimpy | |
- Autorestart (d) | Yes | Yes | |
- Restart for | | | |
config changes | No | Yes | |
- Watchdog timer | Yes | | Yes |
- Reboot time (e) | 29 sec (f) | 120-600 sec | |
- Power-up time (g)| 29 sec | 120-600 sec | |
Notes:
a. Speed of old AGS bus is 160Mb.
b. Volatile changes represents the ability of the router to accept a
configuration change that is dynamic that only affects the current
running system and once the system is rebooted, the change
disappears.
c. CPU statistics refers to the ability of the router to provide
a monitoring facility to see what the CPU is doing and how often
it is doing it.
d. Autorestart in the event of a power failure.
e. Reboot time refers to the amount of elapsed time needed to
perform a logical restart (reboot) from the fastest available
media.
f. cisco timings are for older AGS system.
g. Power-up time refers to the amount of elapsed time needed from
the time of a power failure and recovery until the router is up and
operational.
2. Interfaces (a) | | | |
- Ethernet | | | |
(802.3 10Base5) | 24x10Mb | 8x10Mb | |
- Thin Ethernet (b)| | | |
(802.3 10Base2) | No | 8x10Mb | |
- 4Mb Token Ring | 4x4Mb | 4x4Mb | |
- 16Mb Token Ring | Rel 9.0 | Rel 5.40 (c) | |
- RS232 | 24x64kb | 16x64kb | |
- RS449 | 12x64kb | 16x64kb | |
- V.35 | 12x64kb | 16x64kb | |
- T1 | 12x1.544Mb | 8x1.544Mb | |
- CEPT DS1 (2Mb) | 12x2Mb | 8x2Mb | |
- FDDI | 2x100Mb | Rel 5.5 (d) | |
- DAS (Dual) (e)| Yes | Yes | |
- SAS (Single) | Yes | No | |
- X.25 | | | |
- Max # of VCs | Unlimited (f)| 254 | |
- Card types (g) | 4E, 1E2S, | 2E, 1E1S, | |
per slot | 2E2S, 4S, | 1E2S, 2E2S, | |
| | 1TR2S, 4S | |
| | 1TR | |
Notes:
a. Each interface subsection represents the maximum number of LANs
or WANS that can be configured for that particular subsection.
It is possible to "mix and match" various subsections by reducing
the upper limit.
b. Thin Ethernet refers to a standard BNC connector available directly
on the router.
c. 4x16Mb.
d. 1x100Mb.
e. Dual is also known as Type A and Single is also known as Type B.
f. Depends on memory limitations.
g. Card types: E: Ethernet, S: Serial/Synchronous line
TR: Token-Ring
3. Interface part II | | | |
- Frame Relay (a) | Rel 8.2 | | |
- Ethernet | | | |
encapsulation | | | |
- Standard v2.0 | Yes | | |
- IEEE 802.3 | Yes | | |
- SNAP 802.2 | | | |
(RFC1042) | Yes | Yes | |
- Serial | | | |
encapsulation | | | |
- HDLC | Yes | | |
- LAPB | Yes | | |
- PPP (RFC1134) | Yes | | |
- DDCMP | No | No | |
- X.25 | Yes | | |
- SVC | Yes | Yes | |
- PVC | Yes | Yes | |
- Encryption (b) | Pulse-time | | |
- Filtering by | | | |
source/dest | Yes | Yes | |
Notes:
a. CCITT standards Q.931 (Frame Relay) and I.122 (Lap-D)
b. Encryption refers to the ability of the router to compensate for
encrypting devices on various interfaces or circuits.
4. IP | | | |
- Subnetting | | | |
(RFC950) | Yes | Yes | |
- ARP (RFC826) | Yes | Yes | |
- RARP (RFC903) | Yes | No | |
- BOOTP (RFC951) | Yes | No | |
- proxy ARP | | | |
(RFC1027) | Yes | Yes | |
- ICMP | Yes | Yes | |
- Name-server | Yes | No | |
- Accounting | Yes | No | |
- MTU | Yes | No | |
- Security - IPSO | Yes | No | |
- Static routing | Yes | Yes | |
- Source routing | Yes | No | |
- Filters | | | |
- source/dest | Yes | Yes | |
- TCP | Yes | | |
- UDP | Yes | | |
- ICMP | Yes | | |
- by protocol (b)| Yes (a) | Yes | |
- Routing protocols| | | |
- RIP (RFC1058) | Yes | Yes | |
- EGP (RFC904) | Yes | Yes | |
- BGP (RFC1105) | Yes | No | |
- Proprietary | IGRP | eRIP | |
- Filtering | Yes | No | |
- Default routes | Yes | Yes | |
- OSPF | Rel 9.0 | Rel 5.6 | Yes |
Notes:
a. Can be done but is difficult and requires advanced knowledge of the
specific protocols.
b. Filtering by protocol can also be viewed as filtering by port
number.
5. DECNET | | | |
- Phase IV Router | Yes | Yes | |
- Area Router | Yes | No | |
- Phase IV+ (a) | Rel 8.2 | No | |
- Phase IV-V | | | |
Transitional gty | Rel 8.2 | | |
- Phase V | Yes (b) | No | |
- Address xlation | | | |
gateway (c) | Yes | No | |
- NCP | | | |
- area-max-cost | Yes | Yes | |
- area-max-hops | Yes | Yes | |
- max-address | Yes | Yes | |
- max-area | Yes | Yes | |
- max-cost | Yes | Yes | |
- max-hops | Yes | Yes | |
- max-visits | Yes | Yes | |
- router-priority| Yes | Yes | |
- hello-timer | Yes | Yes | |
- routing-timer | Yes | Yes | |
- Filtering | | | |
- source/dest | Yes | No | |
- by protocol | No | No | |
- by object | No | No | |
- routing | Yes (d) | No | |
- MOP | Bridged | Bridged | |
- Static routing | No | No | |
- Max routing table| 1023 | 1023 | |
- Max # of broad. | | | |
router adjencency| 32 | | |
Notes:
a. Phase IV+ refers to path-split capability. This means "normal" and
not "interim". Normal allows out-of-sequence packets to arrive.
Interim does not allow out-of-sequence packets to arrive.
b. cisco claims that it's ISO CLNS support is compatible with Decnet
Phase V.
c. Address Translation Gateway is the ability to connect two separate
Decnet networks with overlapping addresses.
d. It is not possible to filter out of area addresses. It is only
possible to filter an entire area or addresses within one's area.
6. Bridging | | | |
- Local bridging | Yes | Yes | |
- LAVC (a) | Yes | Yes | |
- Remote bridging | Yes (b) | Yes | |
- Transparent | | | |
- Learning | Yes | Yes | |
- Spanning tree | | | |
(IEEE 802.1) | Yes | Yes | |
- Priority (c) | Rel 8.2 | No | |
- Filtering | | | |
- Multicast | Yes | Yes | |
- Protocol | Yes | Yes | |
- Source/dest | Yes | Yes (g) | |
- Masking (d) | No | No | |
- Load sharing | Yes (e) | Yes | |
- Token Ring | | | |
- Source route | Yes | | |
- Multi-ring (f) | Yes | | |
Notes
a. LAVC refers to the ability to act as a local bridge between two Vax
clusters using the DEC LAVC protocol.
b. cisco does not support bridging over X.25 or LAPB.
c. Priority refers to the ability to assign a priority to a specific
protocol so that that protocol is sent faster than any other
protocol over a specific circuit/interface.
d. Masking refers to the ability to specify some pattern string to be
matched within the packet, so that the user can specify almost any
filter.
e. cisco load sharing (balancing) is on a per-node basis and not on
a per packet basis. That means that over 2 parallel serial lines
the cisco will automatically allocate 50% of the learned Ethernet
addresses to one line and the other 50% to the other line.
f. Multi-ring refers to bridging between multiple Token Ring networks
(all hosts must understand RIF).
g. Wellfleet can only filter on destination address and not on source
address.
7. Other protocols | | | |
(ability to route) | | | |
- XNS | Yes (a) | Yes | |
- UB derivitive | Yes | | |
- Appletalk | | | |
- Phase 1 | Yes | Yes | |
- Phase 2 | Rel 8.2 | Rel 5.40 | |
- Tokentalk | Rel 8.2 | Yes | |
- Ethertalk | Yes | Yes | |
- Localtalk | No | | |
- RTMP | Yes | Rel 5.40 | |
- AARP | Yes | Rel 5.40 | |
- NBP | Yes | Rel 5.40 | |
- EP | Yes | Rel 5.40 | |
- ATP | Yes | | |
- ZIP | Yes | Rel 5.40 | |
- DDP | Yes | Yes | |
- ISO | | | |
- ISO 8473 CLNP | Yes | No | |
- ISO 9542 ES-IS | Yes | No | |
- Apollo Domain | Yes | No | |
- Novell IPX | Yes (a) | Yes | |
- X.25 | Yes | Yes | |
- bridging | Rel 9.0 | Yes | |
- routing | Yes | Yes | |
- switching | Yes | Yes ??? | |
- Security | Yes (b) | | |
Notes:
a. With cisco equipment, if there are both Ethernet and Token Ring
interfaces, then DECnet cannot be run simultaneously with either
Novell IPX or XNS. This restriction will be removed in Release 8.2.
b. cisco provides filtering/permitting/denying certain packets
only for IPX, XNS and Appletalk in the section listed above.
8. Management | | | |
- Central managed | Yes | Yes | |
- SNMP | | | |
- Platform | Sun 3, Sparc | Sun 3 | |
- DEC EMA (a) | No | Yes (a) | |
- External | | | |
software (b) | No (c) | No | |
- X netmap | Yes | Yes | |
- Telnet to | | | |
device (d) | Yes | No | |
- X interactive | Yes | | |
performance | | Yes | |
- History stats | Yes | No | |
- Report writer | Yes (c) | No | |
- Alerts (e) | No | No | |
- User defined | | | |
extensions (m) | Yes | No | |
- Usage stats | Yes | Yes (f) | |
- Direct MIB access| No | Yes | |
- PING | Yes | Yes (g) | |
- Telnet | Yes (h) | Yes (i) | |
- MOP Remote Cons. | Rel. 8.2 | Bridged | |
- NICE (j) | No | No | |
- Decnet connect | No | No | |
- Passwords (k) | Yes | Yes | |
- Netview support | | | |
- Disable lines | | | |
dynamically | Yes (l) | Yes | |
Notes:
a. DEC EMA refers to the product's intent to support the DEC
Enterprise Management Architecture in the future. No release
version has been mentioned yet for this feature.
b. External software refers to the need to have some external
software package available in order to run SNMP monitoring.
c. cisco requires the Sybase database system in order to run their
NMS software. This package is bundled with their NMS.
d. Ability to click on an icon on the X-11 network map and open
a telnet connection to the device in question.
e. Alerts refers to the ability to define a preset limit for a
specific MIB variable at which point the SNMP monitoring software
will present a window on top of the network map informing the
network operator of the problem.
f. Wellfleet interactive usage statistics are only for (ISO model)
level 2. Upper level statistics (such as RIP, UDP, TCP, Decnet
HELLO, ARP) are not available.
g. Wellfleet PING command stops after first failure and waits for
user response. This makes it very hard to check the total
percentage of line failures over a short period of time.
h. cisco is limited to 5 incoming Telnet sessions but has no
limitation on outgoing Telnet sessions.
i. Wellfleet Telnet is limited to one incoming and one outgoing
session.
j. NICE refers to the ability of the router to accept "SET EXECUTOR"
as well as initiate a "SET EXECUTOR" to a remote host.
k. Passwords refers to the ability to limit certain configuration and
customization options only to those users who supply a password.
l. cisco command is not an EXEC command but actually requires a
configuration change to disable a line.
m. The ability for the NMS software to add other vendor MIBs to their
database, in order to manage these particular hardware units.
9. Debugging & | | | |
Monitoring | | | |
- Data-Link Layer | Yes | Yes | |
- LAN | Yes | Yes | |
- Link | Yes | Yes | |
- Decnet | Yes | Yes | |
- Tcp/Ip | Yes | Yes | |
- Event log | Yes | Yes | |
- Environmentals | Yes | No | |
Notes:
a. Environmentals refers to the monitoring of variables such as
fan, power supply, memory, temperature, etc.
10. Performance (a) | | | |
- Router forward | 2917 (b) | 3757 (c) | 902 |
- Router filter (d)| 2279 (b) | 3757 | 902 |
- Bridge forward | | | |
- Bridge filter | | | |
- LAT compression | Yes | No | |
Notes:
a. Performance based on 256 byte packets, between separate
interface cards, with no packet loss. Numbers listed are in
packets per second. Numbers based on Bradner report, Harvard
University, Sept 1989. A revised benchmark is expected sometime in
Sept 1990.
b. cisco performance numbers based on AGS and CSC2 hardware.
c. Wellfleet numbers may be higher but equipment was not able to
generate packets faster than the LN.
d. Filter is based on 10 packet filters enabled.
11. Survivability | | | |
- alternate power | | | |
supply | No | Yes (d) | |
- standby line (a)| No | No | |
- fault tolerant(b)| No | No | |
- field tolerant(c)| No | No | |
- broadcast storms | Yes | No | |
Notes:
a. Standby line refers to the ability to define a line that is to be a
hot standby, in the event that the primary line goes down. The
software switches all traffic automatically to the backup line.
b. Fault tolerant refers to having redundent systems that are normally
in standby mode, and that are only called into active mode in the
event that the primary system fails. Various systems are the power
supply, the fan, the bus, the controller cards, etc.
c. Field tolerant refers to the ability to withstand harsh elements
and conditions out in the "field."
d. Alternate power supply only available in large Concentrator model.