Cisco's ASR routers and ASA firewalls sit at the edge of a network, from a 1RU router with T1 ports to a 10RU chassis with route switch processors. This guide covers the ASR 901 and ASR 920, the ASR 1000, the ASR 9006 and its parts, and the ASA 5500 firewalls, with the models Cisco names to follow each. Every figure comes from Cisco data sheets, installation guides and end of sale notices, listed under Sources.
The short answer
For a 1RU access router, the ASR 920; the ASR 901 is the older model with T1/E1 ports. For a router whose throughput is set by license, the ASR1001-X or ASR1002-X. For a chassis with route switch processors and line cards, the ASR 9006. For a firewall, the ASA 5525-X or 5545-X in 1RU, or the ASA 5585-X in 2RU.
The models side by side
| Model | Size | What it holds | End of sale |
|---|---|---|---|
| A901-12C-FT-D | 1RU | 4 x 100/1000 RJ-45, 4 x GE SFP, 4 x GE combo, 16 x T1/E1 | June 29, 2020 |
| ASR-920-24SZ-M | 1 RU | 2 power supplies, AC or DC; 145 W maximum | Not stated |
| ASR1001-X | 1 RU | 2.5 Gbps, licensable to 5, 10 or 20 Gbps | August 1, 2022 |
| ASR1002-X | 2 RU | 5 Gbps, licensable to 10, 20 or 36 Gbps | August 1, 2022 |
| ASR1004 | Not stated | 1 route processor, 1 ESP, 2 SIPs with 8 SPA slots | April 29, 2020 |
| ASR-9006-AC | 10RU | 2 RSP slots, 4 line card slots | November 13, 2014 |
| ASA 5525-X | 1RU | 8 x 1GE data, 1 x 1GE management, 1 card slot | September 4, 2020 |
| ASA 5585-X | 2RU | Security Services Processor | June 1, 2018 |
ASR 901 and ASR 920
The 1RU A901-12C-FT-D has 4 100/1000 RJ-45 ports, 4 GE SFP ports, 4 GE combo ports and 16 T1/E1 ports, on 2 DC power supplies in 1:1 redundancy at 24 VDC, -48 VDC or -60 VDC. It has 1 GB of DDR3 and 128 MB of flash, moves air left to right on dual fans in 1+1 redundancy, runs from -40 to 65 C and weighs 8.15 lb (3.7 kg). Cisco names the ASR-920-12SZ-IM to follow it.
The 1 RU ASR-920-24SZ-M takes 2 power supplies, AC or DC: the A920-PWR400-A 400 W AC or A920-PWR400-D 400 W DC supplies, or the ASR-920-PWR-A and ASR-920-PWR-D. It moves air front to back, draws 110 W typical and 145 W at most, and weighs 8.5 lb (3.9 kg) empty and 10.5 lb (4.8 kg) with two AC supplies.
ASR 1000
The 1 RU ASR1001-X gives 2.5 Gbps by default, licensable to 5, 10 or 20 Gbps, with dual power supplies, AC or DC, 8 GB of memory by default and 16 GB at most, and draws up to 250 W on AC. The 2 RU ASR1002-X gives 5 Gbps by default, licensable to 10, 20 or 36 Gbps, with front to back airflow. The modular ASR1004 takes 1 route processor, 1 ESP and 2 SIPs with 8 SPA slots and draws 960 W on AC. The ASR1000-ESP10 is the 10G Embedded Services Processor with a 128 MB packet buffer, for the ASR 1002, 1004 and 1006; the ASR1000-SIP10 holds 4 half-height or 2 full-height SPAs; the ASR1000-RP1 route processor holds up to 1,000,000 IPv4 routes. For the ASR1001-X and ASR1002-X support dates, read Cisco ASR 1001-X and ASR 1002-X end of life.
ASR 9006
The 10RU ASR 9006 AC chassis has 2 route switch processor slots and 4 line card slots, 3 kW AC power modules in N+N redundancy, and two fan trays of 6 variable-speed fans. Air enters at the right side and exhausts at the upper rear, or front to back with a baffle. The A9K-RSP440-TR gives 220 Gbps per slot with one RSP and 440 Gbps with two (full duplex), with 6 GB of memory; the A9K-RSP880-TR gives 880 Gbps non-redundant and 440 Gbps redundant in the ASR 9904, 9010 and 9006, with 16 GB of memory. Cisco says both route switch processors in a 1+1 redundant pair must be of the same kind. The A9K-LC-FILR fills an empty line card slot, keeping dust out and keeping the airflow.
ASA firewalls
The ASA 5525-X and 5545-X are 1RU, with 8 1GE RJ-45 data ports, a 1GE management port and an interface card slot that takes 6 GE copper or 6 GE SFP ports. The ASA 5525-X has one 400 W supply with no redundant option, 8 GB of memory and 8 GB of flash; the ASA 5545-X has a 450 W supply with a redundant one available. The 2RU ASA 5585-X takes Security Services Processors: the ASA5585-SSP-10 has 8 copper and 2 SFP/SFP+ Gigabit Ethernet ports, and the ASA5585-S10-K9 chassis has 8 GE, 2 GE SFP and 2 GE management ports. The ASA 5505 bundle has an 8 port Fast Ethernet switch with 2 PoE ports and 25 IPsec VPN peers, and the ASA5508-K9 has one internal 60 W AC supply. For the ASA 5508-X and 5516-X, read Cisco ASA 5508-X and 5516-X after end of support.
What to check before you buy
- On an ASR 1000: the throughput license, 2.5 Gbps by default on the ASR1001-X and 5 Gbps on the ASR1002-X.
- On an ASR 9006: the power entry modules, version 1 or version 2, and a matched pair of route switch processors.
- On an ASR 920: the power supplies, AC or DC, and the airflow of the rack.
- On an ASA 5525-X: one supply with no redundant option.
Lifecycle: what the dates mean
Cisco gives June 29, 2020 as the end of sale date for the A901-12C-FT-D, August 1, 2022 for the ASR1001-X and ASR1002-X, April 29, 2020 for the ASR1004 and November 29, 2023 for the ASR1006. It names the C8500L-8S4X for the ASR1001-X, the C8500-12X or C8500L-8S4X for the ASR1002-X, and the ASR1002-HX or ASR1006-X for the ASR1004. The first ASR-9006-AC chassis and the A9K-3KW-AC reached end of sale on November 13, 2014, with the ASR-9006-AC-V2 named to follow, and the ASR-9006-FAN on September 22, 2017. The ASA 5525-X and 5545-X reached end of sale on September 4, 2020, with the Firepower 2100 named to follow; the ASA 5585-X on June 1, 2018, with the Firepower 4100; the ASA 5510 on September 16, 2013.
Where to look
Each family has its own page listing what is in stock: the ASR 901 and 920, the ASR 1000, the ASR 9000 and Cisco ASA. Pages in stock today include the ASR-920-24SZ-M, the ASR1002-X, the ASR-9006-AC-V2, the A9K-RSP880-TR and the ASA5516-K9. For the whole maker, read the Cisco guide. Request a quote for a part that is not listed, or sell the routers you retire.
Sources
- Cisco ASR 901 Series Aggregation Services Routers Data Sheet
- End-of-Sale and End-of-Life Announcement for the Cisco ASR901
- Cisco ASR 920 Series Aggregation Services Router Data Sheet
- Cisco ASR 920 Series Aggregation Services Router Data Sheet (web)
- Cisco ASR 1000 Series Aggregation Services Routers Data Sheet
- Cisco ASR 1000 Series Router Hardware Installation Guide: ASR 1002-X Router Overview
- End-of-Sale and End-of-Life Announcement for the Cisco ASR1001-X, ASR1002-X
- Cisco ASR 1000 Series Aggregation Services Routers Data Sheet (web)
- Cisco ASR 1000 Series Embedded Services Processors Data Sheet
- Cisco ASR 1000 Series Router Hardware Installation Guide: SPA Interface Processors
- End-of-Sale and End-of-Life Announcement for the Cisco ASR1004 Modular Platform
- End-of-Sale and End-of-Life Announcement for the Cisco ASR1006
- Cisco ASR 9000 Series Aggregation Services Routers Data Sheet
- Cisco ASR 9000 Series Route Switch Processor 440 Data Sheet
- Cisco ASR 9000 Route Switch Processor 880 Data Sheet
- End-of-Sale and End-of-Life Announcement for the Cisco ASR 9000 Series Version 1 Power Bundles
- Cisco ASR 9000 Series Overview and Reference Guide: Functional Description
- Cisco ASR 9000 Series Ethernet Line Card Installation Guide
- End-of-Sale and End-of-Life Announcement for the Cisco ASR 9000 Series
- Cisco ASA 5500 Series Data Sheet
- Cisco ASA 5512-X to 5555-X Hardware Installation Guide: Overview
- End-of-Sale and End-of-Life Announcement for the Cisco ASA5525, ASA5545 and ASA5555
- Cisco ASA 5585-X Stateful Firewall Data Sheet
- Cisco ASA 5585-X Hardware Installation Guide: Introducing the ASA 5585-X
- Cisco ASA 5500 Series Adaptive Security Appliances Data Sheet
- End-of-Sale and End-of-Life Announcement for the Cisco ASA 5585-X
- End-of-Sale and End-of-Life Announcement for the Cisco ASA 5510
