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San Jose , Calif
Cisco Systems, Inc. next week will step back from the switching frenzy to introduce a line of routers that offer backbone performance at mid-range prices. The Cisco 7200 series will feature packet-processing rates and port density typical of high-nd routers. But at $1,285 per port, they cost 40% less than their bigger brethren, according to Cisco documents obtained by Network World.
The routers' power and price should make them attractive for either regional site or backbone duty. "Basically, it's geared to fit that gap between the 4700 and the 7000," said an analyst who requested anonymity.
Cisco's 4700 line is typically used at regional sites, while the company's 7000 and higher end 7500 are used to anchor corporate backbones. But upgrading from the mid-range to high-end routers had been a costly proposition until now, said Rolf McClellan, senior consultant at Strategic Networks Consulting, Inc. in Rockland, Mass. "These new routers make it a smoother transition between 4000 series and 7000 series routers," he said.
The 7200s are also designed...