PRODUCT BULLETIN, NO. 2160
Last Updated: September 2005
This Product Bulletin articulates the Cisco IOS® Packaging framework, availability, list pricing, and the associated Cisco IOS Software Release 12.3 migration strategy.
1 INTRODUCTION
Cisco IOS Software is feature-rich network system software, providing network intelligence for the business-critical solutions necessary to succeed in the Internet Economy. Available on an extensive range of Cisco platforms, Cisco IOS Software provides a common IP fabric, functionality and command-line interface (CLI) across a network. It provides a cohesive path for data and voice integration and unmatched security and network management support.
Today's customers need more flexible and consistent software packaging to address their complex network environment. Cisco is delivering a new software packaging framework via Cisco IOS Software Release 12.3, creating a foundation for new features and functionality that better suits customer needs.
Cisco IOS Packaging redefines and simplifies the current Cisco IOS Software feature sets. Cisco greatly improves the customer software selection experience by reducing the number of packages from forty-four to eight. Four packages have been designed to satisfy requirements in four typical service categories: IP data, converged voice and data, Security and VPN, and Enterprise protocols. Three additional premium packages offer new Cisco IOS Software feature combinations that address more complex network requirements. All features merge in the most premium package, Advanced Enterprise Services, which integrates support for all routing protocols with Voice, Security and VPN capabilities.
Feature inheritance is another powerful aspect of Cisco IOS Packaging. Once a feature is introduced, it is not removed in the more comprehensive packages. Feature inheritance principle provides clear migration, clarifying the feature content of the different packages and how they relate to one another.
Cisco IOS Packaging also simplifies image naming. Each name has been designed to effectively convey the high-level feature content of, and the inheritance characteristics for, the new packages.
Cisco IOS Packaging is available for customers in Cisco IOS Software Major Release 12.3. It will be supported on the Cisco 1700, 2600XM, 2691, and 3700 Series Routers. Most Cisco Access, Aggregation, and Core routers will support this model in the future.
1.1 New Packaging Feature Inheritance Principle
Cisco IOS Packaging is fundamentally based on an inheritance model. Each new package inherits all of the Cisco IOS Software features and services available in the packages below it, offering customers a clear migration and upgrade path.
Figure 1. Cisco IOS Packaging
1.2 New Naming Convention
The new package names emphasize the inheritance characteristics of Cisco IOS Packaging. They also provide a high-level feature content description of the new packages, which further simplifies the image selection process.
The following categories summarize the new naming convention:
• Base: entry level image, (ie, IP Base, Enterprise Base)
• Services: addition of IP Telephony Service, MPLS, Voice over IP (VoIP), Voice over Frame Relay (VoFR), and ATM (ie: SP Services, Enterprise Services)
• Advanced: addition of VPN, Cisco IOS Firewall, 3DES encryption, SSH, Cisco IOS IPsec and Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS) (ie: Advanced Security, Advanced IP Services)
• Enterprise: additional of multi-protocols, including IBM, IPX, AppleTalk (ie: Enterprise Base, Enterprise Services)
Eight new Packages:
• IP Base
• IP Voice
• Enterprise Base
• Advanced Security
• SP Services
• Advanced IP Services
• Enterprise Services
• Advanced Enterprise Services
Reference Example:
Advanced Enterprise Services
(Cisco IOS Firewall, VPN, 3DES encryption, SSH, Cisco IOS IPsec and IDS) + (Multi-Protocols) + (voice, VoIP, VoFR, ATM, MPLS)
1.3 Description
The new packages have been specifically designed to satisfy requirements of four typical service categories:
• IP data services
• Converged voice and data services
• Security and VPN services
• Multi-protocol services (ie: IPX, AppleTalk, and various IBM protocols)
Cisco IOS Packaging provides a focused package as an entry point for each category. As you progress up the pyramid, comprehensive packages provide additional functionality and combine features from different categories to meet required combinations. All packages converge in the Advanced Enterprise Services, integrating all mainstream functionality.
Following are descriptions and market requirements for each feature set. For detailed information please use Feature Navigator: http://tools.cisco.com/ITDIT/CFN/jsp/index.jsp.
IP Base
IP Base is a baseline set of Cisco IOS Software services required to operate a Cisco IOS Router in a data environment. It includes technologies such as DSL connectivity, Ethernet Switching modules, 802.1q routing, and trunking on Ethernet interfaces. The Cisco IOS Software features and services in IP Base will be "inherited" in all the packages listed below. Additionally, IP Base will be the default image for most Cisco IOS Routers.
IP Voice
IP Voice adds voice features in addition to functionality found in IP Base. It integrates support for VoIP or VoFR. Additional functionality includes support for all existing voice interfaces and their signaling protocols (ie: H.323, MGCP Signaling), key leadership capabilities (ie: Cisco IOS Telephony Services), and Survivable Remote Site Telephony (SRST).
Advanced Security
Advanced Security combines Security and VPN with data connectivity. Additional functionality includes Cisco IOS Firewall, Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS), Secure Shell (SSHv1), and support for Cisco Easy VPN Client and Server.
All encryption technologies (3DES and AES as applicable) will be provided in a single feature set. Advanced Security is a full superset of IP Base, as it supports all features and hardware supported in the IP Base feature set.
SP Services
SP Services is a comprehensive set of data connectivity with voice encapsulation and transport services, in addition to SSHv1. It provides full support for Voice and data over IP and ATM. The SP Services also provides other premium features, such as MPLS.
Enterprise Base
Enterprise Base integrates support for data connectivity, multi-protocols, and IBM services (ie: Appletalk, Novell, and IPX). Enterprise Base is a full superset of IP Base, as it supports all features and hardware supported in the IP Base feature set.
Advanced IP Services
Advanced IP Services combines support for data and voice with Security and VPN capabilities. It supports all features and hardware supported in the SP Services feature set, and adds support for the VPN, IDS, IPv6, and Cisco IOS Firewall services in the Advanced Security feature set.
Enterprise Services
Enterprise Services combines support for IPX, Apple Talk, DECnet and IBM services with voice and/or ATM services. It supports all features and hardware supported in the SP Services feature set, and adds support for multi-protocols introduced in the Enterprise Base feature set. It fully meets the requirements of customers who wish to integrate full IBM support and voice services.
Advanced Enterprise Services
Advanced Enterprise Services merge support for multi-protocols (ie: Appletalk, Novell, IPX, and DECnet) with voice, security (ie: Cisco IOS Firewall and IDS), VPN, and other premium features (ie: IPv6, MPLS). It is the most premium and services rich feature set.
The availability of features in the new packages is contingent on individual platform support. For details about the content of each package by platform, please visit: http://www.cisco.com/go/packaging/
2 TARGET PLATFORMS FOR CISCO IOS SOFTWARE PACKAGING
Cisco IOS Packaging is currently focused on Cisco Access Router platforms. It is available on the Cisco 1700, 2600XM, 2691, and 3700 Series Routers.
Additional Cisco IOS Software Routers will follow in Cisco IOS Software Release 12.3T and Release 12.2S.
3 CISCO IOS NEW FEATURE SETS AVAILABILITY
The new packages are introduced as upgrade and migration opportunities in Cisco IOS Software Release 12.3. Table 1 outlines the platforms that migrate to the new packaging framework, and the target packages for each platform.
Table 1. Platform Support for Cisco IOS Packaging
The following platforms do not support Cisco IOS Packaging in Release 12.3: Cisco 1720, Cisco 2600 non-XM, and the Cisco 3600 Router Series.
3.1 New Feature Sets for Cisco 1700 Series Routers
The new packages will be available for the Cisco 1700 Series Routers:
• Cisco 1721 and 1751 Routers: support the IP Base, Advanced Security and Enterprise Base packages
• Cisco 1751-V and 1760 Routers: supports all new packages
Table 2 outlines the available new packages, image names, and memory requirements for Cisco 1700 Series Routers.
Table 2. New Packages for Cisco 1700 Series Routers
For detailed information about these packages in Cisco IOS Software Release 12.3, please refer to Product Bulletin No. 2124, Release 12.3 Feature Sets for the Cisco 1700 Series Routers: http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/hw/routers/ps221/prod_bulletin09186a0080161145.html
3.2 New Packages for Cisco 2600 Series Routers
The new packages will be available for the Cisco 2600 Series Routers:
The new packages will be available for the Cisco 2691 andC2600XM Routers.
Table 3 and 4 outline the available new packages, image names, and Flash and DRAM memory requirements for Cisco 2600 Series Routers.
Table 3. New Packages for Cisco 2600XM Series Routers
Table 4. New Packages for Cisco 2691 Router
For detailed information about these packages in Cisco IOS Software Release 12.3, please refer to:
Cisco 2600XM: http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/hw/routers/ps259/prod_bulletin09186a0080161082.html
3.3 New Packages for Cisco 3700 Series Routers
The new packages will be available for the Cisco 3725 and 3745 Routers.
Table 5 outlines the available new packages, image names, and Flash and DRAM memory requirements for Cisco 3700 Series Routers.
Table 5. New Packages for Cisco 3700 Series Routers
For detailed information about these packages in Cisco IOS Software Release 12.3, please refer to:
Customers who expect to deploy new Cisco IOS Software features and services in the Release 12.3T are encouraged to understand and evaluate the new feature sets as they will be the vehicle for new feature delivery.
4 MIGRATION GUIDE
Table 6 outlines the recommended migration path for each platform family and software image; these represent close fit migration paths for customers who migrate from old feature sets to the new packages, which will be introduced in Cisco IOS Software Release 12.3.
Table 6. Cisco IOS New Software Packaging Migration Guide
Cisco 1700 Series Routers