Abstract

Tolly Group Report #202126 (May 2002) examines the reliability of Redback’s SmartEdge 800 Router, an IP-aggregation platform with hot-standby route processors, restartable protocols, and online-replaceable line cards. The test methodology required error-free forwarding (≤0.001% packet loss) while engineers induced hardware failures, restarted routing processes, performed in-service software upgrades, and exercised Online Insertion/Removal (OIR) of modules.

Route-processor resilience. Disabling or physically removing the active cross-connect route processor (XCRP) triggered instantaneous failover to the standby XCRP with zero packet loss while the router forwarded 64-byte traffic at 24% of line-card capacity across more than 5,000 OSPF or IS-IS prefixes.

Software modularity & graceful restart. During live traffic the team restarted OSPF, IS-IS, and BGP processes—each carrying up to 500,000 BGP routes or 250,000 OSPF/IS-IS routes—without losing a single packet. They then applied a new software image to each protocol and again recorded zero packet loss.

OIR of line cards & standby processors. Inserting or removing an OC-48 line card while forwarding 40-byte frames at 80% throughput, and adding or removing the standby XCRP card, produced zero packet loss in every iteration.

Bottom line: The SmartEdge 800 sustains traffic during processor failover, process restarts, software upgrades, and hardware swaps, delivering true carrier-class non-stop forwarding for edge aggregation roles.