Abstract

This white paper examines the performance and cost-of-ownership benefits that make 3Com’s Router 5000/3000 Series routers an attractive complement to embedded Cisco Systems Inc. devices. The white paper will definitively show that 3Com routers tested prove that they are interoperable with Cisco routers for a diverse set of router functions that include router protocols, link-level service protocol and advanced services such as multicasting and router redundancy protocols.

Tests also prove that the 3Com Router 5009 offers zero-loss throughput that is on-par with the Cisco 1751 for most packet sizes tested. In fact, the 3Com routers outperformed the Cisco 1751 when tested at 64-byte packets, the most taxing packet size utilized in our tests. By delivering close to 70,000 pps in the tests of Fast Ethernet routing, the 3Com Router 5009 illustrates that it offers more than sufficient processing power for demanding branch-office requirements thus delivering a viable platform for future growth. Packet rate and throughput results also indicate that the Router 5009 exhibits the type of performance to support a dual T1/E1 WAN.