Cisco AS5300

By Xanatos
Alejo Saucedo, IS, internetworking, Editora El Sol, 08/01/00

Overall comments
We are using the AS5300 to run voice over IP over QSIG. QSIG is an IOS feature of the AS5300. This was one of the most exciting tests run on our network.

Positive aspects
We were running voice over IP with the R2 modified protocol over three cities. With the AS5300 sitting between the network and the PBX, the R2 protocol is spiked only by the PBX, it never runs over the data network. Our challenge was to get more features from the PBX than R2 could offer us, so we switched from R2 to QSIG on our existing AS5300. The AS5300 switch running QSIG offered us these advantages:

Caller ID, both by name and by incoming number
Hunting groups (you can have a common pool of telephones to answer a call, regardless of the phone's city location)
Routing calls (you can travel to the other cities and be available on your home extension number)
Business quality with very low bandwidth use (this is key for WAN deployments)

Once running, it was clear the Cisco AS5300 and the PBX were talking to each other and understanding clearly.

Shortcomings
The lack of a serial port on the AS5300 modules was originally a problem. While Cisco recently added this capability, we were initially forced to use Cisco 2610 routers for access to a serial port. Also, a software glitch on the PBX firmware version prevented us from using features like smart hunt grouping (custom configuration of answering extensions) and internal billing. The problem still exists, but the PBX manufacturer is working on it.

Advice for prospective purchasers
The AS5300 is an excellent choice for running eight digital E-1/T-1 links. But pay attention to your PBX protocols and capabilities; all the protocols must be understood by the router. The IOS version 12.x, software that comes with the Cisco AS5300, supports voice and video. Be sure to check that you have all the codecs that the AS5300 can support. Cisco manages two types for their DSPM voice modules (Cisco calls it VFCWARE). One is basic and the other is very complete, including more than 10 different codecs.

How it could be improved
To improve this product, more support for other countries' specifications are needed. There are many, it's true, but the market, and especially the customers, are worth it.

Other products evaluated
We only compared Lucent, 3Com, and Nortel Networks on paper, via case studies, white papers, etc. We didn't bring in actual equipment for the test bed. However, in the selection, Cisco took the lead because we knew their equipment.

Savings in time and money
During the tests we avoided three business trips involving more than 20 people, money, time and more importantly, work delays were saved.

Test environment
To run this stack, we used three Bosch PBXs located in different cities, connected with the E-1module to an AS5300 each, all with in an IP cloud and more than 2,500 telephones in the enterprise.

Overall ratings
1-5; with 1 the worst and 5 the best.

Installation	4 At the beginning of the installation, we ran into trouble with the configuration on the AS5300. We were experiencing an awful voice quality and an annoying, constant noise. First we thought there was a codec problem or a hardware problem, so we sought support. Cisco has a strong relationship with Bosch, our PBX vendor, in Germany, and some German engineers provided us test patterns and advice. Finally we solved the problem. There was one configuration option that is not listed because it is a default option, so we never noticed it until we specifically looked for it. We set it properly and that solved the problem. Quality was back.
Reliability	5 AS5300 is a very trustworthy box. It can handle many difficult situations such as a full E-1link (30 simultaneous calls) and intense SNMP polling while handling voice traffic. In the worst case, if the AS5300 crashes, you would have to reload it, and in 55 seconds, it's back.
Documentation	5 The Cisco Connection Online (CCO) is a very important part of the strategy of all Cisco Systems for customer support and e-business. It provides the customer/ reseller/ partner many awesome tools for doing online hardware configurations, for getting the correct IOS version and the correct amount of system memory. The documentation is organized via product family, and there are exhaustive examples to illustrate the correct configuration. I find this has been the case for almost every Cisco product.
Management	3 Now our PBX administrator has more control over the statistics for managing that the CEO, CFO, need to know on long-distance calls (frequency, destination, system utilization, cost savings, etc.)
Price	5 To check for savings, assess your return on investment. Compare this with the cost of this voice-over-IP implementation via a monthly breakout, to a record of your traditional long-distance service costs.
Overall	5