* The Reviewmeister checks out a new, low-cost router from Adtran, the NetVanta 4305
Adtran is shipping a new, low-cost router, so we decided to check it out.
The NetVanta 4305 is a modest performer. The beta routing software still has some rough spots, including scalability issues, but the price advantage might offset these, especially for managers of small or midsize enterprise networks.
The 1U systems we tested were equipped with two fixed-port Fast Ethernet interfaces and an optional module supporting eight T-1 (1.544M bit/sec) serial interfaces. The NetVanta 4305’s base price includes support for IPv4 routing protocols and a stateful firewall. IPSec support is optional, as is a DSX-1 module for interconnection with PBXs.
The NetVanta’s command-line interface strongly resembles IOS, but lacks some features of its Cisco counterpart, such as redirecting command output through a pipe.
We measured performance of the NetVanta 4305 in seven ways: static routing; small- and large-table routing information protocol (RIP) routing; small-, medium- and large-table open shortest path first (OSPF) routing. We also tested IPSec tunnel capacity.
The static routing test was a best-case scenario; the goal was to show the maximum rate at which the NetVanta 4305 boxes would forward traffic without dynamic routing enabled. We then repeated the same test using either RIP or OSPF, and routing tables of various sizes. We tested in a back-to-back configuration, linking two routers with up to eight T-1 interfaces, and then repeated the tests on one router with traffic flowing between two Fast Ethernet interfaces.
In the two-router tests, throughput was slightly lower than line rate with medium or large frames, regardless of the presence or absence of dynamic routing. Tests with 256-byte frames are the most noteworthy, because that size is close to the average frame length on many enterprise networks.
These tests uncovered two anomalies. First, Adtran’s beta software supported only seven T-1s in the multilink PPP link, when dynamic routing was enabled.
Second, throughput with RIP routing didn’t scale as high as OSPF, especially when we threw short frames at the NetVanta pair. Short-frame throughput with a 240-route table (the largest we attempted) was noticeably lower than with a smaller 64-route table.
Another key metric – latency – improved in most cases when we enabled OSPF or RIP. For example, in two-router tests with static routing, we measured average latency of 2.017 millisec when forwarding 64-byte frames. But with RIP routing and 240 routes, average latency actually fell to 1.352 millisec.
The NetVanta 4305 doesn’t match Cisco 3700 series routers when it comes to features or robustness of its routing code, but then again it doesn’t cost nearly as much. While the routing code we tested had a few unresolved issues, the NetVanta 4305 might be a cost-effective alternative in small to midsize networks.
For the full report, go to https://www.nwfusion.com/reviews/2004/112204rev.html
