VPN/T1 Recommendation

[umbernaut]

Hi all,

I need to purchase a Cisco device to handle up to six site-to-site VPNs (with room to grow) and up to six point-to-point T1s (with room to grow).  What model do you recommend?  Data and voice will be going across this.  I was thinking the 2801 or 2811?

Thanks much....

[Collin Clark]

How much growth are you looking for (for the T1s)? The 2800 series have 4 HWIC slots and the max density of T1 cards in that format is two. So the 2800 series will support 8 T1's. If that's enough, any of the 2800's will do. For VPN, I highly suggest you purchase the AIM-VPN card. It will take the load of the encryption/decryption of the IPSEC tunnels. It's included with the HSEC bundle whcih has everything you need for high security services like VPN.

Hope that helps.

[umbernaut]

Thanks much!  To be honest, the T1 growth may be over, but who knows.  We're doing our first metro ethernet this week.  I feel the site-to-site VPNs will grow for sure.  Our main router handling the five point-to-point T1s is an HP 7203 with an 8-port card that will handle up to that many T1s.  I want to make this new device a failover for that (one day to replace with Cisco hopefully).  So, the T1 need will only be in the event of the 7203 failing.  The 2800 series will be handling our site-to-site VPNs otherwise.  I appreciate your recommendation and will pursue that.