Cisco ASR 9922 Datasheet: Expert Technical Overview

1. Product Overview

The Cisco Aggregation Services Router (ASR) 9922 is a flagship high-performance edge router designed to meet the demanding requirements of service providers and large enterprises. Engineered for scalability, resiliency, and advanced service integration, the ASR 9922 is part of Cisco’s ASR 9000 Series portfolio, which is renowned for its ability to deliver carrier-grade routing with exceptional throughput and operational efficiency.

Built on a modular architecture, the ASR 9922 supports multi-terabit forwarding capacity, enabling service providers to aggregate massive volumes of traffic from access and metro networks while delivering advanced services such as MPLS, Segment Routing, and Network Function Virtualization (NFV). The platform is optimized for both IPv4 and IPv6 environments and supports a broad range of Layer 2 and Layer 3 protocols, making it a versatile solution for evolving network topologies.

The ASR 9922 is engineered to address the challenges of modern network infrastructures, including the explosion of video, cloud, and mobile data traffic. It provides a robust foundation for 5G backhaul, data center interconnect, and high-density peering applications. Its design emphasizes high availability, operational simplicity, and programmability, enabling network operators to reduce total cost of ownership (TCO) while accelerating service innovation.

2. Product Specifications

2.1 Hardware Architecture

The ASR 9922 chassis is a 6-slot, NEBS-compliant platform that supports redundant power supplies and fans for carrier-grade reliability. The modular design allows flexible deployment of line cards and route processors to tailor the system to specific network requirements.

• Chassis: 6-slot, NEBS Level 3 certified, 19-inch rack-mountable
• Route Processors (RP): Supports dual redundant RPs with Cisco IOS XR software for in-service software upgrades (ISSU) and high availability
• Fabric Cards: High-capacity switching fabric cards providing up to 2.4 Tbps of fabric bandwidth per card
• Line Cards: Supports a variety of line cards including 10G, 40G, 100G, and 400G interfaces with advanced packet processing capabilities
• Power Supplies: Redundant, hot-swappable AC or DC power supply options
• Cooling: Front-to-back airflow with redundant fans for optimal thermal management

2.2 Performance and Capacity

The ASR 9922 is engineered to deliver exceptional forwarding performance and scalability:

• Forwarding Capacity: Up to 4 Tbps (terabits per second) of full-duplex throughput, depending on configuration
• Packet Forwarding Rate: Up to 6 billion packets per second (bpps)
• Interface Density: Supports up to 96 x 100G ports or a mix of 10G, 40G, 100G, and 400G interfaces
• Buffer Memory: Large packet buffers on line cards to handle bursty traffic and prevent packet loss
• Route Scale: Supports over 1 million routes in the forwarding information base (FIB)

2.3 Software and Protocol Support

The ASR 9922 runs Cisco IOS XR, a carrier-grade operating system designed for high availability and modularity. Key protocol and feature support includes:

• Routing Protocols: BGP (including BGP-LS), OSPFv2/v3, IS-IS, RIP, MPLS LDP, RSVP-TE, Segment Routing (SR-MPLS and SRv6)
• Multicast: PIM-SM, PIM-SSM, MSDP, MVPN, and Source-Specific Multicast (SSM)
• VPNs: MPLS Layer 3 VPNs, Layer 2 VPNs (VPLS, EVPN), and Segment Routing VPNs
• Quality of Service (QoS): Advanced hierarchical QoS with traffic shaping, policing, and congestion avoidance mechanisms
• Security: Control plane policing, MACsec support on applicable interfaces, and comprehensive access control lists (ACLs)
• Automation and Programmability: NETCONF/YANG, RESTCONF, gRPC, Python scripting, and integration with Cisco Network Services Orchestrator (NSO)

2.4 Environmental and Compliance Specifications

The ASR 9922 is designed to meet stringent environmental and regulatory standards:

• Operating Temperature: 0°C to 45°C (32°F to 113°F)
• Storage Temperature: -40°C to 70°C (-40°F to 158°F)
• Humidity: 5% to 85% non-condensing
• Certifications: NEBS Level 3, ETSI, FCC Part 15 Class A, CE Mark, RoHS compliant

3. Features and Benefits

3.1 High Availability and Resiliency

The ASR 9922 is architected for continuous operation in mission-critical environments. Dual route processors with stateful switchover (SSO) and In-Service Software Upgrade (ISSU) capabilities enable software updates and hardware maintenance without traffic disruption. Redundant power