Cisco ASR 9906 Datasheet: Expert Technical Overview

1. Product Overview

The Cisco Aggregation Services Router (ASR) 9906 is a high-performance, carrier-grade router designed to meet the demanding requirements of service providers and large enterprises. As part of the Cisco ASR 9000 Series, the ASR 9906 delivers exceptional scalability, modularity, and resiliency for edge and core network deployments. Engineered to support multi-service aggregation, high-density 10G, 40G, and 100G interfaces, and advanced routing protocols, the ASR 9906 is optimized for next-generation network architectures including 5G, IoT, and cloud services.

Built on Cisco’s proven IOS XR operating system, the ASR 9906 offers a distributed architecture that separates control and forwarding planes, enabling high availability and in-service software upgrades (ISSU). This router is designed to handle massive traffic volumes with deterministic low latency and jitter, making it ideal for mobile backhaul, broadband aggregation, and data center interconnect applications.

The ASR 9906 chassis supports a flexible slot configuration, allowing operators to tailor the system to specific network requirements. Its compact 6-slot form factor balances port density and power efficiency, making it suitable for both central office and regional aggregation sites.

2. Product Specifications

2.1 Chassis and Physical Dimensions

The ASR 9906 chassis is a 6-slot modular platform with the following physical characteristics:

• Height: 8 RU (Rack Units)
• Width: 17.5 inches (445 mm)
• Depth: 24 inches (610 mm)
• Weight: Approximately 70 kg (fully loaded)
• Power: AC and DC power supply options with N+1 redundancy

2.2 Performance and Throughput

The ASR 9906 supports up to 1.44 Tbps of system throughput, with each line card capable of delivering up to 240 Gbps of forwarding capacity. The router’s distributed forwarding architecture leverages Cisco’s QuantumFlow Processor (QFP) technology, enabling wire-speed packet processing with advanced features such as deep packet inspection, QoS, and traffic engineering.

2.3 Interface and Line Card Options

The ASR 9906 supports a wide range of line cards to accommodate diverse interface types and speeds:

• 10 Gigabit Ethernet (10G) SFP+ ports
• 40 Gigabit Ethernet (40G) QSFP+ ports
• 100 Gigabit Ethernet (100G) CFP2 and QSFP28 ports
• SONET/SDH interfaces for legacy network support
• OTN (Optical Transport Network) capable line cards for transport integration

2.4 Control and Management

The ASR 9906 employs dual Route Processors (RPs) for redundancy and high availability. The control plane runs Cisco IOS XR, a carrier-grade operating system designed for modularity, fault containment, and scalability. Management interfaces include:

• Out-of-band management via dedicated Ethernet ports
• In-band management through standard network interfaces
• Support for NETCONF, RESTCONF, and SNMP for automation and monitoring
• Integration with Cisco Network Services Orchestrator (NSO) and other SDN controllers

2.5 Environmental and Regulatory Compliance

The ASR 9906 is designed to operate in standard data center and central office environments with the following conditions:

• Operating temperature: 0°C to 45°C
• Relative humidity: 5% to 85% non-condensing
• Compliance with NEBS Level 3 standards for telecom equipment
• Energy efficiency compliant with ENERGY STAR and other regional standards

3. Features and Benefits

3.1 High Availability and Resiliency

The ASR 9906 is engineered for continuous operation in mission-critical environments. Key resiliency features include:

• Redundant Route Processors and Fabric Cards with hitless failover
• In-Service Software Upgrade (ISSU) capability to minimize downtime during maintenance
• Stateful switchover (SSO) for control plane redundancy
• Hardware-based forwarding with fail-safe mechanisms

3.2 Scalability and Modular Design

The modular chassis design allows network operators to scale capacity incrementally by adding or upgrading line cards without disrupting existing services. This flexibility supports evolving network demands such as:

• Incremental bandwidth growth from 10G to 100G interfaces
• Multi-service aggregation including Layer 2 and Layer 3 VPNs
• Support for emerging protocols and encapsulations (MPLS, Segment Routing, EVPN)

3.3 Advanced Routing and Traffic Engineering

Powered by Cisco IOS XR, the ASR 9906 supports a comprehensive suite of routing protocols and traffic engineering capabilities:

• IPv4 and IPv6 routing with full BGP, OSPF, IS-IS support
• MPLS Layer 2 and Layer 3 VPNs for secure multi-tenant environments
• Segment Routing (SR) for simplified traffic engineering and network programmability