Central Site

The central site has different requirements compared to the remote branch and telecommuter
locations. Unlike those locations, the central site is an aggregation point for all of the
other links, and, as such, it requires greater bandwidth, larger equipment, and additional
administration.
As of this writing, Cisco suggests four high-end routers to meet the demands of the central
site. Designers should consider protocols, interfaces, and scalability when selecting a piece of
network equipment. The recommended platforms are as follows:
 Cisco 3600XM and 3700
 Cisco AS5x00
 Cisco 7000/7500
Note that each of these platforms is modular in nature. In addition, Cisco continually
introduces new platforms into the product line and will most likely continue to do so as part
of its AVVID initiative. AVVID stands for Architecture for Voice, Video, and Integrated
Data, and although it’s a marketing term, it will likely define an entire class of equipment for
some time. Historically, remote access technologies have been centered on data transport,
with support for voice—ISDN and the use of a B channel, for example. Demands will increase
for video, voice integration, and data transport in the future; in fact, these demands are
already surfacing today.
The following sections provide a more detailed overview of these platforms.