Cisco’s product line for supporting DSL services is comprised of three classifications of equipment.
The first is the focus of the Remote Access examination, which is primarily made up of the Cisco 800
series of routers and the SOHO (small office, home office) 70 series. The second is comprised of the
xDSL modules for the branch and office routers, including the 2600 and 3600 series. And the third
is the head-end DSLAM switches, including the Cisco 6260 IP DSL switch.
There could be a fourth Cisco DSL product category in their Linksys acquisition.
The Linksys product line includes a wide range of solutions for the SOHO
market and frequently integrates other functions such as print services and
wireless networking.
For the SOHO environment and small remote office, Cisco provides their SOHO line of DSL
routers in addition to the Cisco 800 series. Here is a list of the various DSL platforms in this category:
Cisco 837 ADSL Broadband Router
Cisco 836 ADSL over ISDN Broadband Router
Cisco 828 G.SHDSL Router
Cisco 827 ADSL Router
Cisco 827-4V ADSL Router
Cisco 826 ADSL Router
Cisco SOHO 78 G.SHDSL Router
Cisco SOHO 77 ADSL Router
Cisco SOHO 77 H ADSL Router
Cisco SOHO 76 ADSL Router
There is not much to focus on in this list, other than noting the diversity within the Cisco 827
product line, which includes the 827-4V. This platform provides four voice ports in addition to
ADSL support. The H variant of the 827 provides a four-port hub in addition to DSL termination.
For larger offices, Cisco provides DSL support on the 1700, 2600XM, and 3600 series routers
via a WAN Interface Card (WIC). This allows for the installation of other services, including
network modules (NMs) for content delivery. Voice Interface Cards (VICs) can also terminate
voice services on these platforms.
At the head end, Cisco provides the following switches for terminating DSL connections:
Cisco 6260 IP DSL Switch
Cisco 6160 IP DSL Switch
Cisco 6015 IP DSL Switch
These solutions are targeted toward servicing multi-tenant buildings, telecommunications
service providers, and ISPs. The specifics of these platforms are well beyond the scope of the
Remote Access examination.