Cisco® 2900 Series Integrated Services Routers build on 25 years of Cisco innovation and product leadership. The new platforms are architected to enable the next phase of branch-office evolution, providing rich media collaboration and virtualization to the branch while maximizing operational cost savings The Integrated Services Routers Generation 2 platforms are future-enabled with multi-core CPUs, support for high capacity DSPs (Digital Signal Processors) for future enhanced video capabilities, high powered service modules with improved availability, Gigabit Ethernet switching with enhanced POE, and new energy monitoring and control capabilities while enhancing overall system performance. Additionally, a new Cisco IOS® Software Universal image and Services Ready Engine module enable you to decouple the deployment of hardware and software, providing a flexible technology foundation which can quickly adapt to evolving network requirements. Overall, the Cisco 2900 Series offer unparalleled total cost of ownership savings and network agility through the intelligent integration of market leading security, unified communications, wireless, and application services.

Cisco 2900 Series builds on the best-in-class offering of the existing Cisco 2800 Series Integrated Services Routers by offering four platforms (Figure 1): the Cisco 2901, 2911, 2921, and 2951 Integrated Services Routers.

All Cisco 2900 Series Integrated Services Routers offer embedded hardware encryption acceleration, voice- and video-capable digital signal processor (DSP) slots, optional firewall, intrusion prevention, call processing, voicemail, and application services. In addition, the platforms support the industries widest range of wired and wireless connectivity options such as T1/E1, T3/E3, xDSL, copper and fiber GE.

Key Business Benefits

The Integrated Services Routers Generation 2 (ISR G2) provide superior services integration and agility. Designed for scalability, the modular architecture of these platforms enables you to grow and adapt with your business needs. Table 1 lists the business benefits of the Cisco 2900 Series.

Platform Architecture and Modularity

The Cisco 2900 Series is architected to meet the application demands of today’s branch offices with design flexibility for future applications. The modular architecture is designed to support increasing bandwidth requirements, time-division multiplexing (TDM) interconnections, and fully integrated power distribution to modules supporting 802.3af Power over Ethernet (PoE) and Cisco Enhanced PoE (ePoE). Table 2 lists the architectural features and benefits of the Cisco 2900 Series.

Modularity Features and Benefits

The Cisco 2900 Series provides significantly enhanced modular capabilities (refer to Table 3) offering investment protection for customers. Most of the modules available on previous generations of Cisco routers, such as the Cisco 2800 Series, are supported on the Cisco 2900 Series. Additionally, modules can be used on other supported Cisco platforms to provide maximum investment protection. Taking advantage of common interface cards across a network greatly reduces the complexity of managing inventory requirements, implementing large network rollouts, and maintaining configurations across a variety of branch-office sizes.

Cisco IOS Software

Cisco 2900 Series Integrated Services Routers deliver innovative technologies running on industry-leading Cisco IOS Software. Developed for wide deployment in the world's most demanding enterprise, access, and service provider networks, the Integrated Services Routers Generation 2 platforms are supported on Cisco IOS Software releases 15M&T. Release 15.0(1)M is available immediately and provides support for a comprehensive portfolio of Cisco technologies, including the functionality and features delivered in releases 12.4 and 12.4T. New innovations in 15.0(1)M span multiple technology areas, including security, voice, high availability, IP Routing and Multicast, quality of service (QoS), IP Mobility, Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS), VPNs, and embedded management.

Cisco IOS Software Licensing and Packaging

A single Cisco IOS Universal image encompassing all IOS technology feature sets is delivered with the platforms. You can enable advanced features by activating a software license on the Universal image. In previous generations of access routers, these feature sets required you to download a new software image. Technology packages and feature licenses, enabled through the Cisco software licensing infrastructure, simplify software delivery and decrease the operational costs of deploying new features.

Key Branch-Office Services

The Cisco Integrated Services Routers are industry-leading platforms that offer unprecedented levels of services integration. Designed to meet the requirements of the branch office, these platforms provide a complete solution with voice, video, security, mobility and application services. Businesses enjoy the benefit of deploying a single device that meets all their needs, reducing capital and operational expenses.

Unified Communications, Collaboration, and Voice-Gateway Services

The Cisco 2900 Integrated Services Router is the foundation for collaboration in the small and midsize branch office, serving as a critical component of a Cisco's video architecture (Medianet) and enterprise Unified Communications solution. With embedded voice services and a wide range of supported telephony interfaces, the Cisco 2900 Series delivers maximum deployment flexibility for the distributed enterprise. Unified communications is enabled through a rich signaling and media-processing infrastructure, including a variety of protocols, media interworking, signal and media security, transcoding, conferencing, and QoS. Cisco Integrated Services Routers also feature a wide range of voice-gateway interfaces, supporting a broad array of signaling and physical network interfaces.

The Cisco 2900 Series enables a full range of existing and emerging video services, with scaling improvements to support Cisco TelePresence® conferencing, security, and session control. The Cisco Unified Border Element extends these capabilities for business-to-business TelePresence communications. The Cisco 2900 Series adds support for the new Cisco High-Density Packet Voice Digital Signal Processor (DSP) Module (PVDM3), which has been optimized for voice and video support. The new PVDM3 modules support all voice-gateway functions of earlier generations of PVDMs and add higher density and more processing power to support emerging rich-media applications. The Cisco 2900 Series provides 2 or 3 onboard PVDM3 slots, depending on the platform.

Cisco Unified Communications Manager Express and Survivable Remote Site Telephony

The Cisco Integrated Services Routers natively provide optional unified communications services within the Cisco IOS Software, minimizing the IT hardware footprint and total cost of ownership at the branch office. Cisco Unified Communications Manager Express (CME) provides a broad range of IP private-branch-exchange (PBX) and key-system features integrated into the router for the small and midsize branch office. Cisco Survivable Remote Site Telephony (SRST), also inherently available in Cisco IOS Software, and an option on the Cisco 2900 Series, helps ensure that branch-office employees have uninterrupted telephony services and features, even if the connection to a centralized Cisco Unified Communications Manager is disrupted.

Coupled with Cisco Unity® Express, the integrated solution for voicemail, Automated Attendant, and interactive voice response (IVR), the Cisco 2900 Series offers the branch office a complete range of unified communications services while delivering industry-leading security within a single platform.

VoiceXML Application Services

The Cisco 2900 Series also supports standards-certified VoiceXML browser services. VoiceXML is an open-standard markup language used to create voice-enabled web browsers and IVR applications. Just as HTML enables you to retrieve data with a PC, VoiceXML enables you to retrieve data using voice or dual-tone-multifrequency (DTMF) telephony input. The Cisco 2900 Series can deliver a much higher range of concurrent voice-gateway services combined with VoiceXML browser services, for up to 200 sessions on the Cisco 2951.

Cisco Unified Border Element

The Cisco Unified Border Element capabilities supported on the Cisco 2900 Series address the emerging requirements in an IP-centric interconnect for branch-office unified communications between enterprises and service provider networks. Cisco Unified Border Element provides intelligent border-element functions such as physical and logical ingress and egress demarcation points, signaling and media control, and consolidated security and management features. The Cisco 2900 Series supports higher scale than previously provided on the Cisco 2800 Series, up to three times the number of sessions.

Integrated Network Security for Data, Voice, Video, and Mobility

Security is essential to protect a business’ intellectual property while also ensuring business continuity and providing the ability to extend the corporate workplace to employees who need anytime, anywhere access to company resources. As part of the Cisco' SAFE architectural framework that allows organizations to identify, prevent, and adapt to network security threats, the Cisco 2900 Series Integrated Services Routers facilitate secure business transactions and collaboration.