MX960 Router Overview
The MX960 5G Universal Routing Platform is an Ethernet-optimized edge router that provides both switching and carrier-class Ethernet routing. The MX960 router enables a wide range of business and residential applications and services, including high-speed transport and VPN services, next-generation broadband multiplay services, high-speed Internet and data center internetworking.
The MX960 chassis provides redundancy and resiliency. The hardware system is fully redundant, including power supplies, fan trays, Routing Engines, and Switch Control Boards.
The MX960 router is 16 rack units (U) tall. Three routers can be stacked in a single floor-to-ceiling rack, for increased port density per unit of floor space. The router provides 14 slots that can be populated with 11 or 12 Dense Port Concentrators (DPCs) or Modular Port Concentrators (MPCs), six Flexible PIC Concentrators (FPCs), and two Switch Control Boards (SCBs) in nonredundant fabric configurations.
Fully populated, the MX960 router provides an aggregate switch fabric capacity of up to 10.56 Tbps, with line-rate throughput on 264 10-Gigabit Ethernet ports, 22 100-Gigabit Ethernet and 44 10-Gigabit Ethernet ports and 66 40-Gigabit Ethernet ports.
Table 1 lists the MX960 router capacity.
Description |
Capacity |
|---|---|
System capacity |
10.56 Tbps half duplex |
Switch fabric capacity per slot |
480 Gbps |
MPCs and DPCs per chassis |
11 or 12 (depending on protection scheme) |
Chassis per rack |
3 |
Several types of DPCs are available. Each DPC includes either two or four Packet Forwarding Engines (PFE). Each PFE enables a throughput of 10 Gbps.
Up to two PICs can be installed in each FPC. Fully populated, the MX960 supports up to 12 PICs.
Up to two Modular Interface Cards (MICs) can be installed in each MPC. Fully populated, the MX960 supports up to 24 MICs.
MPCs support fixed interfaces or up to two Modular Interface Cards (MICs) that can be installed in each MPC. Fully populated, the MX960 supports up to 22 MICs.
For a list of the supported DPCs, FPCs, MPCs, MICs, PICs, and SCBs, see the MX Series Interface Module Reference.
Table 2 compares the switch fabric bandwidth capacities.
Description |
Fabric Bandwidth Per Slot |
MX240 Fabric Bandwidth |
MX480 Fabric Bandwidth |
MX960 Fabric Bandwidth |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Enhanced MX Switch Control Board (model SCBE3-MX) |
Up to 1.5 Tbps (non-redundant fabric configuration with MPC10E line cards); 1 Tbps (redundant fabric configuration with MPC10E line cards) |
Up to 6 Tbps |
Up to 18 Tbps |
Up to 33 Tbps |
Enhanced MX Switch Control Board (SCBE2-MX) |
Up to 480 Gbps (non-redundant fabric configuration); 340 Gbps (redundant fabric configuration) |
Up to 1.92 Tbps |
Up to 5.76 Tbps |
Up to 10.56 Tbps |
Enhanced MX Switch Control Board (SCBE-MX) |
Up to 240 Gbps (non-redundant fabric configuration); 160 Gbps (redundant fabric configuration) |
Up to 930 Gbps |
Up to 2.79 Tbps |
Up to 5.25 Tbps |
Switch Control Board (SCB-MX) |
Up to 240 Gbps (non-redundant fabric configuration); 120 Gbps (redundant fabric configuration) |
Up to 465 Gbps |
Up to 1.39 Tbps |
Up to 2.6 Tbps |
The connections between interface cards and SCBs are organized in three groups:
Switch fabric—Connects the interface cards and provides for packet transport between DPCs, FPCs, and MPCs. Two SCBs provide one non-redundant fabric. Three SCBs are required for a redundant fabric configuration.
Control Plane—Gigabit Ethernet links between the combined SCBs/Routing Engines and each DPC, FPC, or MPC. All board-to-board information is passed over Ethernet except for low-level status and commands.
Management signals—Provide low-level status diagnostic support.