The Cisco® 1- and 2-Port Clear Channel Enhanced Capability Port Adapters for the Cisco 7200 Series, Cisco 7301, and Cisco 7201 Routers are enhanced "two-in-one" versions (part numbers PA-T3/E3-EC and PA-2T3/E3-EC) of the earlier Clear Channel T3 and E3 port adapters (part numbers PA-T3+, PA-2T3+, PA-E3, and PA-2E3). These new products assist network implementers by minimizing sparing of both T3 port adapters for the United States and E3 for European and Asian implementations. They provide a new software architecture that allows selecting either T3 or E3 by way of software configuration coupled with a more powerful chipset that lowers CPU usage. The new port adapters lower CPU use by more than 15 percent.
The new port adapters can perform at line-rate performance with lower CPU usage on the Cisco 7200 Series, Cisco 7201, and Cisco 7301 platforms while providing scalable trunking services. Table 1 lists the router platforms and Cisco IOS® Software releases that support these features.
Table 1. Features Table
Feature
Supporting Platform
Cisco IOS Software Release
Line-rate performance: Up to 44.736 Mbps per T3 port
Cisco 7204VXR and Cisco 7206VXR NPE-400, NPE-G1, and NPE-G2 Network Processing Engines, Cisco 7201, and Cisco 7301
12.4(15)T1
Line-rate performance: Up to 34.736 Mbps per E3 port
Cisco 7204VXR and Cisco 7206VXR NPE-400, NPE-G1, and NPE-G2, Cisco 7201, and Cisco 7301
12.4(15)T1
Lower CPU usage
Cisco 7204VXR and Cisco 7206VXR NPE-400, NPE-G1, and NPE-G2, Cisco 7201, and Cisco 7301
12.4(15)T1
New Features
The following features are delivered by the intelligent hardware of the Cisco 1- and 2-Port Clear Channel Enhanced Capability Port Adapters:
• Two-in-one T3 or E3 provisioning in one product
• Improved line-rate performance while lowering overall system CPU use
Upgrade Paths
Cisco 7204VXR, Cisco 7206VXR, Cisco 7301, and Cisco 7201 customers who wish to upgrade from the earlier port adapters (part numbers PA-T3+, PA-2T3+, PA-E3, and PA-2E3) and desire T3/E3 line-rate performance as well as the convenience of sparing or certifying one product in their network should consider migrating to the Cisco 1- and 2-Port Clear Channel Enhanced Capability Port Adapters. These new adapters are supported by the Cisco NPE-400, NPE-G1, and NPE-G2 Network Processing Engines.
Availability
The new port adapters began shipping in July 2007. The release of these new products coincided with Cisco IOS® Software Release 12.4(15)T1.
Ordering Information
Table 2 gives ordering information for the new port adapters.
Table 2. Ordering Information for Cisco 1- and 2-Port Clear Channel Enhanced Capability Port Adapters
Part Number
Description
PA-T3/E3-EC
Cisco 1-Port Clear Channel Enhanced Capability Port Adapter
PA-T3/E3-EC=
Cisco 1-Port Clear Channel Enhanced Capability Port Adapter (SPARE)
PA-2T3/E3-EC
Cisco 2-Port Clear Channel Enhanced Capability Port Adapter
PA-2T3/E3-EC=
Cisco 2-Port Clear Channel Enhanced Capability Port Adapter (SPARE)
