Data Sheet
PA-8T—An Eight Serial Port Adapter for Cisco 7000 Family Routers
Increasing demand for bandwidth-intensive services and wide-area network (WAN) connectivity requires that network administrators maximize the capacity and efficiency of network routers. Cisco Systems' serial port adapters provide network administrators with flexible options for a broad range of port density requirements. Cisco's eight-port serial port adapter enhances network performance at a low price per port---making them a cost-effective solution for maximizing router efficiency.
Eight-Port Serial Port Adapter
Cisco's eight-port serial port adapter (PA-8T) delivers high-density WAN connectivity for enterprise and service provider networks. It provides up to eight full-duplex serial interfaces for the Cisco 7200 and 7500 Series routers. The eight-port adapter requires only a single slot in a Cisco 7200 Series router. For Cisco 7500 Series routers, it requires one of the two available adapter slots on a Versatile Interface Processor (VIP2). Its high density doubles the number of available ports in the same space as the four port adapter (PA-4T+). This enables up to sixteen ports per chassis slot in VIP2-based systems.
The eight-port adapter offers unmatched flexibility. Network administrators can provision eight T1 (1.55 Mbps) or E1 (2.048 Mbps) ports, four ports delivering speeds up to 4 Mbps, or two ports delivering speeds up to 8 Mbps (E2). Three models of the PA-8T provide eight ports of either V.35, EIA/TIA-232 or X.21 electrical interfaces. A single eight-port fan-out cable provides connection to the PA-8T, simplifying cabling requirements. High port density, a low cost per port, and high-performance combine to deliver the highest possible network throughput while minimizing network infrastructure costs.
Benefits
- Cost-effective solutions for any environment
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- Delivers very low price per port and provides higher performance than comparable solutions
- Provides Internet service providers (ISPs) with high serial density for Cisco 7200 series routers, lowering cost per port and cost per subscriber
- Enables up to 16 ports per slot in Cisco 7505, 7507, 7513 Series routers using VIP2 technology
- Supports high-density connectivity
- Carrier-Class Reliability and Serviceability
- Ease of use
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- LEDs indicate when the adapter is enabled for operation
- Separate LEDs for each port indicate DTE or DCE function, transmit data, transmit clock, receive data, and receive clock signals
- Metric (M3) thumbscrews included with each port adapter cable allow connections to devices that use metric hardware
Specifications