Full English Description for Cisco 7206
1. Official Short Order Description (Datasheet Standard Format)
Cisco 7206: Cisco 7200 Series Legacy 6RU Modular Multi-Service Edge Router, original non-VXR six-port-adapter-slot chassis with triple PCI low-bandwidth midplane capped at total 600 Mbps aggregate throughput, compatible only with legacy NPE-100/NPE-150/NPE-200 Network Processing Engines, six OIR-capable Port Adapter (PA) slots for mixed LAN/WAN multi-media interfaces, fixed non-upgradable integrated I/O Controller with Console/Aux serial management ports, dual optional load-sharing hot-swappable AC/-48VDC redundant power supplies and non-hot-swappable fixed internal fan tray, runs Cisco IOS 12.x multi-service software suite. This EOL/EOS platform delivers MPLS PE aggregation, IPsec VPN, TDM VoIP gateway, ATM/Frame Relay legacy WAN convergence and hierarchical MQC QoS, deployed for medium ISP POP edge, large enterprise multi-WAN convergence, regional voice trunk gateway and legacy broadband access aggregation scenarios.
2. Complete Detailed Product Overview
Product Line Positioning
Cisco 7206 is the original baseline 6-slot large modular chassis within Cisco classic 7200 Series multi-service router family, released before the upgraded high-performance 7206VXR variant. It is a 6RU rack-mount multi-service edge router targeting medium-sized service providers and large enterprises for converged data, voice and legacy circuit WAN traffic. Distinguished from VXR model by a low-speed triple PCI midplane limited to early-generation NPE processors only, lacking support for NPE-225/NPE-400/NPE-G1/NPE-G2 high-performance engines exclusive to VXR hardware. Widely deployed as MPLS provider edge routers, centralized VoIP TDM gateways, ATM/Frame Relay migration concentrators and medium-scale DSL access aggregation nodes; the chassis reached End-of-Sale in 2000 and End-of-Support in 2005, fully replaced by 7206VXR, ISR 4000 and ASR series modern carrier routersCisco.
Modular FRU Hardware Architecture (Core Differences vs 7206VXR)
Single Non-Hot-Swappable Rear NPE Processing Engine Slot
Rear-mounted NPE bay only supports three legacy low-to-mid performance processing engines: NPE-100, NPE-150, NPE-200. Full chassis power cycle is mandatory for NPE removal or upgrade, no online replacement capability. Each NPE integrates MIPS RISC CPU, system DRAM and onboard boot flash, handling all routing, switching, security and voice service workloads.
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Midplane architecture: Three independent 32-bit 50MHz PCI buses with hard total bandwidth ceiling of 600 Mbps shared across all six PA slots, causing severe bandwidth oversubscription when multiple high-speed Gigabit/OC-3 port adapters are installed.
Six Front Hot-Swap Port Adapter (PA) Slots (OIR Supported)
Six independent front-facing PA bays with Online Insertion and Removal function, enabling live interface card addition/replacement without chassis power outage. Fully compatible with all standard 7200 Series port adapters for mixed-media LAN/WAN convergence:
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LAN PAs: 10/100 Fast Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet, Layer 2 EtherSwitch modules
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Serial/TDM Voice PAs: Multi-channel T1/E1 PRI, T3/E3, HSSI, ISDN BRI/PRI voice trunk adapters
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Optical WAN PAs: OC-3 ATM, Packet over SONET POS, ATM-CES voice circuit modules
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Service PAs: VPN Acceleration Module (VAM) for dedicated IPsec crypto hardware offload
Unused empty slots must be covered with blank filler panels to maintain proper chassis airflow and EMI compliance.
Fixed Non-Upgradable Integrated I/O Controller (Slot 0)
Permanent built-in I/O module occupying front slot 0, cannot be field replaced or upgraded unlike modular I/O controllers on VXR chassis, providing fixed management interfaces:
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RJ45 RS232 Console port for local terminal CLI configuration
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RJ45 Auxiliary port for external dial-up modem remote maintenance
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Single 10 Mbps MII Ethernet out-of-band management port
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Dual PCMCIA Type II flash card slots for IOS image, configuration and log storage expansion
Fixed Cooling & Redundant Power Subsystem
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Non-hot-swappable internal fan tray with side-to-side cooling airflow; full chassis power cycle required for fan replacement.
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Dual rear power supply bays supporting interchangeable 280W AC (100–240VAC) or 370W DC (-48VDC) power units; single supply supports standalone operation, dual supplies enable load-sharing N+1 power redundancy, mixed AC/DC power modules are not supported.
Processor, Memory & Storage
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NPE Memory Maximum Capacity Per Model
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NPE-100: Max 128MB DRAM
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NPE-150: Max 256MB DRAM
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NPE-200: Max 512MB DRAM
All legacy NPEs only support PCMCIA Type II flash cards, no Compact Flash storage support (CF exclusive to VXR NPE-G1/G2).
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Storage Media
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Onboard small boot flash for bootstrap firmware
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Dual PCMCIA Type II flash slots on I/O controller, maximum card capacity limited to 128MB for IOS binaries, running-config archives and system logging
Power, Mechanical & Environmental Specifications
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Form Factor: Standard 6RU 19-inch four-post rack-mount chassis
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Physical Dimensions: 266.7mm H × 426.7mm W × 431.8mm D (10.5 × 16.8 × 17 inches)
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Full Load Weight: ~27.2kg (60 lbs) with dual power supplies, six full PA slots and top-tier NPE-200 installed
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AC Power Input: 100–240 VAC wide range, 50/60Hz, max 280W single supply output
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DC Power Input: -24V ~ -60VDC telecom standard, max 370W single supply output
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Operating Temperature: 0°C ~ +40°C indoor data center / central office environment
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Storage Temperature: -40°C ~ +70°C
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Humidity: 10%–90% RH non-condensing
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Compliance: FCC Class A, CE, UL telecom safety, basic NEBS environmental standards
Official Performance Benchmarks
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Total shared midplane aggregate bandwidth: 600 Mbps full-duplex
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Maximum packet forwarding rate: Up to 300 kpps with NPE-200 flagship engine
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Concurrent hardware-accelerated IPsec VPN tunnels: Up to 1,000 with VAM port adapter
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Simultaneous VoIP voice calls: Up to 576 with fully populated T1/E1 voice PA slots
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Native hardware offload capabilities: ATM PVC scheduling, Frame Relay traffic shaping, basic MPLS label switching, L2TP tunneling, MQC hierarchical QoS policing/shaping
Software & Core Supported Capabilities (Cisco IOS 12.x Mainline / T Train)
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Full Multi-Protocol Routing Suite
IPv4/IPv6 dual-stack forwarding, RIP, EIGRP, OSPF, IS-IS, BGP-4, VRRP gateway redundancy, complete MPLS stack including L3VPN and VPLS for service provider PE edge deployments.
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Legacy Circuit WAN Convergence Stack
Native Frame Relay, ATM HDLC, PPP/MLPPP, ISDN, TDM over IP pseudowire functionality for migrating legacy circuit-switched voice and data infrastructure.
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Integrated VoIP Gateway Functions
T1/E1 PRI voice trunk termination, H.323, SIP, MGCP call control, dial plan routing, LLQ low-latency queuing for voice/video traffic prioritization.
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Integrated Carrier-Grade Security Suite
Hardware-accelerated IPsec DES/3DES/AES encryption via VAM modules, standard ACL filtering, zone-based stateful firewall, uRPF anti-spoofing, AAA RADIUS/TACACS+, SSH encrypted remote management.
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Hierarchical QoS & Traffic Analytics
Modular MQC classification, policing, shaping and queuing tools, IP SLA performance monitoring, NetFlow v5 traffic collection for bandwidth planning and subscriber billing statistics.
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Network Management & Automation
SNMP v1/v2c/v3, IOS CLI scripting, DHCP auto-install zero-touch deployment, TFTP configuration backup, full compatibility with CiscoWorks centralized network management platform.
Typical Deployment Scenarios (Legacy Use Cases)
Medium independent service provider POP MPLS provider edge aggregation routers, large enterprise headquarters centralized multi-WAN voice/data convergence gateways, regional carrier VoIP TDM trunk gateways with dense T1/E1 PRI interfaces, medium-density DSL/cable broadband access concentrators, legacy ATM/Frame Relay network migration edge routers, backup core edge devices for telecom infrastructure modernization upgrade projects.
Critical Note: This platform reached End-of-Sale in 2000 and End-of-Support in 2005; Cisco no longer provides security patches, bug fixes, technical TAC support or official spare hardware replacement partsCisco.
3. E-commerce Short Marketing Description
Cisco 7206 Legacy 6RU Modular Multi-Service Edge Router, original non-VXR six-slot chassis with 600 Mbps triple PCI shared midplane, compatible only with NPE-100/150/200 legacy network processing engines, six OIR hot-swappable port adapter slots for Ethernet, T1/E1, ATM and POS WAN interfaces, fixed non-upgradable integrated I/O Controller with Console/Aux serial management ports, dual optional 280W AC/-48VDC load-sharing redundant power supplies and non-hot-swappable fixed fan tray, runs Cisco IOS 12.x multi-service software supporting MPLS PE, IPsec VPN acceleration, TDM VoIP gateway and hierarchical MQC QoS, obsolete EOL platform for medium ISP POP and large enterprise converged voice/data WAN aggregation deployments.
4. Product Catalog Keyword Tags
Cisco, 7206, Cisco 7200 Series, Legacy 6RU Modular Multi-Service Edge Router, Original Non-VXR Six-Slot Chassis, 600 Mbps Triple PCI Shared Midplane, NPE-100/NPE-150/NPE-200 Legacy Network Processing Engines, Six OIR Hot-Swap Port Adapter Slots, Fixed Non-Upgradable Integrated I/O Controller, Dual Redundant AC/DC Load-Sharing Power Supplies, Non-Hot-Swap Fixed Fan Tray, Cisco IOS 12.x Software, MPLS Provider Edge Router, ATM/Frame Relay Legacy WAN Convergence, Dense TDM VoIP Voice Gateway, Hardware IPsec VAM Acceleration, Large Enterprise Headquarters Aggregation, Medium ISP POP Edge Router, End-of-Sale / End-of-Support Obsolete Legacy Platform
Naming Rule Explanation
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7200: Cisco classic modular multi-service edge router series targeted at enterprise and small/medium service provider markets
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7206: Base six-port-adapter 6RU chassis form factor
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No VXR suffix: Identifies original low-bandwidth legacy midplane architecture, incompatible with high-performance NPE-225/400/G1/G2 processors, lacks hot-swappable fan tray and modular upgradable I/O controller hardware unique to upgraded 7206VXR variant
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