An evaluation of the Cisco 9000 Series (ASR 9000)
Updated March 13, 2025

An evaluation of the Cisco 9000 Series (ASR 9000)

Anonymous | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User

Modules Used

  • 9001
  • 9006

Overall Satisfaction with Cisco 9000 Series Aggregation Services Routers (ASR 9000)

We have placed this unit at the top of our network. It does the routing for nearly all of our sites, which are layer 2. It provides 10 GB connectivity to all of our WAN links as well. It handles local workstations at our site in addition to being the aggregator or core to our district. All of our primary services are connected to this switch, all wireless appliances (Cisco) as well as our Virtual services and storage.

Pros

  • The 9000 series is an extremely stable device, seldom having failures.
  • It has more than enough capacity for our needs, while we do use 4 blades on our chassis.
  • We can mix fiber and copper easily.
  • With three redundant power supplies we are able to ensure it remaining powered up by using several battery backup units tied to a generator.

Cons

  • There is a bit of a problem when "counting" ports on the different blades, due to when using redundant ports and management you actually lose the option to use some ports. It's not major, but when you are counting on the availability of 10GB SFP's you need to remember you may be short a port or two.
  • Generally it is designed and built very well, however, you do need to be aware that the unit weighs a considerable amount and does require at least two people, (really three) to place it in the rack.
  • Layer 3 - Routing
  • Flexible blade selections for copper, fiber and redundancy
  • Redundant power supples.
  • Redundant management blades to spread the coverage/risk over multiple blades
  • The 9000 series offers you the ability to consolidate multiple switches into "one" switch with multiple blades and configurations.
  • The 9000 offers a level of peace of mind because of the multiple ways redundancy is available and built into the unit.
  • With the flexible blade design you can achieve high density in copper interfaces, and blend in 10 Gig SFP interfaces that allow you to configure not only fiber connections but create high speed / high capacity WAN connections.
  • The 9000 management follows the same code and OS that Cisco has had for a long time, which translates into easier management and a lower learning curve for the folks who are charged with configuring and maintaining the 9000.
The code for the switch is slightly different than the 2960X series that it is replacing, but still very familiar. It was relatively straightforward to work around this minor issue. The switch itself is solid and is very flexible as well as reliable.
  • Brocade ADX (Discontinued)
The Brocade was a very decent switch, and it's configuration and performance was very comparable to the Cisco switch. We had a Brocade because at the time of installation we could not get a Cisco. We are happy with the Brocade but it is end of life and end of support. We still did have at the time a Cisco 4000 chassis, which then we upgraded to the Cisco 3850. There was a change in thinking and logic when we moved between those switches. We are very happy to say that the 9000 series offers more "power" and more flexibitly to us than either of those did at the time. We do NOT regret in any way our selection of a 9000 series.

Do you think Cisco 9000 Series Aggregation Services Routers (ASR 9000) delivers good value for the price?

Yes

Are you happy with Cisco 9000 Series Aggregation Services Routers (ASR 9000)'s feature set?

Yes

Did Cisco 9000 Series Aggregation Services Routers (ASR 9000) live up to sales and marketing promises?

Yes

Did implementation of Cisco 9000 Series Aggregation Services Routers (ASR 9000) go as expected?

Yes

Would you buy Cisco 9000 Series Aggregation Services Routers (ASR 9000) again?

Yes

Unitrends, SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor (npm), Securly Filter
It is very well suited to act as your aggregator / core switch for mid to large facilities. it is flexible enough to really be useable in small environments but costs may hinder that. It has redundancy of power and management blades that does add a lot of peace of mind and security. Really the only reason you would not use a 9000 series is frankly cost and/or real requirements for performance. They have several versions of this model, plus they have an entire set of lines that can accommodate nearly as much as the 9000. Less demand or less of a budget can weigh in the decision to select this particular model.

Using Cisco 9000 Series Aggregation Services Routers (ASR 9000)

3 - We have three people who manage the ASR 9000 but it supplies services to over 6000 end users.
3 - There are three support engineers that support the ASR 9000, but one primary Network Manager (myself).
  • Solid dependability platform
  • Can offer the flexibility and performance we need
  • Consistent design platform, meaning since we are a Cisco shop, it is easy to integrate.
  • We have eliminated bottlenecks that were happening at a large facility on our WAN
  • We have been able to stream and broadcast from several locations
  • We depend on the consistent performance out of the unit.
  • Expand our remote backup solutions
  • Increase bandwidth to certain high need locations
  • Expand our wireless footprint
It has performed as required, we have no reason to move away from it.

Evaluating Cisco 9000 Series Aggregation Services Routers (ASR 9000) and Competitors

Yes - Yes. We replaced Cisco 2960, 2960S and 2960X series switches.
  • Scalability
  • Integration with Other Systems
  • Ease of Use
It is similar to the switches it was replacing, and it fit the bill for any new installations with regard to flexibility, configurability and ability. We did not want to jump to a different brand because our support staff is well versed with the Cisco platform.
Really the only issue we had is that we did not specify the model or series that supported 10GB SFP's. The units we had do support 1GB SFP's but when we moved to a 10GB infrastructure some switches had to remain on 1GB trunks.

Cisco 9000 Series Aggregation Services Routers (ASR 9000) Implementation

Really, the only issue encountered when deploying the new 9000 series was attempting to copy a working config from an older series switch and applying it to the new 9000 series. Once it was explained that a new switch configuration needs to be built up specifically for the 9000 and deployed were the issues resolved.
  • Implemented in-house
  • Third-party professional services
Network Solutions Inc. in Granger Indiana is our support / seller partner who assists with purchases and deployment of new equipment when needed.
Yes - We backed up any existing gear that was scheduled to be replaced.
Noted very unique or specific issues so we were aware they'd need to be addressed on the new installation.
Configured the new gear in house before it was installed at the site.
Backed up new configuration on the gear.
Tested installation after it was installed.
Change management was a small part of the implementation and was well-handled - Make sure we were aware of the differences in code and operating systems between the older gear to be retired out and the new replacement gear so all functionality will exist when completed.
  • Sequence of events. Alerting staff of an upcoming outage.
  • Carefully removing the old gear, and documenting all connections before they are removed from the gear.
  • After installing new gear, carefully reinstalling cables to match port configurations.

Cisco 9000 Series Aggregation Services Routers (ASR 9000) Training

  • No Training
We have access to our support partner who we can call or remote session in when issues come up. Being familiar with the Cisco Catalyst series switch made it much easier to slide into.

Configuring Cisco 9000 Series Aggregation Services Routers (ASR 9000)

Having worked with other Cisco 2960 series switches the 9000 series is very comparable. For our requirements configuration was pretty straight forward.
If you have other Cisco 9000 units you should be able to copy basic configuration info from an existing unit and apply it to the new 9000. You of course would need to tweak some settings for the new unit but otherwise it is pretty straightforward. Be caution copying from older series switches and then attempting to apply them to the 9000. There are just enough subtle changes between the codes that it could cause some issues.
Some - we have done small customizations to the interface - We don't do a lot of customization, but what we have done is pretty basic and was done quickly.
No - we have not done any custom code
Nothing out of the ordinary.

Cisco 9000 Series Aggregation Services Routers (ASR 9000) Support

Cisco offers TAC support, which combined with our local Cisco Vendor has always resolved or at least explained why and issue came up, and what the solution is.
ProsCons
Good followup
Knowledgeable team
Problems get solved
Immediate help available
Support understands my problem
Quick Initial Response
None
We purchased Cisco Smartnet, which is a support contract that teams with our vendor. On high demand equipment we always sign up for Smartnet. While it is pricy it is very necessary when a major outage occurs.
Yes - We did a firmware update and it resolved the issue.
When we physically moved our facility to a new office, it required considerable management of the old connections to the new one. It also required major routing changes in the configuration. We planned the move date and support was on board with us the entire day and successfully got us moved in and up and running.

Using Cisco 9000 Series Aggregation Services Routers (ASR 9000)

ProsCons
Like to use
Relatively simple
Easy to use
Technical support not required
Consistent
Quick to learn
Convenient
Feel confident using
Familiar
None
  • General configuration was straight forward, especially if you are familiar with the catalyst series of Cisco switches.
  • Port configuration is very straight forward.
  • VLAN configuration is straight forward
  • If/When Cisco support is needed, they were able to move about the switch easily to resolve any issue.
  • Generally it was fairly easy to configure the switch. However, you must be very careful if you area attempting to copy and apply a configuration from an earlier series of switches (ex: 2960 series). Small subtle changes exist that don't often get flagged while setting up. But, often a particular service just won't work. Cisco TAC (support) quickly determined where and what to change.

Cisco 9000 Series Aggregation Services Routers (ASR 9000) Reliability

Depending on the model of 9000, it can be as simple of a setup as needed, or can be as expandable as required. The units we purchased only had SFP ports for basic trunk line configuration.
At the time (during 2020 - COVID) there was an issue getting the new switches due to circumstances around COVID with reduced work force, etc. Generally we have not had an issue getting the product in a timely fashion.
The 9000 performs as the documentation states it will, we have had no performance or reliability issues with our 9000 series.

Integrating Cisco 9000 Series Aggregation Services Routers (ASR 9000)

We have only integrated our 9000's into an existing Cisco 2960's series environment and it went fine.
  • Cisco 2960 - 2960S - 2960X - 9004
Integration went flawless with the other Cisco series gear we have.
  • File import/export
  • Single Signon
I would say just general practice when integrating new systems and devices. Be aware of the gear you have and it's configuration, as well of any limitations it may have. Become familiar with the new (9000) and it's operating system, capabilities and restrictions, and back everything up. Have the ability to return to the original setup if major issues do happen so you can regroup and attempt the install again later.

Relationship with Cisco

Our vendor partner is excellent to work with. They do not over sell and they are aware of our current layout, making upgrades or expansion much easier and cost effective.
Network Solutions Inc. has excellent sales/deploy/post deployment support.
All questions or issues have been resolved in a timely manner.
Price (as best the market would support), Delivery date, Installation and payment.
Our partner was very competitive price wise.
If there were delays expected on delivery, they would let us know and keep us in the loop.
If assistance was needed on installation, they scheduled times to assist.
We work directly with our vendor/partner who works closely with our ability to pay at certain times of the year due to budget restraints of public education.
It is helpful to know what purpose or role the needed gear will be used in. If you do not know the specific gear needed, it helps your vendor zero in on proper suggestions. Also, it is helpful to get multiple quotes so you have something to compare ... price, product, etc.

Upgrading Cisco 9000 Series Aggregation Services Routers (ASR 9000)

  • We have not upgraded our existing 9000 series gear.
  • If/When we do I'd expect improved performance and functionality.

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