CCRs come with (useless to us, probably useful to others) gigabit ethernet ports. Also, the hardware has support for 4 10G ports and 16 1G ports (overbooked/multiplexed along 10G ports).

Do you think it would be cost-effective for you to create just and only 3 CCR devices with following interface configurations:

Gx9-based: 2 SFP+, 12 SFP or 12 SFP/Copper GE combo (if it's cheaper in production than SFP transceivers)
Gx16-based: 2 SFP+, 12 SFP or 12 SFP/Copper GE combo (with 1 SFP+ switched between 4 SFP ports with configuration)
Gx36-based: 4 SFP+, 16 SFP or 16 SFP/Copper GE combo (with SFP+ interchangeable for 4 SFP ports)

This way, there are only 3 models of hardware, which is easier for everyone - less boxes to stock on retailers' side, less models to support on your side, more flexibility on end users' side

What do you think?

I'd rather see base models with some ports and additional expansion slots:

1009: 4 GE + 2 X-Ports
1016: 4 GE + 4 SFP + 1 SFP+ + 1 X-Port
1036: 4 X-Ports, one populated with 4 GE Card

Each port can hold a card with either 4 GBe, 4 SFP or 1 SFP+.

But of course we're a bit late with these suggestions

Ports are predefined on Tilera's chipset, it's just a matter of wiring them out. Actually I'm quite surprised Mikrotik didn't wire out every possible port out, so maybe it's not as cheap as I hope it is

Ports are predefined on Tilera's chipset, it's just a matter of wiring them out. Actually I'm quite surprised Mikrotik didn't wire out every possible port out, so maybe it's not as cheap as I hope it is

Looking at Tilera's datasheets the CCR1016-12G is the only model (available or announced) that doesn't max out on ports. It would have had room for one more 10 GbE or four 1 GbE ports. All other models are "fully wired".

1036 could have 4 SFP+ and 16 SFP for one, and I don't want to delve into other models. My point is: if it's not too expensive, it may be worth putting more physical interfaces and let end user decide which they want to use and how. I for one have next to no use for non-optical interfaces

1036 could have 4 SFP+ and 16 SFP for one

Nope. It could have 16 x 1 GbE or 4 x 10 GbE or one of these mixes: 12/1, 8/2, 4/3
And that's exactly what we have. We have an 8/2 model and a 12/1 model.

I for one have next to no use for non-optical interfaces

So we're gonna hear a big Hooray! from you once the 1009-12S-1S+ hits the shelves?

P.S.:
Maybe you'll hear mine first

I'm not sure about the 'or' part. I'd need to mail Tilera and ask. I'm sure that you wouldn't be able to get wirespeed on both 1G and 10G ports on the same output, but I don't see any reason that you couldn't use both of them. I personally doubt, that any high percentage of users will be capping their SFP+ ports, especially 4 of them.

As to the 1009-12S-1S+... I'd actually love 1072-24S-4S+ and would be plenty satisfied with 1036-16S-4S+, but yes, this device is on my radar. Except it's not 1009-12S-1S+, but 1009-8S-1S+ from what I remember.

I'm not sure about the 'or' part. I'd need to mail Tilera and ask. I'm sure that you wouldn't be able to get wirespeed on both 1G and 10G ports on the same output, but I don't see any reason that you couldn't use both of them. I personally doubt, that any high percentage of users will be capping their SFP+ ports, especially 4 of them.

As to the 1009-12S-1S+... I'd actually love 1072-24S-4S+ and would be plenty satisfied with 1036-16S-4S+, but yes, this device is on my radar. Except it's not 1009-12S-1S+, but 1009-8S-1S+ from what I remember.

Just have a look at the Tilera pdfs. It's all in there.
The Gx36 has four units that can each act as single 10 GbE or four 1 GbE ports.
The Gx16 has one unit that is 10 GbE only, 1 that acts as one 10 GbE or four 1 GbE ports and two units with each four 1 GbE ports.
The Gx9 has two units that can each act as one 10 GbE or four 1 GbE ports and one unit that has four 1 GbE units.
The written specs fit the block diagrams within the datasheets.

And yes you're right, it's a CCR1009-8G-1S-1S+ . All these numbers get me confused

Well, it's not that obvious to me, hence I wrote an e-mail and asked. We'll (hopefully) be all 100% sure soon enough.

And then even if both can't be used at the same time, I still think 4 SFP+ and 12 SFP is the ultimate configuration here. SFP+ is backwards compatible with SFP, so in such case you could configure interfaces at boot time and use as many 10G SFP+ as you want, with 16 SFP and 0 SFP+ a viable option, alongside with 0 SFP and 4 SFP+.

While waiting for the answer to the simultaneous use of 10G and 1G, Mikrotik guys, what do you think of such approach? Do you think it's something you may consider?

My understanding is that it needs all the 4x1G lanes attached to do 10G signalling on the link. Tilera reports that the ports are "multiplexed" and from all the documentation it appears to be 1 x 10 or 4 x 1.

Please see my dreams for hardware here: http://forum.mikrotik.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=78202 and please add your own comments and dreams for hardware.

Regards
Alexander

I'm afraid your dream hardware is far from being it. - 4 new models to deal with it. 16 SFP (of which 4 SFP+) and 16 1G ports, with software configuration deciding which are active - this is the dream CCR

@ofca

That would be awesome, however I wonder if that would start making the manufacturing very expensive and with very careful rules about what you could use. 32 Ports on the device, 4 groups of 8 with 4 SFP and 4 RJ45's one of each can be used at 10G but only if the other three are not and only copper or SFP in use at any one point.

With the right software it could be done. I just think putting all those ports in there adds a fair amount of assembly complexity (as well as fitting them on the board / in the rack mount case) and therefore cost. Plus it introduces a larger risk of errors when adding in cables (sometimes smart hands not perfectly smart)

But if Mikrotik came out with your model I would buy a bunch as I would for my model.

Regards
Alexander

That's the point of this whole thread. From what I know, adding physical interfaces is next to dirt-cheap, but mikrotik is carefully ignoring this thread, instead of just dropping in with raw numbers

Ports are predefined on Tilera's chipset, it's just a matter of wiring them out. Actually I'm quite surprised Mikrotik didn't wire out every possible port out, so maybe it's not as cheap as I hope it is

Looking at Tilera's datasheets the CCR1016-12G is the only model (available or announced) that doesn't max out on ports. It would have had room for one more 10 GbE or four 1 GbE ports. All other models are "fully wired".

Are you sure they are all booked out?
Looking at the TILE for the 1009, if I draw the datasheet to the ports used on a CCR1009 it looks like there is a spare 10G and a few 1G ports available? OR have I understood that incorrectly?
Also its unusual they have only used one of the 3 1G ports for uplink on the switch chip (the crs226 uses 2 Gb uplinks to the next level switch chip).

How are others using the CCR for high performance and 10G? Im after a bit of input.
The whole 10G thing is confusing. There is only 1 * 10G port (on the CCR1009), so either you can have that as your WAN but not be able to aggregate enough from the 4 available Gb direct to CPU ports or use the 10G to the LAN/Switch (for all LAN VLANs) a 1Gb in from WAN.

The if you plugged the 10G into a CRS226, they use 2*1Gb uplinks between the main switch and 1/3 grouped sub switch chips, so the bottleneck reduces it to 2Gb. Then because the wirespeed switch cannot aggregate / LACP, you end up back to 1Gbps.

You can't use both 10G and 4x1G from what Tilera said. Not easily at least. So 8x1G + 10G is maxing it out.