Software Architecture - Cisco ASR 5000 series Product Overview

Chapter 4

Software Architecture

The operating system software is based on a Linux software kernel and runs specific applications in the system such as
monitoring tasks, various protocol stacks, and other items. The following figure shows an example block diagram of the
operating system's software architecture.
Figure 29. Software Architecture Block Diagram
Primary
Management Card
High
Resource
Availability
Manager
Tasks
Controller Tasks
(VPN, Port, Session, Signaling)
Processing Card 1
Signaling
Session
Demux
Managers
Managers
VPN NPU
Manager Manager
Hardware Engines
Encryp- Com-
Filtering
tion pression
The software architecture is designed for high availability, flexibility, and performance. The system achieves these goals
by implementing the following key software features:
Scalable control and data operations:
System resources can be allocated separately for control and data paths. For example, certain processing cards
could be dedicated to performing routing or security control functions while other cards are dedicated to
processing user session traffic. As network requirements grow and call models change, hardware resources can
be added to accommodate processes, such as encryption, packet filtering, etc., that require more processing
OL-22938-02
Boot
Configuration
Switch
SYNC
Fabric
Control
Paths
Proc
AAA
Managers
Card 2
In-line
Session
Service
Managers
Managers
VPN NPU
Manager Manager
Hardware Engines
Encryp- Com-
Filtering
tion pression
Secondary
Management Card
High
Resource
Availability
Manager
Tasks
Controller Tasks
(VPN, Port, Session, Signaling)
Proc
AAA
Managers
Card 3
Signaling
Demux
Managers
Managers
NPU
Manager
VPN
Manager
Managers
Hardware Engines
Encryp- Com-
tion pression
Boot
Configuratio
n
Switch
Fabric
Proc
Card 14
Session
Redundant
...
In-line
Service
Filtering
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