Cisco Router ASR 1000

About the Cisco ASR 1000 Series

The Cisco ASR 1000 Series is the aggregation and provider-edge router line — the platform that sits between a branch router and a full carrier core. It is chosen where a network has to terminate many WAN or subscriber links at once, apply security and NAT at line rate, and do it with carrier-grade redundancy. Banks, service providers, large campuses and government networks are its typical homes.

Two architectural ideas explain almost everything about the range:

• The ESP sets the forwarding capacity. The Embedded Services Processor is a field-replaceable module that defines how much traffic the router can forward. A chassis is not "a 10 Gbps router" or "a 20 Gbps router" by model number alone — the number in the part number reflects the ESP fitted at build time, and an existing chassis can be lifted to a higher capacity by swapping the ESP.
• The RP is the control plane. The Route Processor handles routing protocols and management. Three generations exist in this catalogue — RP1, RP2 and RP3 — and they pair with different chassis generations.

The family splits into fixed-configuration platforms (ASR 1001, 1002 and their -X and -HX variants), which arrive with ports built in, and modular chassis (ASR 1004, 1006, 1006-X, 1009-X and 1013), which take line cards and shared port adapters in slots.

Reading the part number

A model such as ASR1002-10G-SEC/K9 decodes in three parts:

• ASR1002 — the platform. The number after "ASR" identifies the chassis: 1004 is a 4-slot chassis, 1006 a 6-slot, 1013 a 13-slot. On the fixed platforms (1001, 1002) the number is a model identifier rather than a slot count.
• 10G — the throughput tier, set by the ESP fitted. Tiers in this catalogue run 2.5G, 5G, 10G, 20G, 36G and 40G.
• SEC — the feature bundle. The ones you will see here are base (no suffix), HA (high availability), SEC (security), SHA (security plus high availability), VPN, and FPI (Firepower intrusion prevention). The /K9 suffix is Cisco's strong-encryption designation and appears on essentially every part number.

How to Choose a Cisco ASR 1000 Series Router

1. Fixed platform or modular chassis?

This is the first decision, and it is about how the network will grow:

• Fixed (ASR 1001, 1002) — ports are built in, the unit is smaller, and the price is lower. Choose it when the interface requirement is known and stable: a handful of Gigabit or 10-Gigabit links and no expectation of adding line cards.
• Modular (ASR 1004, 1006, 1009-X, 1013) — interface capacity is added by inserting line cards and shared port adapters. Choose it where the router will grow, where diverse interface types are needed (channelised T1/E1, OC-3 POS, Ethernet), or where redundant route processors are a requirement.

2. Size the throughput tier

Pick the tier by the sustained traffic the router must forward with services enabled — not by the raw link speed of the uplinks. A site with a single 10G uplink does not necessarily need the 10G tier once NAT, ACLs and IPsec are switched on; equally, buying a 5G tier for a link that will be upgraded next year is a false economy. The throughput tier is determined by the ESP, and here is the useful part: it can be changed later, because the ESP is a field-replaceable module. Several ESP part numbers are listed further down this page for exactly that reason.

3. Choose the feature bundle

• base — routing only, no security or high-availability licensing.
• HA — high-availability licensing for a redundant pair.
• SEC — security licensing: zone-based firewall, IPsec VPN, NAT at scale.
• SHA — security plus high availability, the bundle most production edge deployments settle on.
• VPN — IPsec VPN head-end licensing.
• FPI — Firepower intrusion prevention, for deployments that inspect traffic on the router rather than on a separate appliance.

4. Which chassis size?

• ASR 1004 — 4-slot chassis. The entry point to modular ASR 1000 deployment.
• ASR 1006 / 1006-X — 6-slot chassis, the mainstream aggregation platform, with room for redundant route processors plus line cards.
• ASR 1009-X — a larger modular platform for higher line-card density.
• ASR 1013 — the 13-slot chassis at the top of the range, for a full provider edge or a large campus aggregation role.

The ASR1K4R2 and ASR1K6R2 part numbers in this catalogue are packaged configurations built on the second-generation route processor, combining a chassis, an ESP, an RP and software in a single orderable SKU.

Cisco ASR 1000 Series Model Comparison

ASR 1001 / 1001-X / 1001-HX — fixed configuration

ASR 1002 / 1002-X / 1002-HX — fixed configuration

ASR 1004 — 4-slot modular chassis

ASR 1006 / 1006-X — 6-slot modular chassis

ASR 1009-X and 1013

ASR1K4R2 and ASR1K6R2 — packaged configurations on the second-generation RP

Engines, route processors and interface processors

The ESP and RP are field-replaceable, which is what allows an installed chassis to be lifted to a higher throughput tier or a later control-plane generation without replacing the platform:

Prices are our current selling prices in US dollars, excluding shipping. Click a model number for the full specification table and availability. Further variants of these platforms — including additional throughput tiers, the Cisco ONE (C1-ASR…) subscription part numbers and several high-availability SKUs — are available but are quoted on request rather than listed here. Send us the part number or the configuration you need and we will price it the same day.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the ESP do, and can I change it?

The Embedded Services Processor is the module that performs the router's packet forwarding, and it is what sets the throughput tier of the chassis. It is field-replaceable — an installed ASR 1004 or 1006 can be lifted from a 10G tier to a 20G tier, for example, by fitting a higher-capacity ESP. That is why the ESP modules appear as separate line items on this page.

How do I read a part number like ASR1006-10G-SHA/K9?

ASR1006 is the platform (a 6-slot chassis). 10G is the throughput tier set by the fitted ESP. SHA is the feature bundle — here security plus high availability (SEC is security alone, HA is high availability alone, VPN is IPsec VPN licensing and FPI is Firepower intrusion prevention). /K9 is Cisco's strong-encryption designation.

What is the difference between the ASR 1001, 1002, 1004 and 1006?

Whether the platform is fixed or modular, and how many slots it has. The 1001 and 1002 are fixed-configuration platforms with built-in ports — the 1001 smaller, the 1002 larger. The 1004 is a 4-slot modular chassis, the 1006 a 6-slot modular chassis, the 1009-X a larger modular platform and the 1013 a 13-slot chassis. Modular chassis take line cards and interface processors in their slots, and are the ones to choose where the interface requirement will grow.

Which bundles do I need for a redundant pair?

Both routers in a redundant edge pair need high-availability licensing. In practice that means the HA or SHA bundle (SHA adds security licensing on top of HA). Buying a base model and adding HA licensing afterwards is possible but is generally more expensive than ordering the bundle.

What is the FPI bundle?

FPI is Firepower intrusion prevention — it licenses the router to run traffic inspection on the platform itself rather than on a separate Firepower appliance. Choose it where the edge must not only route and firewall but also inspect, and where putting a separate inspection appliance in the path is not desirable.

What are the C1-ASR part numbers?

The Cisco ONE variants (C1-ASR1001-HX/K9, C1-ASR1002-X/K9 and so on). Cisco ONE bundles hardware with a software subscription model rather than a perpetual licence, so the commercial terms differ from the standard SKUs. They are quoted individually — send us the part number and we will price it.

Do you supply line cards and shared port adapters for these chassis?

Yes. Line cards, shared port adapters, ESPs, route processors, power supplies and fan trays are all available alongside the chassis. Give us the platform and the interface mix you need and we will quote a complete configuration rather than just the base unit.