BCM 400 3.6 software, RAID upgrades

[PainOfDeath]

Hello,

I currently have a BCM 400 3.6 serving a small number (8-10) of users, sitting behind a Contivity 1100 firewall. There are few softphones in use as well.

I want to move this BCM to a location where it will be serving more users (16+) and I want to take advantage of its built-in VPN and routing features. It will thus become a much more integral part of our network. To that end:

1) I want to upgrade the software from 3.6 to 4.0
2) I want to upgrade the unit so that is has a RAID
3) I want to upgrade it so that is has a redundant PSU

My understanding is that all of this is possible using kits that can be purchased from Nortel vendors. I consider myself quite technical and have a couple years experience configuring and administering the BCM. My questions are:

1) Is my intended usage of the BCM an appropriate one? In other words, is it ill-suited as a router and should I rely on a standalone router instead?

2) Are the upgrades I listed above reasonably straightforward, something that I could tackle myself? Or should I bring in a Nortel-certified tech?

Your answers/comments would be greatly appreciated.

 

[PainOfDeath]

Come on, someone must have some advice for me here...

 

[biv343]

I'd recommend using the existing Contivity 1100, or buy another Contivity if the 1100 is staying where it is. Let your firewall/VPN box be a firewall/VON box and let your PBX be a PBX.

Raid upgrades and PSU upgrades are easy enough to do. Upgrades aren't difficult to do either. The question is what do you do if the upgrade goes south on you? Do you have the tools/experience to recover the system back to operation? That's where the value of your vendor comes into play.

 

[MagnaRGP]

While the original intent of the box was to serve as both PBX and router (hence the name Enterprise EDGE), it is not an overly capable router or VPN appliance.

As biv suggests, use the Contivity for your routing needs and let the BCM serve where it does best, serving calls.

 

[PainOfDeath]

Many thanks for the advice. I don't need it to do much in terms of routing (just act as a basic firewall/router), I mainly need the VPN capability - maybe 8-10 branch office tunnels and several client connections. The Contivity will likely stay where it is and getting another one is expensive, but probably cheaper than getting the RAID/PSU upgrades anyway.

By any chance does the 4.0 software introduce enhanced VPN/routing functionality?

 

[biv343]

VPN/routing is the same in 4.0. Max of 16 sessions. I thought there was a recommendation not to exceed a certain number of connections (dont remember the number though) as it affected system operation due to CPU/memory load.

A Contivity 1010 costs slightly more than the IPSEC keycode. Granted you'd need the 30 tunnel upgrade code for the 1010, but I think you'd be happier in the long run.

 

[MagnaRGP]

Go with the Contivity. Prime reason: If you lose BCM NT services for any reason (reboot, patches, mem leak, BFT) you lose VPN services.

Secondary reason: Branch tunnel configurations parameters are limited. You may experience difficulty connecting to a non-Nortel device (from experience).