Why a one-room West Virginia library runs a $20,000 Cisco router

[line-em-up]

This is why we don't want the govt running anything in our lives.

Why a one-room West Virginia library runs a $20,000 Cisco router
Cisco, West Virginia wasted $5M on enterprise-class gear.
by Nate Anderson- Feb 25 2013, 5:40pm CST

Yes, this library has a Cisco 3945 router.

Marmet, West Virginia is a town of 1,500 people living in a thin ribbon along the banks of the Kanawha River just below Charleston. The town's public library is only open Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. It's housed in a small building the size of a trailer, which the state of West Virginia describes as an "extremely small facility with only one Internet connection." Which is why it's such a surprise to learn the Marmet Public Library runs this connection through a $15,000 to $20,000 Cisco 3945 router intended for "mid-size to large deployments," according to Cisco.

Read the rest here.

http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2013/02/why-a-one-room-west-virginia-library-runs-a-20000-cisco-router/

[Dave586]

Someone on another tech site commented it was the only router that had all the features they needed rolled into one device. Being an IT guy it doesn't make sense - you still need to install an equipment rack and run cables - one device or four. Just sounds like cisco inflated their quote to get more chooo$$$ chooo$$$.

[dangerous_sep]

[mustang_revival]

Also a good point those things will last 10 plus years. What it did not note is on-going support costs for them will be killer too.

I would much rather support 1 device over 4. They were saying there is 7 of these offices in a .44 mile radius, well instead of 7 devices it would be 28, all needing their own central management device as well.. so just supporting these 7 offices, they would need 8 devices instead of 32.

[stevo]

Someone on another tech site commented it was the only router that had all the features they needed rolled into one device. Being an IT guy it doesn't make sense - you still need to install an equipment rack and run cables - one device or four. Just sounds like cisco inflated their quote to get more chooo$$$ chooo$$$.

Not ALL of the features:

Ironically, the routers can't even be used for VoIP in some key cases. The state police already have a VoIP-based phone system, but the new 3945 series routers did not come with "the appropriate Cisco VoIP modules" to work with the system. The state now has to spend another $84,768 to purchase those modules; without them, the state police can't use the routers, only two of which are actually installed and operating. (For those keeping score at home, this means that 75 $20,000 routers are depreciating in a state police warehouse somewhere in West Virginia.)

Also a good point those things will last 10 plus years. What it did not note is on-going support costs for them will be killer too.

I would much rather support 1 device over 4. They were saying there is 7 of these offices in a .44 mile radius, well instead of 7 devices it would be 28, all needing their own central management device as well.. so just supporting these 7 offices, they would need 8 devices instead of 32.

For a town of 491 people...

Stevo

[yellowstang]

Do they even have electricity in that town?