PRODUCT BULLETIN NO. 2546
Cisco Systems® announces the end-of-sale and end-of-life dates for the Cisco® IP/TV® 3412 Control Server, IP/TV 3417 Video Starter System, IP/TV 3432 Archive Server, IP/TV 3425 and IP/TV 3425A Broadcast Servers, and IP/TV Software Versions 3.4 and 3.5. The last day to order these Cisco IP/TV Family products is December 31, 2004. Customers with active service contracts will continue to receive support from the Cisco Technical Assistance Center (TAC) until December 31, 2009. Table 1 describes the end-of-life milestones, definitions, and dates for the Cisco IP/TV 3412, IP/TV 3417, IP/TV 3432, IP/TV 3425, IP/TV 3425A and IP/TV Software Version 3.5. Table 2 lists the product part numbers affected by this announcement.
Customers are encouraged to migrate to the new Cisco IP/TV broadcast servers and the Cisco Application and Content Networking System (ACNS) Content Engines configured as an IP/TV Program Manager, which offer the latest in hardware component upgrades, performance, and flexibility. Information about the replacement products can be found at: http://cisco.com/en/US/products/hw/contnetw/index.html. Table 3 provides relevant information for migrating from the end-of-life products to the latest Cisco IP/TV Broadcast Servers and Program Manager products.
Table 1. End-of-Life Milestones and Dates for the Cisco IP/TV Family Products Designated by this Notice
Table 2. Product Part Numbers Affected by This Announcement
PRODUCT MIGRATION OPTIONS
The recommended replacements for IP/TV 3412, IP/TV 3417, IP/TV 3425, IP/TV 3425A and IP/TV 3432 products are the Cisco IP/TV 3426 and IP/TV 3441 Broadcast Servers and the Cisco 565 Content Engines (Table 3). These replacement products are built with the latest hardware components and use the latest releases of the IP/TV and ACNS software. The migration options for the three major IP/TV solution components are described in the following sections. Please note that the IP/TV software release versions skipped from version 3.5 directly to version 5.1.
-IP/TV 3412 Control Server Migration Options:
Starting with Cisco ACNS 5.1, the Cisco 565 and 7305 Content Engines are capable of operating as IP/TV Program Managers by using simple command-line interface commands to change their "personality." The IP/TV Program Manager functionality of the ACNS version 5.1 Content Engines replaces the IP/TV 3412 Control Server starting with IP/TV and ACNS software versions 5.1. The IP/TV 3412 will not support IP/TV software versions after version 3.5 and must be replaced by a Cisco 565 or 7305 Content Engine running ACNS version 5.1 or later. See the Cisco Technology Migration Plan (TMP) references at the end of this bulletin for information about trading in an IP/TV 3412 for credit that can be used to purchase an ACNS-based content engine.
-IP/TV 3417 Starter System Migration Options:
Because of the integration of the IP/TV Control Server functionality into ACNS appliances, starting with the IP/TV 5.1 software release it is no longer possible for Cisco to offer IP/TV products that contain both the broadcast server and control server functionality in a single product. Therefore, starting with IP/TV and ACNS versions 5.1, there is no direct replacement for the IP/TV 3417. The IP/TV 5.1 Program Manager (in ACNS 5.1 Content Engines) and the IP/TV 5.1-based Broadcast Server products are only offered as separate server products.
The IP/TV 3417 can be upgraded to the IP/TV version 5.1 server software, thereby converting the IP/TV 3417 into a dedicated broadcast server. Combining this converted IP/TV 5.1 Broadcast Server with a Cisco 565 running in IP/TV Program Manager mode is the most cost-effective path of replacing the IP/TV 3417 and migrating to an IP/TV version 5.1 solution.
-IP/TV 3432 Archive Server Migration Options:
IP/TV archive servers will also have no direct replacements starting with the IP/TV 5.1 release. IP/TV Archive Servers are actually Broadcast Servers with no encoder cards installed. Because of the latest high-performance and cost-effective broadcast server hardware, it can now be more cost-effective for Cisco customers to buy an IP/TV Broadcast Server with encoding capabilities than it is to continue purchasing the Archive Servers based on older hardware. IP/TV 3432s can be replaced with the latest IP/TV Broadcast Servers in IP/TV deployments or by ACNS-based Content Engines in IP/TV plus ACNS deployments.
-IP/TV 3425 and IP/TV 3425A Broadcast Server Migration Options:
The IP/TV 3425 will be replaced by the IP/TV 3441 Broadcast Server when it becomes available for general orders in September 2004. The IP/TV 3441 will be based on the latest hardware technology to provide superior performance as well as greater, more flexible storage options for a comparable list price to the current IP/TV 3425 Broadcast Server. The IP/TV 3425A Broadcast Server will not be replaced by a comparable MPEG-1-only IP/TV product.
Table 3. Product Comparisons
Customers can use the Cisco Technology Migration Plan (TMP) to trade in products and receive credit toward the purchase of new Cisco equipment. For more information about Cisco TMP, go to: http://www.cisco.com/go/tradein/. To help facilitate conversion from IP/TV version 3.5 deployments to version 5.1 deployments, Cisco has implemented a special rate for the trade-in of Cisco IP/TV control server and content manager products when the Cisco TMP credit is used to purchase Cisco ACNS-based 565 or 7305 content engines whose IP/TV Program Manager personality will replace these products. The Cisco TMP application requires all users to have a Cisco.com user ID.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
For more information about the Cisco IP/TV Family of products, contact your local account representative.
For more information about the Cisco End-of-Life Policy, go to:
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/prod_end_of_life.html
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/prod_end_of_life.html
To subscribe to receive end-of-life/end-of-sale information, go to:
http://www.cisco.com/cgi-bin/Support/FieldNoticeTool/field-notice
http://www.cisco.com/cgi-bin/Support/FieldNoticeTool/field-notice
