How to Upgrade Your Cisco Router or PIX Firewall

When network engineers find that the requirements of a network have grown over time to the point where the memory allocation by Cisco IOS on the network routers, or by Finesse on Cisco PIX firewalls exceeds the installed Cisco memory size, it becomes necessary to make a choice between the expensive process of upgrading all obsolete network hardware outright, or the less expensive process of upgrading memory and other components of existing hardware to extend its capabilities, thereby increasing the longevity of the devices.  PC Wholesale carries a full range of Cisco Approved and third party Cisco router and PIX firewall DRAM and Flash memory.  

While upgrading Cisco memory is a pretty easy process, it is also a relatively expensive one when one takes the transition period into account. Fulfilling requirements of redundancy can be achieved with extra standby equipment during the transition, or allowing existing redundancy that has been previously built into the network (with considerable expense and planning) to converge around the affected pipes, thereby allowing such staggered upgrades. Alternatively, engineers could allow an acceptable loss of connectivity to occur during periods of minimal demand with scheduled downtime, which is sometimes inevitable.

The memory upgrade or replacement procedure is similar for most Cisco hardware, and is designed to be simple. Usually it involves unscrewing a panel on the case, which is then slid open or removed. Once the DRAM slot is located, the engineer can either replace the existing DIMM (or SIMM in older devices), or if there is a free slot available, insert a new one into the free slot. Similar to the installation of PC memory, Cisco RAM and Flash memory can only be inserted one way, and will snap/click into place when seated correctly.

If, after powering on the device, it shows all LEDs lit up or all LEDs flashing, the router is experiencing a critical hardware error. This means it has either an incompatible memory module installed, a module is badly seated, or there some other critical hardware failure. If this happens, you should power down immediately and check all internal connections, especially the seating of RAM, and any internal upgrade memory.

To avoid the number of times a given new device needs to be taken out of commission to keep its capabilities up to date, you may consider ordering and installing the maximum quantity of RAM that a router supports before installation. While this is expensive by any short-term reckoning, the cost is justified, as it results in a more robust foundation for the network, increasing the predicted longevity of individual components considerably.  PC Wholesale carries a full line of Cisco Original/OEM and Third party DRAM and Flash memory for every Cisco router, firewall and switch.