At-A-Glance

Cisco Converged
Broadband Router
cBR-8
Are you ready to dramatically reduce the total cost of ownership of your
broadband cable IP network? First, combine the capabilities of a fully
featured Layer 3 cable modem termination system (CMTS) with a highcapacity edge quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) video delivery
system. Package it in a single, integrated high-density 13 RU chassis.

Benefits
Reduce total cost of ownership
(TCO) by using the high
capacity of the Cisco cBR-8 to
support full spectrum DOCSIS
3.1 along with DOCSIS 3.0 and
MPEG video to deliver multigigabit services over existing
cable infrastructure
Increase scalability using
a modular architecture that
supports ongoing deep Fiber
migration and rapid broadband
speed increases for your
customers
Reduce capital expenditures
by using existing networks and
new technologies
Lower ongoing operational
expenditures with a stable,
reliable platform and software
that is less complex to manage
and reduces power, space,
cooling, and support costs

Thats the Cisco cBR-8, designed from the beginning to provide

unprecedented DOCSIS 3.0 and DOCSIS 3.1 capacity and scaling in a
fully converged broadband data and video platform.
The Cisco cBR-8 CCAP CMTS delivers four times the capacity and two
times the speed of currently available DOCSIS 3.0 solutions in a much
more cost-effective manner. And it supports maximum future flexibility
for the adoption of innovative network architectures including Remote
PHY (RPHY), SDN, and Virtual CMTS (vCMTS.) A truly exceptional
product, designed with DOCSIS 3.1 in mind, the Cisco cBR-8 allows
cable operators to deliver ultra-broadband services with maximum
downstream speeds approaching 10 Gbps per subscriber and 1 Gbps
upstream. The Cisco cBR-8 CMTS is capable of delivering 500 HDTV
channels, video-on-demand (VoD), and ultra-broadband services to
20,000 or more homes.

Key Features
Key features of the Cisco cBR-8 are shown in Table 1.
Table 1. Cisco cBR-8 Features

Feature

Description

DOCSIS and CCAP

Scalability

Supports up to 64 Service Groups per chassis and up to

6,144 unique, narrowcast QAM channels well above the
capacity of any competing platform.

DOCSIS 3.1 Readiness

The only platform on the market that was designed for full
DOCSIS 3.1 capability while still supporting high capacity
DOCSIS 3.0 services at the same time. The Cisco cBR-8
line cards are equipped with solid state DOCSIS 3.0 or
DOCSIS 3.1 PHY modules, which allow easy upgrades that
can be accomplished in a matter of seconds.

Video Convergence

In compliance with CCAP specifications, the Cisco cBR-8

supports both full DOCSIS 3.0 and 3.1 data services and
MPEG Video services in the same high-density platform.

2014 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

nce

At-A-Glance

Deliver fiber to the home or

business by using existing
customer premises equipment
and business support systems

Feature

Description

Reliability & Availability

Delivers unparalleled reliability and network availability using

both hardware and software elements. The Cisco cBR-8
CCAP features a fully redundant hardware architecture
with 1:1 redundancy and failover of supervisor cards and
power supplies, plus 1:N redundancy and failover of line
cards and fans. The highly resilient software architecture
of the Cisco cBR-8 includes separation of DOCSIS and
network processes into modular components, which
are independently restartable. It also allows both feature
patching and full hitless upgrades.

Innovative Design

The design of the Cisco cBR-8 chassis places it in a class

of its own compared to the off-the-shelf, older, Advanced
Telecom Computing Architecture (ATCA) standard
designs used by competing platforms, which are limited
in throughput and scalability. The Cisco cBR-8 provides
40 Gbps per slot, compared to 10 Gbps maximum for the
ATCA designs. The unique Cisco design also allows full
protection of the entire chassis in the event of a fan failure,
which is the most commonly encountered field issue.

Software Defined
Networking

Cisco is an industry leader in providing SDN solutions

and the Cisco cBR-8 extends that leadership by offering
a number of compelling applications that enhance the
usability of the platform and provide customers with the
information needed to more effectively manage their
networks. Some examples include proactive network
maintenance, DOCSIS 3.1 profile management, video
quality-aware bandwidth adjustment and dynamic service
provisioning and monitoring.

Integrated and
Distributed Architecture

Traditional CMTS networks are transitioning to more

distributed architectural models. Cisco has long been a
leader in modular solutions, and today we are extending
that leadership in the evolving industry standard for the
Remote PHY architecture. The Cisco cBR-8 is designed to
effortlessly make this transition through the use of modular
PHY blocks than can be populated with DOCSIS 3.0 or
DOCSIS 3.1 PHY modules or with no PHY modules at all if a
Remote PHY architecture is being used.

Access Independence

The Cisco cBR-8 was designed to lead the transition from

a box in a hub to a future with the hub in the box by
integrating many other elements of a traditional access
network, including analog optics, DOCSIS PON, Wi-Fi and
Wireless Backhaul, all into a single state-of-the-art chassis.

Pathway to Virtualization

Ciscos longer-term vision points toward increasing

virtualization of many of todays network elements,
eventually allowing most services to be run from a
combination of data center server technology and cloudbased software capability. The Cisco cBR-8 is a key
stepping stone along this Virtualization path, allowing a
gradual convergence of CCAP technology into centralized
data centers and to locations much closer to the end users.

Improve service velocity and

network management by using
software-defined networking
(SDN) and virtualization

Next Steps
For more information on the Cisco
cBR-8, please visit www.cisco.com/go/
ccap.

2014 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Cisco and the Cisco logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of
Cisco and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and other countries. To view a list of Cisco trademarks, go to this URL: www.cisco.com/
go/trademarks. Third-party trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The use of the word partner
does not imply a partnership relationship between Cisco and any other company. (1110R)
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