I'm getting ready to load a new IOS in my 2611XM that requires 128MB. Show Version indicates that 96MB is installed now.
Since 128MB is the minimum recommended RAM, is there any reason to put more in (not running BGP)? For example, one new 128MB DIMM plus leave in 96MB or 64MB, depending on whether one chip or two chips are installed now.
If I end up with 192MB or more, should I allocate more to packet buffers?
Edge Tech has a 128MB module for $31.76 This is unbelievably cheap! Has anyone here purchased RAM from these guys? If so, did you have any problems?
New Memory Capacity on the Cisco 2600XM Series Multiservice Router
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The Cisco MEM2600XM-128D has the following technical specifications: - Single 128MB 16X32 SDRAM Module, 100 Pin, 3.3 Volt. - Installs in either DRAM slot. - Supported in Cisco 2610XM, 2611XM, 2620XM, 2621XM, 2650XM, and
2651XM. - Installing 2 modules for 256MB support requires BOOT-2600XM-256= and future IOS Release(>12.3(11)T).
The main thing is that you need a newer boot ROM to handle the 128M DIMMs of memory on the 2611XM. I'm sorry, I don't remember the old ROM version numbers vs. the newer version numbers, but most of them shipped only being able to do 128M, with the new boot ROM very late in the product lifetime to support 256M on the 26??XM platform.
Part # BOOT-2600XM-256=
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Not going to do much for you to allocate more to IO memory on this platform. Its mostly to run the huge images that started rolling out at the same time. (this platform, like most cisco copies a gzip'd image off of Flash into RAM to run from RAM as it boots).
Compared to Cisco's memory prices, anybody else is cheap.. :) I've used MemoryX the most and have had good service from them.
For $30 its hardly worth it however if time is cheap for you you could just try the image and see it it works? In many cases you can reduce the IO memory too. mem io percent or something like that.
I believe that IO is allocated at startup and unless you creat new interfaces is static thereafter.
You could boot over the network if you don't have room in flash for two images. This will save some possibly dire xmodem recovery.
Or Dynamips? Not sure if it supports your exact router but I think I recall that it does support 2600 so it could all be checked out on a PC first.
I have on several occasions used less that the recommend min memory and had no problems however I have checked things out very carefully.
Clearly not for some serious business use but once the box is up, unless you are using a memory hungry routing protocol (EIGRP is the classic I understand) or have huge ARP tables or somehting like that, then memory is typically not allocated significantly after startup.
I have 7 or 8 play 3600s (Dynamips ones but they are real enough:) and I am using MUCH less than the 'recommended' memory since it makes the PC behave a lot better for me.
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