Nokia 7210 SAS
The Nokia 7210 SAS (Service Access Switch) is built on merchant Ethernet switching silicon, giving it a fundamentally different buffer profile from Nokia's FP-based platforms.
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Total Buffer | 64–512 MB (variant-dependent) |
| Buffer Model | Shared ingress/egress |
| Silicon | Merchant Ethernet switching ASIC |
| RX Queues | Hierarchical QoS; per-service policing and shaping |
| Target Role | Access edge, demarcation, cell-site router |
Buffer Characteristics
- 64 MB on lower-end variants; 512 MB on high-end variants (e.g., 7210 SAS-K ETR)
- Buffer is shared across ingress and egress — no dedicated per-direction pool
- Ingress-dominant buffering model
- Provides "deep buffering" relative to access-layer devices, but not comparable to FP-based core systems
What It Handles Well
- Short bursts from access loop congestion
- Hierarchical QoS with per-service policing and shaping
- Speed mismatches at access demarcation points
Limitations
- Not designed for large-scale oversubscription
- Not suitable for high fan-in aggregation scenarios
- Smaller buffer depth than FP-based Nokia platforms (7750 SR, 7730 SXR)
See the Nokia Access/Aggregation architecture page for cross-platform comparison.