“The internet runs on Cisco Systems. There’s not a single
long-haul packet on the Net that doesn’t pass through at least one
Cisco router on its way from hither to yon. And that’s fine. Cisco
equipment is fast and first-rate. Selling and maintaining it will
put many a present under the Christmas tree for reseller families.
But there’s just one little problem: It’s expensive–very
expensive.”
“I’m going to let you in on a dirty, little open secret about
Cisco routers… you can buy a half dozen Pentium IIs and rig them
up as routers, using Linux or BSDI, for about the price of one
Cisco 4700. Now that’s bang for your buck.”