Cisco HWIC-16A= 16 Ports WAN Interface Card

Cisco HWIC-16A= Overview

• Manufacturer: Cisco
• Part Number or SKU: HWIC-16A=
• Product Name: 16-Port Async High-Speed WAN Interface Card
• Product Type: High-Speed WAN Interface Card (HWIC)

Key Technical Specifications

• Primary Application: Wide Area Network (WAN)
• Interfaces Available: 16 x Asynchronous Serial WAN ports
• Maximum Data Transfer Speed: 230.40 Kbps for asynchronous connections

Interface Details

• Total Ports: 16 asynchronous serial WAN ports
• Port Details: Each interface supports asynchronous WAN serial connections

Performance Specifications

• Asynchronous Data Rate: Up to 230.40 Kbps

Management & Protocol Support

• Supported Protocols:
• X.25
• SDLC
• TCP/IP

Status Indicators

• Connection Status Indicators (CONN) for monitoring connection health

Environmental Specifications

• Operating Temperature Range: 32°F (0°C) to 104°F (40°C)
• Storage Temperature: -4°F (-20°C) to 149°F (65°C)
• Humidity: 10% to 90% relative humidity, non-condensing

Additional Features

• The HWIC-16A= includes 8-port cables, each with a high-density 60-pin connector on the HWIC side
• RJ-45 connectors on the opposite side can link to console ports of Cisco routers and switches
• Additional connectivity options with RJ-45 to DB-25 adapters

Miscellaneous Information

• Data Communications Network (DCN) support
• Dialup Remote Access capability
• Lead Manipulation functionality
• Network Clock Synchronization
• Systems Network Architecture (SNA)

Ports

The Cisco HWIC-16A= WAN Interface Card is equipped with an impressive 16 ports, making it an essential tool for businesses and organizations that require a high level of connectivity. This feature provides users with a wide range of benefits and plays a crucial role in ensuring smooth network operations.

Enhanced Connectivity

With 16 ports, this WAN Interface Card offers enhanced connectivity options for users. Each port serves as an interface for connecting the router to external networks or devices. The abundance of ports allows for seamless integration with various network infrastructure components, such as switches, routers, and other networking devices. This flexibility ensures that users can establish connections to multiple networks simultaneously, enabling efficient data transfer and communication.

Scalability

The presence of 16 ports on the Cisco HWIC-16A= WAN Interface Card offers exceptional scalability for growing businesses. As organizations expand their operations, the need for additional network connections arises. With this WAN Interface Card, businesses can easily accommodate their increasing connectivity requirements without investing in separate hardware or undergoing complex network reconfigurations. The ability to scale up the number of connections seamlessly ensures that businesses can adapt to changing network demands efficiently and cost-effectively.

Redundancy and Resilience

Having 16 ports on a WAN Interface Card brings redundancy and resilience to the network infrastructure. Redundancy is crucial in ensuring uninterrupted network connectivity in case of port failures or network outages. With multiple ports available, users can configure redundant connections to ensure a backup pathway is readily available if one connection fails. This redundancy feature enhances network reliability and minimizes downtime, which is especially critical for mission-critical applications and businesses that heavily rely on continuous connectivity.

Load Balancing

The wealth of ports on the Cisco HWIC-16A= also enables load balancing capabilities. Load balancing distributes network traffic evenly across multiple ports, optimizing performance and preventing congestion on a single connection. This feature is particularly beneficial for organizations with high data transfer requirements or those handling bandwidth-intensive applications. By distributing the traffic load across multiple ports, load balancing helps maintain consistent network performance, improves efficiency, and enhances the overall user experience.

Segmentation and VLANs

The 16 ports on this WAN Interface Card allow for effective network segmentation and VLAN (Virtual Local Area Network) implementation. Network segmentation involves dividing a large network into smaller, more manageable segments to enhance security, manageability, and performance. With multiple ports available, users can create separate segments for different departments, branches, or user groups. This segregation ensures that sensitive data remains isolated and secure while optimizing network performance within each segment.

VLANs provide similar benefits by logically separating networks within a single physical infrastructure. With 16 ports, users can assign different VLANs to each port, allowing for efficient traffic management and isolation between departments or applications. VLANs enhance security by preventing unauthorized access to sensitive resources and simplify network management by reducing broadcast domains.

Flexibility in Network Design

The Cisco HWIC-16A= WAN Interface Card's 16 ports offer tremendous flexibility in network design. Organizations can design and implement complex network topologies without compromising on connectivity or scalability. Whether it's creating intricate mesh networks, designing redundant connections, or establishing multiple VLANs, the abundance of ports empowers network architects to craft tailored solutions that meet their specific requirements.

Cost-Effective Solution

Investing in the Cisco HWIC-16A= WAN Interface Card with 16 ports proves to be a cost-effective solution for businesses aiming to maximize their network capabilities. Instead of purchasing multiple interface cards or devices to achieve the desired connectivity, organizations can rely on this single card to handle diverse network requirements. This consolidation not only reduces hardware costs but also simplifies network maintenance and management, resulting in potential cost savings for businesses in the long run.

In conclusion, the Cisco HWIC-16A= WAN Interface Card's 16 ports provide users with enhanced connectivity, scalability, redundancy, load balancing, segmentation, VLAN capabilities, flexibility in network design, and a cost-effective solution. This feature-rich card enables businesses and organizations to build robust and efficient network infrastructures that can support their growing connectivity demands while ensuring reliability and performance.