Anyone here ever work on Cisco's first routers (AGS, MGS, CGS, IGS)?

[tutylexed]

I was just thinking about how in the early 2000's when I was just a wee little lad (like 18), I wonder a pallet full of Cisco AGS, MGS, IGS, and CGS routers for $1. It cost over $100 to ship it, but it was awesome. I tried using them to study, but even back then they were not very useful. Still cool, though.

But then a few years later I moved across country and decided to lighten my load by putting them out by the trash bin. I think about that and it makes so angry that I didn't realize what I had. Just throwing out history like it's nothing. It's impossible to even find those used now. I think any that exist are in museums.

I would love to have some of those in some active ones running museum of old computer networks and equipment that is fully functional and operational.

[balaji.bandi]

Good Story.

yes I have them in my farm house - right from 2501 - to 7200VXR for memory - If you go to any cisco office they have displayed all over 7200 and 6500 line cards in the Lobby area for better remembrance the best product of the era.

other side my collection, have iphone 1 to 13 what i am using (so sure i will frame them one day and keep on my show case.)

[bhchatman]

Yes I worked on the Ags-Mgs the Igs was a blade if remember correctly. Units were assembled on site with image TFTP from Europe.

[Ramblin Tech]

I first started with the AGS+/MGS/CGS/IGS family beginning in 1992 when my employer began implementing their first non-proprietary computer networks. Cisco advertised these as "multi-protocol" routers, as other router competitors on the market did not support forwarding such a wide variety of packets as DECnet, LAT, Appletalk, Banyan Vines, Novell Netware, and XNS (in addition to IPv4).

Back then, if you wanted a software upgrade (I do not believe the "IOS" name had been originated yet), you ordered a new set of PROMs from Cisco which were then used to replace the existing set on the main circuit board. Flash memory daughter cards and software downloads from cisco.com would come along later. IIRC, the cisco.com user experience was called CIO (Customer Information Online) and later CCO (Customer Connection Online); CIO initially was accessed with telnet and a menu-driven CLI, and also used ftp for downloads.

The modular routers (ie, non-IGS), and particularly the AGS+, required a certain amount of basket-weaving skill, as the modular PCBs had their ribbon connectors on their front edges, but the cables had to be carefully wrapped underneath the stack of boards to be plugged into the physical interface connector appliques mounted on the rear of the chassis. The top most modules should be wrapped last, else you might render the bottom most inaccessible.

I think I still might have the front hatch to an AGS+ in my attic somewhere as a memento; it had the old Golden Gate Bridge logo, along with lower-case "cisco Systems". Old time Cisco employees from the '80s and early '90s (I joined in 1998, retiring in 2023) would continue to spell the name with lower case long after the official spelling became "Cisco Systems".

Cisco and the Computer History Museum (Mountain View, CA, USA) have collaborated to maintain a Center for Cisco Heritage collection for people interested in these kinds of artifacts and memorabilia.

[Ken Hagen]

I have a couple AGS+s that I worked on in my garage in the late 90s.  They're still in my attic.  

Ken

[Ken Hagen]

I had a friend that said he was able to study for his CCIE with the AGS+ that he sold me, but I found it lacking and had to finally use other means of study. It was fun to play with in the garage and to get started on though.  

[kramert]

I pretty much started my career on the IGS/MGS/AGS platforms back in 1990.   Good memories, and I still to this day have 2 IGS Routers along with an AGS+ Router at my house.  Sadly, the AGS no longer powers up.   Failed PSU unit.  I'm not a power guy, so i'd like to get that module fixed somehow (suggestions anyone?).    Other than that, unit should still work.  As I recall, still have 11.0.22 code on ROM.