Cisco ASR5K-PSC-16G-K9 Legacy 16GB Packet Services Card for ASR 5000

ASR5K-PSC-16G-K9 PSCA Identity

ASR5K-PSC-16G-K9 is the 16GB Packet Services Card A, also called PSCA, for the legacy Cisco ASR 5000 platform. Cisco's lifecycle notice identifies ASR5K-PSC-32G-K9, the 32GB PSC2, as the replacement product. The two PIDs therefore represent different processing generations rather than interchangeable memory options.

Software support boundary

Cisco states that PSCA is end of life and is not supported in StarOS 16.0 and later. Before sourcing this card, record the chassis type, installed StarOS release, active and standby processing-card PIDs, card revision and configuration dependencies. A 16GB PSCA should not be introduced into an environment whose software train requires PSC2 or later hardware.

Legacy replacement assessment

Use this SKU when restoring a documented PSCA-based system and when software and redundancy rules permit the same card generation. If the objective is modernization, treat Cisco's PSC2 replacement mapping as the start of an engineering review, not proof of a drop-in swap. Confirm chassis support, release requirements, capacity, licensing, maintenance state and operational procedure.

Provenance and condition checks

Because this is an end-of-life component, capture the exact PID, serial number, hardware revision, memory identification and source history. Inspect connectors and mechanical condition, verify that inventory reports the expected 16GB PSCA identity, and reject cards with unexplained relabeling, incomplete provenance or hardware alarms.

Controlled change and rollback

Back up configuration and health data before maintenance. After installation, verify card discovery, operational state, memory visibility, synchronization or standby readiness, alarms and representative packet-processing functions. Preserve the removed card and a tested rollback path until the platform has completed an agreed observation period.

Scope and lifecycle

This orderable item is one legacy processing card. It does not include an ASR 5000 chassis, a 32GB PSC2, software entitlement, installation service or a current Cisco support contract. Cisco's PSCA notice gives a last date of support of March 31, 2019, so continued operation requires an explicit legacy-platform and migration plan.

Official Cisco evidence: PSCA 16GB identity, successor and lifecycle notice, ASR 5000 card and software support reference and ASR 5000 platform lifecycle notice.