Arista Unveils Single-Tier Ethernet Switches

In the network market, versatility is suddenly in vogue as Arista Networks joins Juniper Networks in releasing products that can be deployed as either leaf or spine switches in Gigabit Ethernet network fabric architectures.

Arista was one of the earliest champions of simple two-tier designs and products that supported Layer 2 MLAG and Layer 3 ECMP architectures back in 2008. Earlier this year, it introduced a new generation of modular spine switch, the 7500E. Now, Arista is launching two platforms in a new 7000X series that bridges the performance gap between the 7500E and 7X50 leaf switches: the 7250X and 7300X, both of which use the same EOS operating system and software features as the rest of its lineup.

Arista calls the new devices "spline" switches, meaning they can be deployed in a single-tier network of up to 2,000 servers as spine switches with the 7X50 series or as leaf devices in larger networks where the 7500E would act as the spine device. The company estimates such collapsed topologies, which provide non-blocking local connections, cut operating and capital asset costs by 40% and power usage by 25% per port.

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