Arista DCS-7280CR3-96-F | 7280R3 96-Port 100G QSFP28 Switch, 9.6Tbps, 2RU

Q: What is the difference between the DCS-7280CR3-96-F and the 7280CR3K-96-F?
A: The non-K variant (DCS-7280CR3-96-F) supports over 2 million IPv4 routes via FlexRoute, suitable for most enterprise and service provider deployments. The K variant offers enhanced routing table scale for networks requiring even larger routing tables, such as full internet routing tables in tier-1 carrier environments.

Q: Can this switch support breakout cables for higher port density?
A: Yes, the 96 x 100GbE QSFP28 ports are breakout capable, allowing you to configure up to 192 x 50G ports using appropriate breakout cables and transceivers. This provides flexibility for mixed-speed environments and future-proofing your network.

Q: What does the '-F' suffix indicate in the model number?
A: The '-F' suffix denotes front-to-rear airflow, meaning cool air enters from the port side and exhausts from the fan side. This is critical for data center hot-aisle/cold-aisle deployments. For rear-to-front airflow configurations, the corresponding model is DCS-7280CR3-96-R.

Q: What Layer 3 routing protocols and features are supported?
A: The switch supports comprehensive Layer 3 routing including BGP with RPKI, OSPF, IS-IS, MPLS (LDP, RSVP-TE, BGP LU), Segment Routing Traffic Engineering, EVPN, and VXLAN. It also includes 512-way ECMP, algorithmic ACLs, and advanced network telemetry for modern cloud and SDN architectures.

Q: Is this switch suitable for low-latency trading or financial applications?
A: Absolutely. With 3.8 microseconds store-and-forward latency, VOQ architecture to eliminate head-of-line blocking, and 16 GB deep buffering for burst absorption, the DCS-7280CR3-96-F is ideal for latency-sensitive applications including high-frequency trading, real-time analytics, and AI/ML workloads.