Arista DCS-7280CR3-96-FLX-F | 7280R3 96-Port 100G Switch, 9.6 Tbps, FLX-Lite

Q: What does the FLX-Lite license include?
A: FLX-Lite licensing enables full Layer 3 routing with support for up to 256K IPv4/IPv6 routes, EVPN, VXLAN, Segment Routing, base MPLS LSR functionality, and advanced protocols including BGP, OSPF, and IS-IS. It provides carrier-grade routing capabilities for data center spine, WAN edge, and internet peering applications.

Q: Can this switch support breakout cables for lower-speed ports?
A: Yes, each QSFP28 port supports flexible breakout configurations. You can deploy up to 192 x 50GbE, 96 x 40GbE, or 192 x 25G/10G ports using standard breakout cables and optics, allowing flexible connectivity for leaf-spine architectures and mixed-speed environments.

Q: What does configurable fans and PSU mean for this model?
A: The configurable airflow designation means fans and power supplies are ordered separately, allowing you to specify front-to-rear or rear-to-front airflow to match your data center hot-aisle/cold-aisle layout. This provides deployment flexibility while reducing initial SKU complexity.

Q: Is this switch suitable for VXLAN overlay networks?
A: Absolutely. The DCS-7280CR3-96-FLX-F fully supports VXLAN hardware offload with EVPN control plane, making it ideal for spine or leaf roles in modern VXLAN-based data center fabrics. The deep 16GB buffer and high route scale ensure stable performance in large multi-tenant overlay environments.

Q: Does this model support precision timing protocols?
A: Yes, the 7280CR3-96 supports IEEE 1588v2 Precision Time Protocol (PTP) and Synchronous Ethernet (SyncE) for sub-microsecond network timing accuracy, critical for 5G fronthaul, financial trading, and distributed applications requiring precise time synchronization.