Arista DCS-7280CR3AM-72-R | 7280R3A 72-Port 100G Switch, TunnelSec, 7.2 Tbps

Q: What encryption capabilities does the DCS-7280CR3AM-72-R support?
A: The -M variant includes TunnelSec encryption capabilities, providing wire-speed MACsec, IPsec, and VXLANsec with AES-256-GCM encryption on all 72 ports. This eliminates the need for external encryption devices while maintaining full line-rate performance at Layer 2 and Layer 3.

Q: What does the -R suffix indicate in the model number?
A: The -R suffix denotes rear-to-front airflow orientation (blue handle), where air intake is from the port side and exhaust is from the non-port side. This is designed for hot-aisle/cold-aisle data center deployments where the port side faces the cold aisle.

Q: Can this switch support routing at Internet scale?
A: Yes, the 7280CR3AM-72 includes FlexRoute engine capabilities that support large-scale routing tables. For even larger deployments requiring over 5 million routes, the K-variant (DCS-7280CR3AK-72-R) provides extended routing capacity with algorithmic ACLs.

Q: What breakout configurations are supported on the QSFP ports?
A: The 72 x QSFP ports support flexible breakout configurations including 4x25G, 4x10G, 2x50G, and 1x40G per port using appropriate optics and cables, allowing up to 116 total interfaces depending on the configuration chosen.

Q: Is this switch suitable for high-performance computing and AI/ML workloads?
A: Yes, the 8GB deep buffer memory, VOQ architecture, and ultra-low 3.8µs latency make this switch ideal for handling bursty east-west traffic patterns common in HPC, AI/ML training clusters, and high-performance storage environments where lossless forwarding is critical.