Arista DCS-7280CR3K-32P4A-FLX-F | 7280R3 32-Port 100G Switch, 4x 400G OSFP, 256K Routes

Q: What is the FLX-Lite license included with this model?
A: The FLX-Lite license enables full Layer 3 routing up to 256K routes, EVPN, VXLAN, Segment Routing, and base MPLS LSR functionality. For higher route scale (up to 2M routes) and advanced MPLS features with traffic engineering, the full FLX license upgrade is available separately.

Q: Can the OSFP ports support lower speed transceivers?
A: Yes, the 400GbE OSFP ports support flexible operation at 400G, 200G, and 100G line rates. The QSFP28 ports support 100G, 50G, 40G (QSFP+), 25G, and 10G via breakout cables, offering deployment flexibility.

Q: What is the VOQ architecture and why does it matter?
A: Virtual Output Queue architecture maintains separate queues for each input-to-output port pair, eliminating head-of-line blocking. Combined with 8GB deep buffer, it handles transient congestion and bursty traffic without packet drops, delivering consistent performance in oversubscribed topologies.

Q: Is this switch suitable for internet peering or service provider networks?
A: Yes, the 7280CR3K-32P4A-FLX is purpose-built for service provider edge, internet peering, and carrier-grade networks. It supports advanced routing protocols including BGP, OSPF, IS-IS, MPLS with LDP/RSVP-TE, SR-TE, 512-way ECMP, and large-scale route tables, making it ideal for IP transit and IX deployments.

Q: What is the difference between the K-variant and standard CR3 models?
A: K-variant models (like this CR3K) include FlexRoute capability supporting large routing tables—over 5M IPv4 unicast routes and 5M IPv6 routes in hardware. Standard CR3 models have lower route scale. The K-variant is designed for internet peering and full BGP table routing applications.