Arista DCS-7280CR3MK-32D4A-S-R | 7280R3 32x 100G QSFP + 4x 400G Switch, MACsec, 8GB

Q: What is MACsec and why is it important on this switch?
A: MACsec (IEEE 802.1AE) provides line-rate AES-256-GCM encryption and authentication on all ports, ensuring data confidentiality and integrity for secure connectivity within data centers and across wide area networks. This hardware-accelerated encryption operates at wire speed without performance penalty.

Q: Can the 400GbE QSFP-DD ports support lower-speed optics?
A: Yes, the 4x QSFP-DD ports are flexible and can support 100G, 200G, and 400G optics. They can also be configured for breakout modes to support multiple lower-speed connections, providing deployment flexibility for various network architectures.

Q: What routing scale does the large route table support provide?
A: The DCS-7280CR3MK-32D4A-S-R supports internet-scale routing with 256K+ routes, MPLS, and VXLAN capabilities using Arista's FlexRoute engine. The flexible forwarding profiles allow optimization for different deployment scenarios including internet peering, carrier edge, and data center interconnect.

Q: Is this switch suitable for spine or leaf deployments?
A: Yes, the 7280R3 Series is designed as a universal leaf and spine platform. With 8GB deep buffers, lossless forwarding, and high-density 100G/400G ports, it excels in both spine and leaf roles for modern data center fabrics, supporting MLAG, ECMP, and VXLAN overlay architectures.

Q: What is the difference between the -R and -F airflow designations?
A: The -R suffix indicates rear-to-front (reverse) airflow, where cool air enters from the port side and exhausts from the rear. This airflow direction must match your data center hot-aisle/cold-aisle configuration. The -F designation would indicate front-to-rear airflow.