Arista DCS-7280SR3AM-48YC8-FLX-R | 7280R3 48-Port 50G Switch, 6x 200G, TunnelSec

Q: What encryption capabilities does the DCS-7280SR3AM-48YC8-FLX-R support?
A: This switch supports TunnelSec encryption with line-rate AES-256-GCM encryption at all interface speeds. It provides IEEE 802.1AE MACsec for point-to-point link encryption, IPsec (RFC 4303) for router-to-router encrypted tunnels, and VXLANsec for VTEP-level encrypted overlay networks. All encryption operates at full line rate from 10G to 200G without performance degradation.

Q: What is the difference between the R3A series and standard R3 series?
A: The 7280R3A series features 50GbE ports and 200GbE uplinks, compared to the standard R3 which has 25GbE ports and 100GbE uplinks. The R3A models with the M suffix (like this SR3AM) include TunnelSec encryption capabilities supporting MACsec, IPsec, and VXLANsec, making them ideal for secure WAN and DCI deployments requiring encryption across third-party infrastructure.

Q: What does the FLX license include on this switch?
A: The FLX license provides full routing capabilities supporting up to 256K IPv4 routes, along with EVPN, VXLAN, Segment Routing, and base MPLS LSR functionality. It enables advanced data center virtualization and carrier routing features. This license is suitable for internet peering, data center interconnect, and cloud-scale routing applications without requiring additional software licenses.

Q: Is this switch suitable for data center spine or leaf deployments?
A: Yes, the DCS-7280SR3AM-48YC8-FLX-R is well-suited for both leaf and spine roles in modern data center architectures. With 48 ports of 50GbE and 6 uplinks of 200GbE, it provides high-density server connectivity at the leaf layer or spine aggregation for medium to large-scale deployments. The TunnelSec encryption makes it particularly valuable for multi-tenant or DCI scenarios requiring data security.

Q: What airflow direction does the -R suffix indicate?
A: The -R suffix indicates rear-to-front airflow, meaning cool air enters from the fan side and exhausts through the port side. This is also known as reverse airflow and is designed for hot-aisle containment data center environments. For front-to-rear airflow (cold-aisle containment), the -F model variant is available.