What is Arista?
Arista Networks makes high-speed switches and routers, mostly for data centers and large campus networks. All of its switches and routers run the same network operating system, Arista EOS.
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What it is
Arista is best known for data-center switching: the switches that sit between racks of servers and storage and carry traffic among them. The company also sells campus switches, routers and wireless access points.
Because every switch and router runs EOS, an administrator learns one command line and one set of tools. The access points are managed separately. EOS is built on Linux, and many teams manage it with scripts and automation instead of typing each change by hand.
What businesses use it for
- Server and storage networks: fast switches connect virtualization hosts and storage systems inside a data center or server room.
- Consistent management: one operating system across every device keeps configuration and troubleshooting predictable.
- Automation: because EOS exposes its settings to scripts, changes can be tested and applied the same way each time.
- Campus networks: larger sites use Arista switching and wireless to connect offices and buildings.
How KawaConnect works with Arista
Arista turns up less often in our work than in large data centers, because most businesses we support are small or mid-sized. Where a client has it, the switches commonly connect virtualization hosts, such as a Proxmox cluster, to their storage. Our first job is to pull the running configuration and write down which ports and VLANs carry what.
That record is what lets us change the firewall, department segmentation, site-to-site VPN or monitoring without breaking the storage and cluster traffic the switches carry. For a smaller site choosing new equipment, our pages on Cisco and Ubiquiti are likely a better starting point.
Related services
Networking and firewalls
Switching, routing and firewalls for offices and server rooms.
Network security
VLAN segmentation, VPN and access controls around your switches.
Managed IT
Monitoring and documentation that cover your network equipment.
Learn more
- Arista Networks on WikipediaA neutral overview of the company and its products.
- Arista websiteProduct families, data sheets and software information, helpful when you need to identify a switch you already own.
Inherited an Arista network?
Send us the switch models and what they connect. We will document the ports and VLANs and explain how the switches fit with the firewall, VPN and monitoring.
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