“We’re expanding our set of switches based on silicon from Barefoot Networks,” said Martin Hull, Arista’s area vice president for cloud. “The key aspect is that unlike a lot of high-end switches and routers today, the packet processor is programmable. It’s more like a CPU. It opens up a whole set of use cases.”
Arista already offers Ethernet switches with varying degrees of programmability. Its 7050X Series uses Broadcom’s Trident-3 silicon, and its 7160 Series uses Cavium’s XP80 silicon with flexibility through EOS software upgrades.
The new 7170 Series provides a new level of programmability for customers who want that choice.
The 7170 Series is “squarely designed for being inside the data center; they are leaf and spine,” said Hull. “A lot of the systems we produce can be used as a leaf or spine. One guy’s leaf is another guy’s spine. Customers search around looking for products that can meet their needs. This 7170 gives a new set of choices.”
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