Arista Networks
| Company type | Public |
|---|---|
| Industry | Computer networking |
| Predecessor | Arastra |
| Founded | 2004 |
| Founder | Andy Bechtolsheim, Kenneth Duda, David Cheriton |
| Headquarters | Santa Clara, California , United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Jayshree Ullal (CEO) |
| Products | Multilayer network switches, Extensible Operating System (EOS) |
| Website | www |
Arista Networks, Inc. (originally known as Arastra) is a U.S.-based company specializing in computer networking, with its main office located in Santa Clara, California. The firm develops and markets multilayer network switches that provide software-defined networking (SDN) solutions tailored for expansive datacenters, cloud infrastructure, high-performance computing, and environments requiring ultra-low latency such as high-frequency trading. Its product lineup features Ethernet switches supporting speeds of 10/25/40/50/100/200/400/800 gigabits with low-latency cut-through capabilities. All Arista devices operate on its proprietary Linux-driven network operating system called Extensible Operating System (EOS).
Corporate history
Established in 2004 by Andy Bechtolsheim, Kenneth Duda, and David Cheriton, Arista was initially financed privately by Bechtolsheim and Cheriton. In October 2008, Jayshree Ullal was appointed CEO, bringing over 15 years of executive experience from Cisco to guide the company strategically.
Arista made its public market debut in June 2014 on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol ANET, marking a pivotal point in its expansion. That same year, Cisco initiated legal action accusing Arista of intellectual property violations; these disputes led to temporary import restrictions which were overturned by 2016 following adjustments to Arista’s products and resolution of patent conflicts. In August 2018, the two companies reached a settlement valued at $400 million that included reciprocal releases and a five-year agreement to refrain from litigation.
To broaden its market presence and enhance its product suite, Arista has acquired several companies: Mojo Networks (2018) and Metamako (2018) for advancing low-latency technologies; Big Switch Networks (2020), Awake Security (2020), and Pluribus Networks (2022) to bolster its unified cloud networking solutions.
Under the strategic direction of CEO Jayshree Ullal—who was honored by Barron's as one of the World's Best CEOs in both 2018 and 2019—Arista has reinforced its leadership position in networking hardware by emphasizing innovation and expanding global operations.
Extensible Operating System
EOS is Arista’s network operating system, delivered as a unified software image compatible with all Arista hardware or deployable within virtual machines. It runs atop an unmodified Linux kernel—initially based on Fedora, later transitioned to CentOS and AlmaLinux. EOS architecture comprises over 100 distinct processes known as agents, each responsible for specific switch functions such as ASIC driver management, command-line interface (CLI), SNMP, and routing protocols. The central component, Sysdb, maintains the overall switch state, facilitating fault isolation by confining errors to individual agents and enabling stateful restarts so agents can resume smoothly after rebooting.
This design enables In-Service Software Upgrade (ISSU), permitting upgrades of agents without interrupting operations. Built on Linux, EOS supports standard utilities like tcpdump and integrates seamlessly with configuration management tools. A rich set of APIs offers extensive programmability over switch features. To showcase EOS’s extensibility, Arista created CloudVision—a platform that extends CLI functionality using the Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol (XMPP) as a shared communication bus for managing switch configurations across cloud data centers. This solution combines open-source XMPP Python libraries with CLI enhancements to improve network management efficiency.
EOS serves as a cornerstone of Arista’s competitive edge within the network operating system sector by delivering dependable performance, adaptability, and scalability suited to enterprise-grade and cloud-centric infrastructures.
Programmability
In addition to conventional Linux scripting and programming capabilities, EOS offers sophisticated programmability options:
- Advanced Event Management facilitates the automatic triggering of CLI commands, script execution, or notifications in response to switch state alterations, such as interface outages or virtual machine relocations.
- Event Monitor captures modifications in MAC, ARP, and routing tables, storing them within a local SQLite database for subsequent SQL queries.
- eAPI delivers a version-controlled JSON-RPC interface that allows execution of CLI commands and returns results in structured JSON format.
Ethernet switches
Arista's lineup features a variety of modular and fixed-form-factor switches designed to meet diverse data center requirements:
- 7500R series: Modular chassis systems equipped with a VOQ fabric architecture supporting between 4 and 16 line cards. These switches provide non-blocking, line-rate performance for 10GbE, 40GbE, and 100GbE interfaces within a 150 Tbit/s fabric, accommodating up to 576 100GbE ports. The ports offer multi-speed flexibility (10/40/100G), effectively delivering up to 2304 line-rate 10GbE ports combined with extensive routing support.
- 7300X series: Modular chassis available with either 4 or 8 line cards supporting 10G, 40G, and 100G speeds. The fabric capacity reaches up to 50 Tbit/s with support for as many as 1024 10GbE ports. This series also includes line cards compatible with 10GBASE-T.
- 7280R series: Available in both 1U and 2U form factors, these switches share architectural features with the 7500R series such as deep buffering, VOQ fabric, large-scale routing tables, and various port speed combinations ranging from 10GbE to 100GbE.
- 7200X series: High-density, low-latency switches in a 2U chassis delivering forwarding capacities up to 12.8 Tbit/s for 40GbE and 100GbE interfaces.
- 7170 Series: Fixed-form-factor programmable platforms powered by Barefoot Tofino ASICs that enable customizable data plane programming through EOS and P4 language profiles.
- 7160 series: Compact 1U programmable switches supporting multiple speeds including 10 GbE, 25 GbE, and 100 GbE. They incorporate AlgoMatch technology along with software-upgradeable packet processors.
- 7150S series: Cut-through switches featuring ultra-low latency under 380 nanoseconds. Their programmable silicon supports wire-speed capabilities such as VXLAN and NAT/PAT.
- 7130 series: Layer 1 programmable switches acquired from Metamako that provide ultra-low latency port routing with latencies as low as four nanoseconds; FPGA-enabled models allow for tailored applications.
- 7050X and 7060X series: Broadcom merchant silicon-based cut-through switches offering high port density across speeds of 10/25/40/100 GbE with low latency.
- 7020R series: Store-and-forward switches designed for line-rate performance with deep buffer memory (up to 3 GB) ideal for top-of-rack deployment scenarios.
- 7010 series: Energy-efficient (52W) line-rate top-of-rack switches delivering 1 Gb speeds with multiple uplink options.
Arista’s low-latency switch portfolio has captured significant adoption within high-frequency trading sectors such as the Chicago Board Options Exchange and RBC Capital Markets. By late 2009, roughly one-third of Arista’s clientele consisted of prominent Wall Street firms focused on accelerating trade execution.
Functioning as multilayer switches, Arista devices support a wide range of Layer 3 protocols including IGMP, VRRP, RIP, BGP, OSPF, IS-IS, and OpenFlow. They incorporate hardware-accelerated Layer 3/4 ECMP routing alongside per-port ACL enforcement.
In November 2013, Arista unveiled the Spline architecture—a streamlined single-tier network design merging leaf and spine layers—to reduce operational expenses in expansive data centers capable of supporting up to two thousand servers.
Arista Community Central
Arista Community Central serves as a unified hub created by Arista Networks for customers, partners, and technical experts. It promotes knowledge exchange, technical collaboration, and provides access to resources related to Arista’s networking solutions.
An AI-driven search tool is integrated into the platform to offer pertinent content and improve the overall user experience.
Offerings
- Knowledge Base: A thorough collection of technical documents, manuals, and recommended practices addressing troubleshooting, setup, and support for Arista products.
- Community Forum: A dedicated area where registered members can pose questions and participate in expert-led conversations about Arista technologies.
- Videos & Webinars: Users can explore recorded webinars and instructional videos through the Community YouTube channel to enhance their knowledge of Arista’s portfolio.