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Arista EOS Advances Cloud-Grade Routing
December 06, 2017 By BlueAlly
Software Innovations Transform Routing Architectures
SANTA CLARA, Calif.,-- December 6, 2017 -- Arista Networks (NYSE:ANET) today announced continued expansion in cloud-grade routing with the latest Arista EOS® (Extensible Operating System) and CloudVision® software. Arista EOS version 4.20 delivers new routing and management software capabilities, helping customers evolve to modern, software-driven routing principles.
Arista is driving down operational and capital costs with modern routing and cloud automation, enabling architectural transformations across cloud, content delivery, Internet exchange and service provider network function virtualization (NFV) routing use-cases, including next-generation cable architectures.
Driving Routing Transformations
Massive scale and growth of services is effectively driving a re-architecture of the Internet to support bandwidth-hungry consumers. The traditional Internet, based on rigid, fixed-purpose routers, disparate LAN-WAN interfaces, protocols and inconsistent operational models are cumbersome and costly. Arista’s cloud networking principles from the datacenter are extending into these routing applications. The ubiquity of IP + Ethernet networking, combined with programmable software control, delivers compelling alternatives to legacy routers.
Arista is focused on addressing the routing transformations in cloud networks, Internet exchange fabrics, and NFV transitions at the consumer edge:
- New content delivery routing architectures mandate support for software-driven traffic steering for optimal content delivery and increased visibility at scale. Customers are moving away from legacy router software in favor of lean, modern operating systems with advanced programmability foundations.
- Internet eXchange (IX) networks provide interconnect fabric between consumers and providers of services at critical junction points of the Internet. The IX operator is moving from traditional Layer 2 fabrics to a common Layer 3 service architecture with rapid provisioning of new interconnect services.
- Consumer edge networks in telco and cable providers require an architecture that delivers cloud-like service agility, replacing legacy multi-service edge routing with scale-out cloud routing. These new NFV architectures require enhanced software control and automation to bring cloud networking to the consumer edge.
"Disparate places in the network are evolving to an inclusive software-defined cloud. Aiming to simplify hybrid and multi-cloud adoption for its customers, Arista's approach to Any Cloud is compelling in extending cloud networking with operational consistency across a wide range of use cases," said Brad Casemore, Research Director, Datacenter Networks for IDC.
An example of the consumer edge transformation to NFV is cable access networks. Arista is transforming routing in these networks to deliver high-bandwidth integrated services with technology partner Harmonic, the worldwide leader in video delivery technology and cable edge virtualization. For cable access, operators are transitioning their traditional headend to a more cost-effective and service-rich virtualized Remote-PHY architecture. Offering a scale-out and software-driven approach, Arista’s EOS and R-series platforms are now certified with Harmonic’s CableOS™ virtualized CCAP solution.
“Leveraging its expertise in IP and in developing software-based technologies, Harmonic is leading the architectural shift to a virtualized cable headend based on Ethernet and IP. By partnering with Arista, our joint customers can utilize Arista’s R-Series and software-driven approach to migrate to more scalable and cost-effective cable architectures,” said Nimrod Ben-Natan, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Cable Edge Business, Harmonic.
Building Flagship Routing with Arista EOS
With the latest Arista EOS 4.20 release, Arista supports the following capabilities for the transition to cloud-grade routing:
- Scale-out: Modern routing software, leveraging a state-based architecture programmable at all layers. Optimized for a common spine/leaf design in and outside the datacenter, with enhanced load balancing, best-in-class convergence for large-scale ECMP (Equal Cost Multipath). Network-wide visibility with BMP (BGP Monitoring Protocol) and real-time state streaming.
- Simplify: A lean operating system, with a single software train running IP+Ethernet fabrics utilizing standard routing protocols (BGP, EVPN, Segment Routing).
- Software-driven Control: Automating network operations and traffic engineering, utilizing programmability tools (EOS SDK), open APIs (OpenConfig/YANG, NETCONF), CloudVision for turnkey provisioning and telemetry, and cEOS/vEOS for large-scale network simulation and certification.
Availability
The Arista EOS 4.20 release is available now as a single software train across all of Arista’s products.