DCS-7050T-36-R Arista 7050T-36 Layer 3 Switch

Arista DCS-7050T-36-R Layer 3 Switch

The DCS-7050T-36-R Arista 7050T-36 Layer 3 Switch is a high-performance networking solution designed for enterprises seeking reliable connectivity, advanced routing, and efficient traffic management.

Manufacturer Details

• Brand Name: Arista
• Model Number: DCS-7050T-36-R
• Category: Layer 3 Network Switch

Technical Specifications

Port Configuration

• 32x 10 Gigabit Ethernet RJ-45 interfaces
• 4x 10 Gigabit Ethernet SFP+ uplink connectors
• 1x Gigabit management port
• 1x USB interface
• 1x RS-232 RJ-45 management port

Performance Metrics

• Packet Buffer: 9MB
• CPU: Dual-Core x86 processor
• VLAN Support: Up to 4096 VLAN IDs
• Operating System: Arista EOS
• Switching Capacity: 1.28 Tbps
• Forwarding Rate: 960 Mpps
• MAC Address Table: 128,000 entries
• Latency: 3.3 µsec / 800 - 1150 ns

Memory and Storage

• 4GB DRAM
• 2GB Flash memory

Cooling and Power

Airflow Management

• Rear-to-front cooling design for optimized data center airflow

Fan Modules

• Includes 4x FAN-7000-R modules

Power Supply Units

• 2x PWR-460AC-R power supplies included

Routing Capabilities

IPv4 Support

• Handles up to 16,000 IPv4 routes

Arista DCS-7050T-36-R 10GbE Data Center Switch Overview

The Arista DCS-7050T-36-R 32x 10GB Copper 4x 10GB SFP+ Back-to-Front Airflow Switch is engineered to deliver high-performance Layer 2 and Layer 3 switching capabilities for modern enterprise and cloud-scale data centers. Designed as part of the 7050T series, this 1U rack-mountable switch provides thirty-two 10GBASE-T copper ports and four 10GbE SFP+ uplink interfaces, enabling seamless integration into existing network infrastructures while supporting scalable and resilient architectures. The back-to-front airflow configuration ensures optimal thermal management in hot aisle and cold aisle deployments, making it an ideal solution for structured data center environments.

High-Density 10GBASE-T Connectivity

The switch features thirty-two fixed 10GBASE-T copper ports that support 100M, 1G, and 10G speeds over standard RJ-45 cabling. This flexibility allows organizations to migrate from legacy Gigabit Ethernet networks to 10 Gigabit Ethernet without a complete overhaul of existing copper infrastructure. The use of Category 6a or higher cabling ensures maximum throughput and low latency performance, making it suitable for high-bandwidth workloads such as virtualization, storage networking, big data analytics, and high-performance computing environments.

Flexible SFP+ Uplink Options

In addition to copper connectivity, the four dedicated 10GbE SFP+ ports provide high-speed fiber uplink capabilities for aggregation or spine-layer connections. These SFP+ interfaces support a range of optical transceivers and direct attach copper cables, offering deployment versatility across short, medium, and long-distance networking scenarios. This combination of copper access ports and fiber uplinks enables efficient top-of-rack or end-of-row configurations.

Advanced Switching Architecture and Performance

The Arista DCS-7050T-36-R is built on a non-blocking switching architecture that delivers wire-speed performance across all ports. With a robust switching capacity and high packet forwarding rate, the switch ensures consistent throughput even under heavy traffic conditions. This makes it well suited for east-west traffic patterns commonly found in virtualized and cloud data center networks.

Low Latency and Deterministic Performance

Low-latency switching is critical for applications such as financial trading platforms, real-time analytics, and distributed databases. The hardware design of the 7050T series minimizes packet processing delays, ensuring deterministic forwarding and reduced jitter. This predictable performance profile enhances application responsiveness and supports mission-critical workloads.

Deep Buffer Architecture

To accommodate bursty traffic patterns, the switch includes adequate packet buffering capabilities. Deep buffers help prevent packet loss during congestion events, maintaining data integrity and network reliability. This is especially important in storage and virtualization environments where packet drops can significantly impact application performance.

Arista EOS and Programmable Network Control

The Arista DCS-7050T-36-R runs on Arista’s Extensible Operating System, a modern network operating system built on a Linux foundation. EOS provides a fully programmable and highly resilient control plane, enabling advanced automation, network visibility, and simplified management.

Modular Operating System Design

EOS utilizes a state-sharing architecture with separate processes for each protocol and service. This modular approach ensures that a failure in one process does not affect the overall system stability. The result is enhanced reliability and reduced downtime in production environments.

Automation and API Integration

The switch supports open APIs, including RESTful interfaces, allowing seamless integration with orchestration tools and configuration management platforms. Network administrators can automate provisioning, monitoring, and configuration tasks, reducing manual intervention and operational complexity. This automation-ready design aligns with DevOps methodologies and modern infrastructure-as-code strategies.

Zero-Touch Provisioning

Zero-touch provisioning capabilities simplify large-scale deployments by enabling automatic configuration upon initial boot. This feature accelerates rollout times and ensures consistent configuration standards across multiple devices in distributed data centers.

Layer 2 and Layer 3 Feature Set

The Arista DCS-7050T-36-R supports a comprehensive suite of Layer 2 and Layer 3 protocols, enabling flexible network design and segmentation. It can function as a top-of-rack access switch, aggregation switch, or part of a leaf-spine architecture.

Comprehensive Layer 2 Capabilities

Layer 2 features include VLAN tagging, trunking, link aggregation, and spanning tree protocols. These capabilities allow administrators to segment traffic logically, improve redundancy, and ensure loop-free topologies. Enhanced link aggregation improves bandwidth utilization and provides failover protection for critical connections.

Advanced Layer 3 Routing

The switch supports static routing as well as dynamic routing protocols such as OSPF and BGP. These features enable scalable IP routing across complex enterprise and cloud networks. By integrating Layer 3 intelligence at the access layer, organizations can reduce latency and optimize traffic flows.

Equal-Cost Multi-Path Routing

Equal-Cost Multi-Path routing enhances bandwidth utilization by distributing traffic across multiple paths with identical routing costs. This capability increases redundancy and ensures efficient load balancing in leaf-spine topologies.

Virtualization and Cloud Integration

Modern data centers rely heavily on virtualization technologies, and the Arista DCS-7050T-36-R is designed to support virtual machine mobility and overlay networking. Its hardware and software capabilities ensure seamless integration with hypervisors and cloud orchestration platforms.

VXLAN and Overlay Networking

The switch supports VXLAN for scalable network virtualization. VXLAN enables the creation of large Layer 2 domains over Layer 3 networks, supporting multi-tenant environments and cloud deployments. This technology allows organizations to extend networks across physical boundaries without sacrificing performance or isolation.

Integration with Virtualized Environments

The DCS-7050T-36-R integrates smoothly with virtual switch platforms and software-defined networking controllers. This compatibility ensures consistent policy enforcement and network visibility across both physical and virtual infrastructures.

Energy Efficiency and Thermal Management

Data center efficiency is a key consideration in network hardware selection. The back-to-front airflow design of this model ensures compatibility with hot aisle and cold aisle containment strategies. Efficient cooling reduces operational costs and prolongs hardware lifespan.

Redundant Power Supplies

The switch supports redundant, hot-swappable power supplies to enhance availability and fault tolerance. In the event of a power module failure, the redundant supply maintains uninterrupted operation, protecting critical workloads from downtime.

Hot-Swappable Fans

Hot-swappable fan modules enable maintenance without disrupting network services. This design improves serviceability and reduces mean time to repair, contributing to higher overall network uptime.