DCS-7060CX2-32S-F Arista 7060X2 100GbE QSFP28 2x 10GbE SFP+ Airflow 32 Ports Layer 3 Switch

Understanding of Arista 32 Ports Layer 3 Switch

The Arista 7060X2 series represents a pivotal evolution in high-density, high-performance data center switching. Building upon the legacy of the original 7060 series, these platforms are engineered for the most demanding cloud, enterprise, and high-performance computing environments, offering unparalleled port density, robust Layer 3 functionality, and ultra-low latency in a compact 1U form factor. As a cornerstone of modern leaf-spine architectures, the 7060X2 is designed to handle massive east-west traffic flows with efficiency and resilience.

Arista 7060X2 Series: The Pinnacle of 100GbE Fixed-Form Switching

The Arista DCS-7060CX2-32S-F is a flagship 1U fixed-configuration switch belonging to the advanced 7060X2 Series, engineered to deliver unparalleled performance, density, and intelligence for the most demanding modern data center environments. It serves as a critical aggregation, leaf, or cloud-scale spine node, providing a future-proof foundation for high-performance computing (HPC), artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML) clusters, high-frequency trading, and massive-scale storage backends. This model specifically combines 32 high-speed 100 Gigabit Ethernet ports with dual 10 Gigabit Ethernet management ports in a remarkably compact and power-efficient footprint.

Core Hardware Architecture & Design

The DCS-7060CX2-32S-F is built upon Arista's purpose-built, merchant silicon-based architecture, offering deterministic performance and low latency. Its 1U rack-mountable form factor is designed for high-density deployments where rack space is at a premium.

Chassis & Airflow Design

The 'F' in the model designation denotes a front-to-rear airflow configuration. This is the standard cooling orientation for most data center racks, where cool air is drawn in from the front (port side) and exhaust heat is expelled out the rear (power supply side). This design ensures optimal thermal alignment with modern hot aisle/cold aisle containment strategies.

Power Supply & Redundancy

The switch is equipped with hot-swappable, redundant AC or DC power supply units (PSUs). This N+1 redundancy ensures continuous operation in the event of a single PSU failure, providing high availability for critical network infrastructure. The power supplies are modular and field-replaceable without interrupting the operation of the remaining unit.

Fan Tray Design

It features modular, hot-swappable fan trays with multiple fans for N+1 redundancy. The fan speed is dynamically controlled based on thermal sensors throughout the chassis, balancing cooling efficiency with acoustic noise levels. Like the PSUs, fan trays can be replaced without powering down the switch.

Processing & Memory Resources

At its core, the switch leverages a powerful, deep-buffered Broadcom ASIC, providing the line-rate forwarding capacity for all ports simultaneously. It is complemented by substantial onboard memory, including ample packet buffer resources to handle intense microburst traffic and large, lossless fabrics common in AI/ML workloads, preventing packet drops and ensuring predictable application performance.

High-Density Port Configuration & Transceiver Support

The port layout of the DCS-7060CX2-32S-F is its defining characteristic, offering exceptional 100GbE density in a 1U chassis.

32 x 100GbE QSFP28/QSFP100 Ports

The primary 32 ports support QSFP28 form-factor transceivers and direct-attach cables (DACs) for 100GbE connectivity. Crucially, these ports are also QSFP100-ready, meaning they can support future 400GbE optics (like QSFP-DD) when used in a breakout mode or with appropriate adapters, offering a significant investment protection path. Each port can operate in native 100GbE mode or can be electronically "split" via breakout cables to support lower-speed connections.

Breakout Connectivity Options

A single 100GbE QSFP28 port can be broken out into: 4 x 25GbE connections using a QSFP28-to-4x-SFP28 DAC or active optical cable (AOC). 4 x 10GbE connections using a QSFP28-to-4x-SFP+ DAC or AOC (with appropriate transceivers). This breakout capability effectively allows the switch to function as a ultra-high-density 25GbE or 10GbE leaf switch, connecting to hundreds of servers from a single 1U unit.

2 x 10GbE SFP+ Management/Utility Ports

In addition to the high-speed data ports, the switch includes two dedicated 10GbE SFP+ ports. These are typically used for out-of-band management, connecting to console servers, or for low-bandwidth data plane functions such as mirroring (SPAN) or environmental sensor data. They provide flexible connectivity separate from the core switching fabric.

Performance & Scalability Characteristics

This switch is designed for environments where throughput, latency, and scalability are non-negotiable.

Aggregate Switching Capacity

With 32 ports of 100GbE and 2 ports of 10GbE, the switch delivers a massive aggregate switching capacity of over 6.4 Tbps (32 x 100 Gbps x 2 for full duplex). It is capable of forwarding packets at line rate across all ports simultaneously, ensuring no internal bottlenecks.

Forwarding Rate & Latency

The switch offers a packet forwarding rate in the range of billions of packets per second (Bpps). It is engineered for ultra-low, deterministic latency, which is measured in microseconds. This consistent latency profile is vital for financial trading applications, distributed databases, and clustered computing where synchronization is key.

Scalability of Network Tables

To support large-scale Layer 3 deployments, the switch is equipped with expansive hardware tables. It supports massively scaled routing information bases (RIB), forwarding information bases (FIB), ACL entries, and MAC address tables. This allows it to hold full internet routing tables (IPv4 and IPv6) and scale to support tens of thousands of virtual networks and endpoints.

Advanced Feature

The hardware is powered by Arista's Extensible Operating System (EOS), a fully programmable, modular network operating system. EOS turns the switch into a feature-rich, intelligent platform.

Layer 3 Routing Capabilities

As a full Layer 3 switch, it supports a comprehensive suite of dynamic routing protocols, including BGP (with extensive EVPN support), OSPF, IS-IS, and RIP. It enables advanced IP routing features such as equal-cost multi-path routing (ECMP), policy-based routing (PBR), and VRF-lite for network segmentation.

IP Multicast Features

For efficient multi-destination traffic, the switch supports Protocol Independent Multicast (PIM) in Sparse Mode (PIM-SM) and Source-Specific Multicast (SSM). It also supports IGMP and MLD snooping for Layer 2 multicast optimization.

Network Virtualization & Overlays

The switch is a premier platform for modern network overlays. It provides comprehensive support for VXLAN in both bridging and routing modes. Coupled with BGP EVPN as the control plane, it enables the creation of highly scalable, flexible layer 2 and layer 3 overlay networks across a IP fabric, forming the backbone of software-defined data centers.

Primary Use Cases & Deployment Scenarios

The versatility and power of this switch make it ideal for several critical roles within modern infrastructure.

HPC Cluster Interconnect

Its high bisectional bandwidth and low latency are perfect for the east-west traffic patterns of distributed AI training and HPC jobs. It can serve as a high-performance leaf switch connecting GPU servers or as a compact spine in a two-tier Clos fabric.

Data Center Spine / Aggregation Layer

In a large-scale leaf-spine architecture, multiple units of the DCS-7060CX2-32S-F can form a high-capacity, non-blocking spine layer, aggregating traffic from tens or hundreds of 25GbE or 100GbE leaf switches.

High-Capacity Storage Backend

For all-flash arrays and scale-out storage platforms like NAS and object storage that require massive parallel bandwidth, this switch provides a lossless, low-latency network fabric, often leveraging features like explicit congestion notification (ECN) and priority flow control (PFC).

Network Transformation & 100GbE 

Organizations migrating from 10GbE or 40GbE to 100GbE leverage this switch as a cornerstone of their network refresh. Its breakout capabilities allow for a phased migration, connecting existing servers at lower speeds while providing native 100GbE uplinks for future growth.