DCS-7060SX2-48YC6-F Arista 25GB SFP+ 6x 100GB QSFP 48 Ports Layer 3 Switch

Arista DCS-7060SX2-48YC6-F 48 Ports Layer 3 Switch

The Arista DCS-7060SX2-48YC6-F represents a pinnacle of high-performance, fixed-configuration data center switching. Engineered for next-generation cloud, enterprise, and high-performance computing (HPC) environments, this switch is designed to bridge the gap between ubiquitous 10GbE infrastructure and the demands of 100GbE/400GbE spines. Its core value lies in delivering massive internal bandwidth and ultra-low latency in a compact, energy-efficient, and flexible form factor.

This specific model, with its Front-to-Back airflow (denoted by the -F), is optimized for data center deployments where hot aisle/cold aisle containment is standard, ensuring efficient cooling alignment. It serves as a powerful leaf or top-of-rack (ToR) switch, providing a seamless migration path for server connectivity from 10GbE to 25GbE and 40GbE to 100GbE, while offering deep visibility and control through the Arista EOS (Extensible Operating System).

Key Specifications

The DCS-7060SX2-48YC6-F is built on a cutting-edge hardware platform that prioritizes performance density and reliability. At its heart is a powerful merchant silicon ASIC, delivering predictable performance at scale. The switch features a non-blocking architecture with a massive internal fabric capacity, ensuring all ports can run at line rate simultaneously without contention, which is critical for east-west traffic in modern data centers.

IP Routing Protocol Support

The switch runs a full multi-protocol routing stack within Arista EOS. It supports static routing, OSPFv2/v3 (Open Shortest Path First), and BGP (Border Gateway Protocol) with extensive route policy controls. For large-scale data center fabrics, it fully supports BGP EVPN (Ethernet VPN) as the control plane for VXLAN, enabling the creation of highly scalable, multi-tenant Layer 2 and Layer 3 overlay networks on a lean, IP-based underlay.

SFP28 Flexibility and DAC/Active Optical Cable Support

These SFP28 ports are highly versatile, supporting a wide range of optics and cables. They are compatible with 25GbE SFP28 optical modules (SR, LR, etc.) for fiber connectivity. Crucially, they also support 10GbE SFP+ optics, allowing for seamless integration with existing 10GbE infrastructure. Furthermore, the ports fully support Direct Attach Copper (DAC) cables and Active Optical Cables (AOC) for cost-effective, low-latency connections within the same rack or to adjacent racks.

Buffer Capacity 

A significant hardware feature is the substantial shared packet buffer pool. This intelligent buffering architecture allows the switch to absorb microbursts and transient congestion gracefully, preventing tail-drop and ensuring fair bandwidth allocation across multiple data flows. This results in smoother application performance and higher network utilization.

Port Configuration and Connectivity

The switch's port matrix is its defining characteristic, offering a future-proof blend of high-density server access and high-speed uplink capabilities.

48x 25GbE SFP28 Ports

These ports provide the primary server and storage connectivity. They are backward compatible with 10GbE using SFP+ optics or DAC cables, and forward compatible with future 50GbE via QSFP28 to dual SFP28 breakout cables. This flexibility protects infrastructure investments and allows for gradual, cost-effective migration. Each port supports advanced features like IEEE 802.3bz NBASE-T auto-negotiation when using appropriate transceivers, offering deployment versatility.

6x 100GbE QSFP28 Uplink Ports

The six high-speed uplink ports are designed for spine connectivity, inter-switch links (ISL), or connectivity to high-performance storage and appliances. These QSFP28 ports are incredibly versatile, supporting a wide range of speed and breakout configurations:

This breakout capability allows network architects to design highly efficient, cost-effective fabrics, optimizing the balance between leaf and spine bandwidth.

Performance and Scalability

With an aggregate switching capacity exceeding 3.6 Tbps and a forwarding rate of over 2.7 billion packets per second (Bpps), the 7060SX2 handles the most demanding workloads with ease. It is designed for large Layer 2 and Layer 3 forwarding tables, supporting hundreds of thousands of routes, MAC addresses, and ACL entries. The switch provides ample buffers to absorb microbursts common in consolidated virtualized and big data environments, preventing packet loss and ensuring application performance.

Hardware Design and Airflow

The DCS-7060SX2-48YC6-F is built with a robust, all-metal chassis designed for continuous operation in data center environments. The "F" in the model number signifies Front-to-Back airflow, where cool air is drawn in through the port side (front) and exhausted out the power supply side (rear). This aligns with the most common data center hot aisle/cold aisle cooling design. For installations with reverse airflow needs, Arista offers the R (Rear-to-Front) variant. The switch features redundant, hot-swappable power supplies and fans, ensuring maximum uptime and serviceability.

Network Visibility with DANZ and CloudVision

The switch is part of Arista's Data ANalyZer (DANZ) suite, offering advanced monitoring features.

Latency Analyzer (LANZ)

Provides microsecond-grained visibility into congestion events and queue depths, allowing operators to pinpoint transient network issues that traditional SNMP cannot capture.

Layer 3 Features and Routing Capabilities

As a fully Layer 3 manageable switch, the DCS-7060SX2-48YC6-F operates effectively as a router at the top of the rack.

IP Routing Protocols

It supports a comprehensive suite of dynamic routing protocols for seamless integration into existing enterprise or cloud networks. This includes OSPFv2/v3 and IS-IS for interior gateway routing, along with BGP (IPv4 and IPv6) for large-scale data center fabrics and edge routing. Protocol-independent routing (PIR) and equal-cost multi-path routing (ECMP) are fully supported, enabling efficient load-sharing across multiple uplinks or spines.

VRF and Tunnel Technologies

The switch supports multiple Virtual Routing and Forwarding (VRF) instances for logical network segmentation, essential for multi-tenancy. It also implements various tunneling protocols, such as VXLAN, which, combined with EVPN control plane, enables the creation of scalable, elastic Layer 2 overlay networks over a Layer 3 underlay fabric. This is a cornerstone technology for modern cloud data centers.

Security Features

The switch includes a robust set of security features, including ACLs (standard, extended, and MAC), DHCP snooping, Dynamic ARP Inspection (DAI), IP Source Guard, and Control Plane Policing (CoPP) to protect the switch's CPU from malicious traffic. It also supports 802.1X for port-based network access control, ensuring only authorized devices can connect.

Use Cases and Deployment Scenarios

The versatility of the DCS-7060SX2-48YC6-F makes it suitable for a wide array of modern data center applications.

High-Performance Computing (HPC)

The combination of low latency, high 25GbE server density, and 100GbE uplinks makes it ideal for connecting compute and storage nodes in HPC and AI training clusters, where rapid data exchange is paramount.

Cloud and Hyperscale Data Center Leaf Switch

In a Clos (leaf-spine) architecture, this switch acts as a high-capacity leaf node, connecting hundreds of servers at 25GbE and aggregating traffic to the spine layer at 100GbE. Its support for VXLAN/EVPN is critical in these environments.

Storage Networking

With high throughput and support for jumbo frames, it is an excellent choice for IP-based storage networks, including NAS filers and iSCSI or NVMe-oF storage arrays, consolidating storage and data traffic onto a unified fabric.

Low-Latency Applications

The switch's cut-through switching mode (where supported), microsecond-level latency, and advanced buffer management cater to the extreme demands of electronic trading platforms and other latency-sensitive applications.

High-Density 25GbE Leaf Switch

In a standard leaf-spine Clos fabric, this switch is an ideal leaf node, connecting directly to servers via its 48x 25GbE ports. Its 6x 100GbE uplinks provide non-blocking connectivity to multiple spine switches, ensuring full bisectional bandwidth and a redundant, predictable fabric. The front-to-back airflow aligns perfectly with modern cabinet layouts.

Consolidated Storage and Data Network

With support for features like Data Center Bridging (DCB) for Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) and robust QoS, the switch can converge storage and data traffic onto a single unified fabric. Its low latency and deep buffers are particularly beneficial for RDMA over Converged Ethernet (RoCE) workloads, which are common in hyper-converged infrastructure (HCI) and AI/ML clusters.

Spine Layer for Mid-Scale Fabrics

When configured with breakout cables to utilize its 100GbE ports as 25GbE links, the switch can serve as a high-performance spine for mid-scale data centers or as a dedicated spine within a pod or zone, aggregating traffic from multiple lower-speed leaf switches and providing high-radix connectivity.

High-Frequency Trading (HFT) Infrastructure

The combination of ultra-low, predictable latency, precise timing support (PTP/IEEE 1588), and high port density makes this switch a compelling choice for financial trading networks where microseconds matter. Its ability to handle massive market data feeds and order flows with absolute reliability is paramount in this environment.