Arista 7000 series vs. HPE FlexFabric

Core and data center applications are the strengths of Arista products. The distribution layer is also a good fit. For the access layer, it would be more of a niche product.

Incentivized

The switch is intuitive and very simple to configure so I would recommend it to anyone for their data center. It allows for someone who might just be a server expert and not a switching expert to have a far simpler time than would normally be expected.

Incentivized

• The 7304's along side our core network design has provided 100% uptime during the 5 years of deployment.
• The multi-chassis LAG has provided near 100% connectivity to the distribution and access switches.
• Very low maintenance attention is needed.

Incentivized

• SCSI support.
• No additional license to unlock features.
• High availability.

Incentivized

• The 7304's lack a graceful non-intrusive upgrade method even though they are dual supervisor.
• I would like to see more integration with Aruba's ClearPass and Airwave products.

Incentivized

• Consistent upgrades and updates considering the breaches spreading in the network.
• Interoperability with third party software.

Incentivized

I have used the Catalyst 6500 series in the past. From my point of view, the Arista surpasses the Catalyst on just about every front. Originally we were planning on implementing the Nexus 7000/7700 series switches for our core. Though a little more feature rich, it did not provide features we needed that the Arista did. The Nexus also was a confusing and complex platform to work with. Also, the Nexus was a significantly more expensive solution. Although very happy with the Arista switches we may evaluate the Aruba HPE 8400 chassis-based switches along with Arista switches in the future.

Incentivized

HPE FlexNetwork 5510 HI delivers outstanding resiliency, security, and multiservice support while Aruba is more suitable for mobile network support

Incentivized

• The Arista 7000 series met or exceed our data center switching and routing needs.
• It provided a more cost effective alternative to other products we were considering.
• Implementation was quick and easy due to the simple standards-based configuration.

Incentivized

• Performs well under stress, it is the core of our data center for over 3 years without any failures.
• Simplified our topology in our data center.

Incentivized