My Arista arrives today - first "real" switch... any suggestions?

Networking & Firewalls
1

I have my ebay order coming today

yes, i know these just went EOL which is the reason for the price. I’m running ubiquiti everywhere else for networking. But this is 1/.2 the price of the 8 port SFP+ Ubiquiti (which I also own) and I get 48 10gig SFP+ ports along w/ a few 40gig uplinks that I probably won’t use.

Right now my 10gig Ubiquiti is my “top” switch connected direct to pfsense… I’m going to “hang the arista” off a spare port on the ubiquiti 10gig for now so all traffic stays normal until I can fully learn the arista… then the real benefit comes. The Arista will be my “top” switch and I can run some OM3 that I already have waiting and have 10gig upstairs.

Yes, I know the arista is loud. I have a server / storage room so I don’t care. Yes, it draws 100-200w, but I’m turning off a couple servers so it’s a net zero electric cost.

I plan to read this Amazon.com at least the parts that matter to me (e.g. I don’t need BGP… just basic vlans and maybe take advantage of inter-vlan switching).

Any other suggestions?

2

I have a similar question. I was looking at this switch LINK

My goal is to learn how to use these switches. We have a few client who use Arista switches (DCS-7280SR2-48YC6).

I support and run Unifi/Netgear switches. My questions are:

  • which switch should I pick, that is current enough, but doesn’t cost a lot of money?
  • do I need to pay attention to licenses?
3

If you are running UniFi, why not buy UniFi switches? The prices are very competitive and cheaper than you think.

4

It is not for installing, I want to learn how to set up and operate Arista switches. We service racks (video production racks) and they use Arista switches.

5

I’m a firm believer in buying enterprise gear that will help you learn that product for future jobs. No explanations needed.

6

For $150 that is a great deal to learn Arista. There are virtual options, but I learned Cisco buying the hardware.