Arista ACE-S Campus key terms

A single-image, Linux-based network operating system from Arista that runs the same software across all supported switches, with modular processes that can restart independently without rebooting the device.

The central in-memory database inside EOS that holds all state and configuration; every EOS process reads from and writes to it, so processes stay loosely coupled and can be restarted without disrupting peers.

An EOS design property where a failing software process is isolated and restarted automatically while the rest of the system and its state remain intact, minimizing disruption to forwarding and management functions.

The set of EOS processes that build routing and forwarding state, such as routing protocol daemons and the agent that programs hardware tables; it is separate from the data plane that forwards packets.

A JSON-based programmable interface on EOS that exposes CLI-style commands and configuration over HTTP or HTTPS, allowing scripts and automation tools to query and change device state.

The command-line interface on Arista switches, organized into modes such as enable and configuration, used to view operational state and to enter or change device configuration.

The active configuration currently loaded in device memory and in effect; changes take effect immediately unless the configuration is saved to startup-config for persistence across reloads.

The saved configuration file that a switch reads and applies when it boots; it differs from the running-config until an explicit save copies the current configuration into it.

Arista's management and automation platform that provides a single pane of glass for configuration management, change control, telemetry, and workflow automation across EOS devices.

A CloudVision workflow that stages proposed configuration changes, shows a diff against running state, and requires approval before pushing changes to devices, creating an auditable record.

Reusable, template-driven automation building blocks in CloudVision that generate device configuration from inputs, enabling consistent, repeatable deployment without hand-editing each switch.

Streaming of operational data such as counters, interface statistics, and state from EOS devices to CloudVision or other collectors, giving near-real-time visibility instead of periodic polling.

A gRPC-based protocol for reading and setting configuration and streaming telemetry from network devices; Arista supports it as a model-driven interface alongside eAPI and the CLI.

Arista's campus switching architecture that combines high-density access platforms with a common EOS software stack and management tooling, aimed at simplifying operations across wired and wireless campus networks.

Arista's family of campus-oriented fixed and modular switches that run EOS and are designed for access and aggregation roles, including PoE-capable models for connecting endpoints such as phones and access points.

A capability where a switch port supplies DC power over the Ethernet cable to a powered device such as an IP phone, camera, or wireless access point, alongside the data link.

A switch port configured to carry traffic for a single VLAN, typically connecting an end device such as a PC, printer, or access point rather than another switch.

A switch port that carries traffic for multiple VLANs, tagging frames with an 802.1Q VLAN identifier so a single link can serve many logical networks between switches or to a router.

A logical Layer 2 broadcast domain created within a switched network, letting one physical infrastructure be partitioned into separate segments for isolation and policy.

The IEEE standard for VLAN tagging on Ethernet frames, inserting a tag with a VLAN identifier and priority bits so switches can distinguish traffic belonging to different VLANs on a shared link.

Switch virtual interfaces, which are logical Layer 3 interfaces on a switch associated with a VLAN; they provide the default gateway address for hosts in that VLAN and enable inter-VLAN routing.

The forwarding of traffic between different VLANs, typically performed by a Layer 3 switch using SVIs or by an external router, since each VLAN is a separate broadcast domain.

A Layer 2 protocol that prevents forwarding loops in redundant switched topologies by electing a root bridge and blocking redundant paths, leaving a single active tree.

The IEEE 802.1w evolution of STP that converges faster by using explicit port roles and proposal-agreement handshakes instead of long timer-based transitions.

Multi-Chassis Link Aggregation, an Arista feature that lets two switches appear as one logical device to a partner using a shared link-aggregation bundle, providing redundancy without relying on STP to block links.

Combining multiple physical links between two devices into one logical link to increase bandwidth and provide redundancy if a member link fails, defined by the IEEE 802.3ad standard.

Link Aggregation Control Protocol, an IEEE standard protocol that negotiates and verifies which physical links may join a LAG, helping both ends agree on the bundle membership.

A tunneling technology that encapsulates Layer 2 frames inside UDP/IP packets, extending a Layer 2 segment across a Layer 3 underlay and enabling scalable segmentation in campus and data center networks.

The device or interface that encapsulates and decapsulates VXLAN traffic, mapping a local VLAN to a VXLAN network identifier and forwarding tunnels over the IP underlay.

VXLAN Network Identifier, a 24-bit value that identifies a VXLAN segment; it allows far more segments than the 12-bit VLAN identifier and is mapped to a local VLAN at the VTEP.

Ethernet VPN, a BGP-based control plane for VXLAN and other tunnels that distributes MAC and IP reachability information, enabling efficient forwarding and multi-homing without flooding.

An IEEE standard for port-based network access control that authenticates a supplicant before granting network access, commonly used to enforce identity-based admission on wired and wireless campus ports.

A protocol used to carry authentication, authorization, and accounting requests between a network access device and a central server, commonly the policy decision point for 802.1X deployments.

A fallback access-control method that authenticates a device by its MAC address against a RADIUS server when the device cannot perform 802.1X supplicant authentication.

A switch feature that limits which and how many MAC addresses may be learned on a port, helping to block unauthorized devices and mitigate MAC flooding attacks.

A switch security feature that inspects DHCP messages, distinguishes trusted from untrusted ports, and builds a binding table of legitimate client IP-to-MAC assignments, blocking rogue DHCP servers.

A security feature that validates ARP packets against the DHCP snooping binding table, dropping spoofed ARP replies to prevent man-in-the-middle attacks on the local segment.

A sampling-based traffic monitoring protocol that exports packet samples and interface counters to a collector, giving broad visibility into traffic flows with low overhead on the switch.

Collecting and analyzing metadata about network conversations, such as source, destination, and volume, to characterize traffic patterns and support troubleshooting and capacity planning.

A monitoring design where traffic copied from one or more network links by test access points or mirror sessions is consolidated and delivered to analysis tools.

A switch function that copies traffic from selected source ports or VLANs to a destination port, allowing an attached analyzer or monitoring appliance to inspect that traffic.

A standard protocol and message format for sending event and severity-based log messages from network devices to a central server for retention, correlation, and alerting.

Simple Network Management Protocol, a long-standing standard for polling device statistics and receiving traps from network equipment, widely used by monitoring and management systems.