DEVOPSdigest

Arista Networksannounced Containerized EOS (containerized Extensible Operating System) to support alternate models of procuring, packaging and deploying Arista’s EOS across cloud, enterprises and service providers.

Utilizing the industry standard container development/operations (DevOps) model, Arista extends the architectural choices beyond its own hardware to support EOS on virtual machines, containers and third-party merchant silicon-based switches.

Arista cEOS introduces the containerized packaging of EOS software and its agents for deployment in cloud infrastructure with the same proven EOS software image that runs on all Arista products. These flexible deployment options empower cloud network operators that are customizing their operating environments to provide a uniform workflow for development, testing and deployment of differentiated services. It enables the provisioning of a robust and proven network operating system across production and development platforms with a uniform EOS distribution and single-image consistency.

Arista EOS is now supported on a wide range of open hardware, including three form factors: Arista’s own merchant silicon-based platforms, bare metal switches and industry standard virtual machines or containers.

Arista has extended the modern DevOps approach toward microservice architecture and containerization to support workloads, workflows and complex development and validation at massive scale. Since cEOS can execute as just another container, customers can run other containerized applications on the same platform, such as automation or monitoring tools.

Arista cEOS also extends the core EOS architecture to provide a lightweight module for use in network modeling, development and validation in the cloud. As virtualization did in the prior decade, this allows developers to experience a seamless migration from development to production, for the entire operating environment with a consistent cloud network approach.

In addition to the introduction of cEOS running in container environments, Arista EOS now supports the container ecosystem in the following ways:

- EOS now runs in a container on a broad range of hardware and cloud operating platforms (NEW)

- EOS supports applications running concurrently within its workspace either in a VM, as native Linux apps or as a container

- EOS supports automated discovery and provisioning of services for container workloads running within EOS or in external containers with Container Tracer

Arista customers can utilize cEOS in tandem with industry standard white box hardware and enable a wide array of tools and applications from the container ecosystem. This marks the first software offering of EOS for white box switches and servers. Arista cEOS is available and supported by Arista on disaggregated hardware from a broad vendor ecosystem.

Arista EOS is a purpose-built software stack that has been deployed and proven in most of the world’s largest data center and cloud-scale networks. The EOS software suite – including a resilient network wide state-driven NetDB architecture, CloudVision® automation and analytics, and any cloud workflow, workload, and workstream – is fully supported across all modes of operation.

Arista cEOS is available now for customer trials on selected third-party hardware platforms.