With the release of the EOS Network Data Lake (NetDL), Arista has announced the next major development of the Arista EOS network stack. Arista Networks is expanding the EOS network stack architecture to deliver a high-fidelity data lake capability for the next era of data-driven networking, combining it with the AI/ML-driven Autonomous Virtual Assist (Arista AVA) and a large ecosystem of industry partners.
EOS NetDL and AVA, together with industry validation, would deliver high-value integrations that improve end-user and network operator experiences, simplify operations, and allow a transition from reactive troubleshooting to proactive, predictive, and prescriptive results.
EOS Network Data Lake – The Next Frontier
In the campus, data center, routed WAN, carrier, and cloud settings, Arista EOS has over fifty million ports installed. With datastores and analytics for network data sources such as alerts, flows, complete packet capture, control plane traffic, and device state streaming, EOS NetDL builds on the existing second-generation of the Arista EOS NetDB core publish-subscribe state architecture. EOS NetDL enhances network data with third-party and external data integrations in addition to network-centric state from Arista devices, allowing a wide range of applications to process, analyze, and extract operational insights and predictions from this data collection.
NetDL supports forensics and analytics for threat hunting, network packet brokers, network detection and response, network performance monitoring, and application performance monitoring by providing a single source of network data ‘truth’ and a common sensor/collector architecture. Arista would be able to provide substantial production customer advantages by cooperating with a range of industry experts. These data-driven network models may be turned into insights that lead to operational outcomes that are actionable.
“Arista is entering the third generation of its flagship software stack,” said Ken Duda, Founder and CTO of Arista Networks. “Developing a network-based data lake foundation from the ground up on our existing network state database makes Arista EOS NetDL a differentiated network and data-centric operating system. This compelling multi-tenant and multi-modal data stack is future-proof and engineered to enable customer innovation.”
The EOS NetDL Ecosystem
Arista’s EOS NetDL architecture is backed by a large industry ecosystem of “respectable” companies dedicated to customer solutions and data-driven networking integrations. Across a wide range of client operational use cases, the EOS NetDL ecosystem of products and partners provides many alternatives for adding high-quality enrichment to the basic networking data set, delivering contextual value, rich analytics, and converting data into actionable insights.
Key integration examples with NetDL ecosystem alliance partners include: Enhanced network segmentation and cloud security integration, Quality of Experience (QoE) with collaboration applications, validated designs and templated deployments, full inventory integration that verifies production devices are accurately tracked, and live chatops/bot integration enabling real-time data consumption and interaction.
AI/ML Enrichment with AVA
Arista is increasing AVA capabilities for AI-assisted processes, based on EOS Network Data Lake. Arista AVA is an AI-powered decision support system that blends cloud scalability with real-world network and security operations knowledge. AVA makes advantage of EOS NetDL’s enhanced data’s breadth and high-fidelity depth to offer targeted AI-based capabilities that improve network operations and engineering with real-world use cases employing powerful pattern-matching capabilities.
This data-driven network methodology enables current network operations become more efficient, available, and secure. For example, AVA can use NetDL network state data to monitor the performance of optics in order to detect a crucial component failure and produce proactive alarms before the network’s performance and availability are disrupted. For data-driven networks, the combination of Arista AVA and EOS NetDL delivers predictive and prescriptive intelligence.
Availability
Arista NetDL enables Arista strategic partners and independent software vendors (ISVs) to offer market- and customer-specific intelligent insights and solutions in network operations, continuous integration, cyber-security, application/network performance, and other areas. CloudVision, our turnkey network operations, automation, and visibility product, is also supported by the same state architecture.
Initial NetDL connectors are available now, while more data types, AVA-based AI operational upgrades, and partner use-cases will be added during 2022 and into the future.
