Patrick Denis > Cisco > Cisco vs Arista Cheat Sheet
Cisco vs Arista Cheat Sheet
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August 21, 2025
Navigation & Basic Commands
Function | Cisco IOS/NX-OS | Arista EOS |
---|
Enter privileged mode | enable | enable |
Enter configuration mode | configure terminal | configure terminal or conf t |
Exit configuration mode | exit or end | exit or end |
Show running config | show running-config | show running-config |
Show startup config | show startup-config | show startup-config |
Save configuration | copy running-config startup-config or write memory | write memory or copy running-config startup-config |
Show version | show version | show version |
Show interfaces | show interfaces | show interfaces |
Show IP interfaces | show ip interface brief | show ip interface brief |
Interface Configuration
Function | Cisco IOS/NX-OS | Arista EOS |
---|
Enter interface config | interface ethernet1/1 | interface ethernet1 |
Set IP address | ip address 192.168.1.1 255.255.255.0 | ip address 192.168.1.1/24 |
Enable interface | no shutdown | no shutdown |
Disable interface | shutdown | shutdown |
Set description | description "Link to Router" | description Link to Router |
Set duplex | duplex full | speed forced 1000full |
Set speed | speed 1000 | speed forced 1000full |
Configure trunk | switchport mode trunk | switchport mode trunk |
Configure access port | switchport mode access | switchport mode access |
Set access VLAN | switchport access vlan 10 | switchport access vlan 10 |
VLAN Configuration
Function | Cisco IOS/NX-OS | Arista EOS |
---|
Create VLAN | vlan 10 | vlan 10 |
Name VLAN | name Sales | name Sales |
Show VLANs | show vlan | show vlan |
Show VLAN brief | show vlan brief | show vlan brief |
Configure SVI | interface vlan 10 | interface vlan 10 |
Routing Configuration
Function | Cisco IOS/NX-OS | Arista EOS |
---|
Enable IP routing | ip routing | ip routing |
Static route | ip route 0.0.0.0 0.0.0.0 192.168.1.1 | ip route 0.0.0.0/0 192.168.1.1 |
Show routing table | show ip route | show ip route |
Show ARP table | show arp | show arp |
Configure OSPF | router ospf 1 | router ospf 1 |
OSPF network statement | network 192.168.1.0 0.0.0.255 area 0 | network 192.168.1.0/24 area 0 |
BGP configuration | router bgp 65001 | router bgp 65001 |
BGP neighbor | neighbor 192.168.1.2 remote-as 65002 | neighbor 192.168.1.2 remote-as 65002 |
Spanning Tree
Function | Cisco IOS/NX-OS | Arista EOS |
---|
Enable STP | spanning-tree mode pvst | spanning-tree mode mstp |
Show STP | show spanning-tree | show spanning-tree |
Set port priority | spanning-tree port-priority 128 | spanning-tree port-priority 128 |
Set root priority | spanning-tree vlan 1 priority 4096 | spanning-tree mst 0 priority 4096 |
Port Channel/LAG
Function | Cisco IOS/NX-OS | Arista EOS |
---|
Create port-channel | interface port-channel 1 | interface port-channel 1 |
Add interface to channel | channel-group 1 mode active | channel-group 1 mode active |
Show port-channel | show etherchannel summary | show port-channel |
LACP configuration | lacp mode active | lacp mode active |
Monitoring & Troubleshooting
Function | Cisco IOS/NX-OS | Arista EOS |
---|
Show interface counters | show interfaces counters | show interfaces counters |
Show interface status | show interface status | show interfaces status |
Show MAC address table | show mac address-table | show mac address-table |
Show CDP neighbors | show cdp neighbors | show lldp neighbors (LLDP) |
Show system uptime | show version | show uptime |
Show memory usage | show memory | show system memory |
Show CPU usage | show processes cpu | show processes top |
Show logs | show logging | show logging |
Clear counters | clear counters | clear counters |
Clear MAC table | clear mac address-table | clear mac address-table |
Access Control Lists
Function | Cisco IOS/NX-OS | Arista EOS |
---|
Create standard ACL | access-list 10 permit 192.168.1.0 0.0.0.255 | ip access-list standard ACL-10 |
Create extended ACL | access-list 100 permit tcp any any eq 80 | ip access-list ACL-100 |
Apply ACL to interface | ip access-group 100 in | ip access-group ACL-100 in |
Show ACL | show access-lists | show ip access-lists |
Quality of Service (QoS)
Function | Cisco IOS/NX-OS | Arista EOS |
---|
Create class-map | class-map match-all VOICE | class-map VOICE |
Create policy-map | policy-map QOS-POLICY | policy-map QOS-POLICY |
Apply service policy | service-policy input QOS-POLICY | service-policy input QOS-POLICY |
Show QoS | show policy-map interface | show policy-map interface |
System Management
Function | Cisco IOS/NX-OS | Arista EOS |
---|
Set hostname | hostname Router1 | hostname Switch1 |
Set domain name | ip domain-name company.com | ip domain-name company.com |
Configure DNS server | ip name-server 8.8.8.8 | ip name-server 8.8.8.8 |
Set timezone | clock timezone EST -5 | clock timezone EST -5 0 |
Configure NTP | ntp server pool.ntp.org | ntp server pool.ntp.org |
Show clock | show clock | show clock |
User Management
Function | Cisco IOS/NX-OS | Arista EOS |
---|
Create user | username admin password cisco123 | username admin secret cisco123 |
Set privilege level | username admin privilege 15 | username admin privilege 15 |
Enable password | enable password cisco123 | enable password cisco123 |
Enable secret | enable secret cisco123 | enable secret cisco123 |
Show users | show users | show users |
SNMP Configuration
Function | Cisco IOS/NX-OS | Arista EOS |
---|
Enable SNMP | snmp-server community public ro | snmp-server community public ro |
Set SNMP location | snmp-server location "Data Center" | snmp-server location "Data Center" |
Set SNMP contact | snmp-server contact admin@company.com | snmp-server contact admin@company.com |
SNMPv3 user | snmp-server user admin v3 auth md5 password | snmp-server user admin v3 auth md5 password |
High Availability
Function | Cisco IOS/NX-OS | Arista EOS |
---|
HSRP configuration | standby 1 ip 192.168.1.1 | N/A (Uses VRRP) |
VRRP configuration | vrrp 1 ip 192.168.1.1 | vrrp 1 ip 192.168.1.1 |
Show HSRP | show standby | N/A |
Show VRRP | show vrrp | show vrrp |
Key Differences & Notes
Arista EOS Specific Features:
- Zero Touch Provisioning (ZTP):
show zerotouch
- CloudVision Integration: Built-in cloud management
- MLAG (Multi-Chassis LAG):
mlag configuration
- EVPN/VXLAN: Native support with
router bgp
and interface vxlan
- Python Integration:
python-shell
for custom scripting
- Advanced Event Management:
event-handler
and event-monitor
Command Syntax Differences:
- Subnet Masks: Cisco uses dotted decimal (
255.255.255.0
), Arista uses CIDR (/24
)
- Interface Naming: Cisco uses
GigabitEthernet0/1
, Arista uses Ethernet1
- Configuration Mode: Both are similar but Arista has some unique modes
- Show Commands: Generally similar but some output formats differ
Advanced OSPF Configuration
Function | Cisco IOS/NX-OS | Arista EOS |
---|
OSPF process ID | router ospf 1 | router ospf 1 |
Router ID | router-id 1.1.1.1 | router-id 1.1.1.1 |
Network advertisement | network 10.1.1.0 0.0.0.255 area 0 | network 10.1.1.0/24 area 0.0.0.0 |
Interface OSPF | ip ospf 1 area 0 | ip ospf area 0.0.0.0 |
OSPF cost | ip ospf cost 100 | ip ospf cost 100 |
OSPF priority | ip ospf priority 255 | ip ospf priority 255 |
OSPF authentication | ip ospf message-digest-key 1 md5 password | ip ospf message-digest-key 1 md5 password |
Area authentication | area 0 authentication message-digest | area 0.0.0.0 authentication message-digest |
Stub area | area 1 stub | area 0.0.0.1 stub |
NSSA area | area 1 nssa | area 0.0.0.1 nssa |
Default route injection | default-information originate | default-information originate |
Redistribute static | redistribute static | redistribute static |
Show OSPF database | show ip ospf database | show ip ospf database |
Show OSPF neighbors | show ip ospf neighbor | show ip ospf neighbor |
Show OSPF interface | show ip ospf interface | show ip ospf interface |
OSPF LSA filtering | area 1 filter-list prefix LIST-NAME in | area 0.0.0.1 filter-list prefix LIST-NAME in |
Advanced BGP Configuration
Function | Cisco IOS/NX-OS | Arista EOS |
---|
BGP process | router bgp 65001 | router bgp 65001 |
BGP router-id | bgp router-id 1.1.1.1 | bgp router-id 1.1.1.1 |
eBGP neighbor | neighbor 10.1.1.2 remote-as 65002 | neighbor 10.1.1.2 remote-as 65002 |
iBGP neighbor | neighbor 10.1.1.3 remote-as 65001 | neighbor 10.1.1.3 remote-as 65001 |
BGP update source | neighbor 10.1.1.2 update-source loopback0 | neighbor 10.1.1.2 update-source loopback0 |
BGP next-hop-self | neighbor 10.1.1.3 next-hop-self | neighbor 10.1.1.3 next-hop-self |
Route reflector client | neighbor 10.1.1.3 route-reflector-client | neighbor 10.1.1.3 route-reflector-client |
BGP peer-group | neighbor SPINE peer-group | neighbor SPINE peer-group |
Maximum paths | maximum-paths 4 | maximum-paths 4 |
BGP confederation | bgp confederation identifier 100 | bgp confederation identifier 100 |
Route map inbound | neighbor 10.1.1.2 route-map MAP-IN in | neighbor 10.1.1.2 route-map MAP-IN in |
Route map outbound | neighbor 10.1.1.2 route-map MAP-OUT out | neighbor 10.1.1.2 route-map MAP-OUT out |
Prefix list | ip prefix-list ALLOW-DEFAULT permit 0.0.0.0/0 | ip prefix-list ALLOW-DEFAULT permit 0.0.0.0/0 |
AS-path filter | ip as-path access-list 10 permit ^65001_ | ip as-path access-list 10 permit ^65001_ |
BGP dampening | bgp dampening | bgp dampening |
Show BGP summary | show ip bgp summary | show ip bgp summary |
Show BGP neighbors | show ip bgp neighbors | show ip bgp neighbors |
Show BGP table | show ip bgp | show ip bgp |
BGP soft reset | clear ip bgp * soft | clear ip bgp * soft |
EVPN Configuration
Function | Cisco NX-OS | Arista EOS |
---|
Enable EVPN | nv overlay evpn | service routing protocols model multi-agent |
BGP EVPN address-family | address-family l2vpn evpn | address-family evpn |
EVPN neighbor activate | neighbor 10.1.1.2 activate | neighbor 10.1.1.2 activate |
EVPN route-target | route-target import 65001:100 | route-target import 65001:100 |
EVPN RD | rd 10.1.1.1:100 | rd 10.1.1.1:100 |
Show EVPN routes | show bgp l2vpn evpn | show bgp evpn |
Show EVPN summary | show bgp l2vpn evpn summary | show bgp evpn summary |
EVPN MAC mobility | dup-addr-detection max-moves 5 | evpn mac mobility moves 5 |
VXLAN Configuration
Function | Cisco NX-OS | Arista EOS |
---|
Create VXLAN interface | interface nve1 | interface vxlan1 |
VXLAN source interface | source-interface loopback1 | vxlan source-interface loopback1 |
VLAN to VNI mapping | member vni 10100 | vxlan vlan 100 vni 10100 |
Multicast group | mcast-group 239.1.1.100 | vxlan vlan 100 flood vtep |
VTEP discovery | host-reachability protocol bgp | vxlan flood vtep |
L3 VNI | member vni 50001 associate-vrf | vxlan vrf TENANT vni 50001 |
Show VXLAN | show nve peers | show vxlan vtep |
Show VXLAN tunnel | show interface nve1 | show interfaces vxlan1 |
VXLAN MAC table | show l2route evpn mac-ip | show vxlan address-table |
Advanced Troubleshooting Commands
Function | Cisco IOS/NX-OS | Arista EOS |
---|
CPU utilization history | show processes cpu history | show processes top once |
Memory detailed | show memory detailed | show system memory detailed |
Interface errors | show interfaces counters errors | show interfaces counters errors |
Interface rates | show interfaces counters rates | show interfaces counters rates |
Buffer usage | show buffers | show system buffers |
Hardware info | show module | show version detail |
Temperature monitoring | show environment temperature | show system temperature |
Power supply status | show environment power | show system power |
Fan status | show environment fans | show system fans |
System resources | show system resources | show system resources |
Process list | show processes | show processes |
File system | dir | dir or bash df -h |
System uptime | show version | include uptime | show uptime |
Hardware platform | show platform | show platform |
Transceiver info | show interface transceiver | show interfaces transceiver |
Port channel load balance | show port-channel load-balance | show port-channel load-balance |
Advanced Debugging & Packet Capture
Function | Cisco IOS/NX-OS | Arista EOS |
---|
Enable debug | debug ip packet | debug ip packet |
Disable all debug | no debug all | no debug all |
Show debug status | show debug | show debug |
Packet capture | monitor capture CAP interface gi0/1 | monitor capture CAP interface ethernet1 |
Start capture | monitor capture CAP start | monitor capture CAP start |
Stop capture | monitor capture CAP stop | monitor capture CAP stop |
Export capture | monitor capture CAP export tftp://1.1.1.1/cap.pcap | monitor capture CAP export tftp://1.1.1.1/cap.pcap |
Mirror session | monitor session 1 source interface gi0/1 | monitor session 1 source ethernet1 |
Mirror destination | monitor session 1 destination interface gi0/2 | monitor session 1 destination ethernet2 |
Flow monitoring | ip flow monitor FLOW-MON | flow monitor FLOW-MON |
Advanced Logging & Event Handling
Function | Cisco IOS/NX-OS | Arista EOS |
---|
Logging level | logging console 6 | logging console 6 |
Remote logging | logging host 192.168.1.100 | logging host 192.168.1.100 |
Logging source | logging source-interface loopback0 | logging source-interface loopback0 |
Buffer size | logging buffered 16384 | logging buffered 16384 |
Show logs filtered | show logging | include ERROR | show logging | grep ERROR |
Event handler | N/A (Limited support) | event-handler HANDLER |
Event trigger | N/A | trigger on-logging |
Event action | N/A | action bash echo "Event occurred" |
Show event handlers | N/A | show event-handler |
Arista-Specific Advanced Features
Function | Command | Description |
---|
Zero Touch Provisioning | show zerotouch | Display ZTP status |
Python shell | python-shell | Access Python interpreter |
Bash shell | bash | Access Linux bash shell |
Configuration sessions | configure session SESSION1 | Create config session |
Session commit | commit | Commit session changes |
Session abort | abort | Abort session changes |
Configuration rollback | configure replace terminal | Replace running config |
MLAG configuration | mlag configuration | Enter MLAG config mode |
MLAG domain ID | domain-id MLAG1 | Set MLAG domain |
MLAG peer-link | peer-link port-channel10 | Configure peer-link |
MLAG peer address | peer-address 192.168.1.2 | Set peer IP |
Show MLAG | show mlag | Display MLAG status |
CloudVision | daemon cvp | Enable CloudVision |
gNMI | management api gnmi | Enable gNMI |
REST API | management api http-commands | Enable REST API |
Docker support | docker | Access Docker commands |
Advanced event monitor | event-monitor url | Monitor URL events |
SFlow configuration | sflow sample 4096 | Configure sFlow sampling |
Configuration checkpoint | checkpoint save BACKUP1 | Save configuration checkpoint |
Restore checkpoint | checkpoint restore BACKUP1 | Restore from checkpoint |
Performance Monitoring & Analytics
Function | Cisco | Arista EOS |
---|
Interface statistics | show interface counters | show interfaces counters |
Historical statistics | show interface counters detailed | show interfaces counters bins |
Latency monitoring | show interface counters detailed | show interfaces counters latency |
Queue statistics | show queueing interface | show interfaces counters queue |
Traffic shaping | show traffic-shape statistics | show qos interface |
SPAN statistics | show monitor session | show monitor session statistics |
Flow statistics | show ip flow monitor | show flow monitor statistics |
IS-IS Configuration
Function | Cisco IOS/NX-OS | Arista EOS |
---|
Enable IS-IS | router isis AREA1 | router isis AREA1 |
NET address | net 49.0001.1921.6800.1001.00 | net 49.0001.1921.6800.1001.00 |
IS-IS on interface | ip router isis AREA1 | isis enable AREA1 |
IS-IS circuit type | isis circuit-type level-2-only | isis circuit-type level-2 |
IS-IS metric | isis metric 100 | isis metric 100 |
IS-IS priority | isis priority 64 | isis priority 64 |
IS-IS authentication | isis password cisco123 | isis password cisco123 |
Area authentication | area-password cisco123 | area-password cisco123 |
Domain password | domain-password cisco123 | domain-password cisco123 |
IS-IS wide metrics | metric-style wide | metric-style wide |
Show IS-IS database | show isis database | show isis database |
Show IS-IS neighbors | show isis neighbors | show isis neighbors |
Show IS-IS topology | show isis topology | show isis topology |
Show IS-IS interface | show isis interface | show isis interface |
Default route injection | default-information originate | default-information originate |
MPLS Configuration
Function | Cisco IOS/NX-OS | Arista EOS |
---|
Enable MPLS | mpls ip (global) | mpls ip (global) |
MPLS on interface | mpls ip (interface) | mpls ip (interface) |
MPLS LDP | mpls ldp router-id loopback0 | mpls ldp router-id loopback0 |
LDP on interface | mpls ldp discovery transport-address interface | mpls ldp interface |
LDP neighbors | mpls ldp neighbor 10.1.1.2 | mpls ldp neighbor 10.1.1.2 |
MPLS TE | mpls traffic-eng tunnels | mpls traffic-eng level-2 |
TE on interface | mpls traffic-eng tunnels (int) | mpls traffic-eng (int) |
RSVP-TE | ip rsvp bandwidth | rsvp interface ethernet1 |
Show MPLS forwarding | show mpls forwarding-table | show mpls forwarding-table |
Show LDP neighbors | show mpls ldp neighbor | show mpls ldp neighbor |
Show MPLS interfaces | show mpls interfaces | show mpls interfaces |
MPLS VPN (L3VPN) | vrf definition CUSTOMER-A | vrf instance CUSTOMER-A |
Route distinguisher | rd 65001:100 | rd 65001:100 |
Route target export | route-target export 65001:100 | route-target export 65001:100 |
Route target import | route-target import 65001:100 | route-target import 65001:100 |
Segment Routing (SR-MPLS)
Function | Cisco IOS-XR/NX-OS | Arista EOS |
---|
Enable segment routing | segment-routing mpls | router isis 1 → segment-routing mpls |
SR global block | segment-routing mpls global-block 16000 23999 | segment-routing mpls global-block 16000 23999 |
Node SID | segment-routing mpls sr-prefer | segment-routing mpls |
Prefix SID | segment-routing prefix-sid absolute 16001 | isis segment-routing prefix-sid absolute 16001 |
Adjacency SID | segment-routing mpls sr-prefer | isis segment-routing adjacency-sid |
SR-TE policy | segment-routing traffic-eng policy POLICY1 | router path-selection → policy POLICY1 |
Show SR MPLS | show segment-routing mpls mapping-server | show segment-routing |
Show SR-TE tunnels | show segment-routing traffic-eng policy | show path-selection policy |
PCE configuration | segment-routing traffic-eng pcc | path-selection pce |
SR with BGP | segment-routing srv6 locator LOC1 | Limited support |
Datacenter Leaf-Spine Architecture
Function | Cisco NX-OS | Arista EOS |
---|
Leaf Configuration | | |
BGP underlay | router bgp 65001 | router bgp 65001 |
Spine neighbors | neighbor 10.0.1.1 remote-as 65100 | neighbor 10.0.1.1 remote-as 65100 |
ECMP paths | maximum-paths 64 | maximum-paths 128 ecmp 128 |
BGP timers | neighbor 10.0.1.1 timers 3 9 | neighbor 10.0.1.1 timers 3 9 |
BFD for BGP | neighbor 10.0.1.1 fall-over bfd | neighbor 10.0.1.1 bfd |
Spine Configuration | | |
Multiple AS support | bgp router-id 10.0.0.1 | bgp router-id 10.0.0.1 |
Leaf neighbors | neighbor LEAFS peer-group | neighbor LEAFS peer-group |
EVPN Overlay | | |
EVPN address family | address-family l2vpn evpn | address-family evpn |
Route reflector | neighbor 10.1.1.1 route-reflector-client | neighbor 10.1.1.1 route-reflector-client |
EVPN send-community | neighbor 10.1.1.1 send-community extended | neighbor 10.1.1.1 send-community extended |
Multi-Tenancy & VRF
Function | Cisco NX-OS | Arista EOS |
---|
Create VRF | vrf context TENANT-A | vrf instance TENANT-A |
VRF route distinguisher | rd auto | rd 10.1.1.1:1001 |
VRF address family | address-family ipv4 unicast | N/A (automatic) |
Interface VRF assignment | vrf member TENANT-A | vrf TENANT-A |
VRF routing table | show ip route vrf TENANT-A | show ip route vrf TENANT-A |
BGP VRF | router bgp 65001 → vrf TENANT-A | router bgp 65001 → vrf TENANT-A |
VRF leak | import from default-vrf route-map LEAK | import route-target 65001:999 |
L3 VNI assignment | l3 vni 50001 | vxlan vrf TENANT-A vni 50001 |
Advanced MLAG Configuration (Arista-Specific)
Function | Arista EOS Command |
---|
MLAG configuration mode | mlag configuration |
MLAG domain ID | domain-id MLAG-DOMAIN |
Local interface | local-interface vlan4094 |
Peer address | peer-address 192.168.255.2 |
Peer link | peer-link port-channel1 |
Reload delay | reload-delay mlag 300 |
Reload delay non-MLAG | reload-delay non-mlag 330 |
MLAG interface | interface port-channel10 → mlag 10 |
Show MLAG status | show mlag |
Show MLAG config | show mlag config-sanity |
Show MLAG detail | show mlag detail |
MLAG troubleshooting | show mlag interfaces |
CloudVision & Automation (Arista-Specific)
Function | Arista EOS Command |
---|
Enable CloudVision | daemon cvp |
CVP streaming | daemon cvp streaming |
gNMI configuration | management api gnmi |
gNMI transport | transport grpc default |
REST API | management api http-commands |
RESTCONF | management api restconf |
Event handler | event-handler INTERFACE-DOWN |
Event trigger | trigger on-intf oper-status |
Event action | action bash FastCli -p 15 -c "show int et1" |
Python script execution | schedule SCRIPT interval 60 |
Configuration session | configure session MY-SESSION |
Commit confirm | commit confirm 300 |
Session diff | show session-config diffs |
Advanced QoS & Traffic Engineering
Function | Cisco NX-OS | Arista EOS |
---|
Traffic Classes | | |
QoS enable | feature qos | qos map dscp (built-in) |
Class map | class-map type qos match-all VOICE | class-map VOICE |
Policy map | policy-map type qos POLICY1 | policy-map POLICY1 |
Traffic shaping | shape average 1000000 | shape rate 1000 mbps |
Traffic policing | police cir 500000000 | police rate 500 mbps |
WRED/ECN | | |
WRED configuration | random-detect dscp-based | queue-monitor length notify 100 |
ECN marking | random-detect ecn | ecn trigger drop-probability |
Buffer Management | | |
Buffer pools | hardware qos buffer-space shared | qos map buffer-pool |
Priority flow control | priority-flow-control on | priority-flow-control priority 3 |
Latency Optimization | | |
Low latency queuing | priority level 1 | priority strict |
Queue scheduling | bandwidth percent 25 | shape rate 25 percent |
Security & AAA
Function | Cisco NX-OS | Arista EOS |
---|
AAA Configuration | | |
AAA new model | aaa new-model | aaa authentication login default local |
TACACS+ server | tacacs-server host 192.168.1.100 | tacacs-server host 192.168.1.100 |
RADIUS server | radius-server host 192.168.1.101 | radius-server host 192.168.1.101 |
Local users | username admin password 5 $1$hash | username admin secret 5 $1$hash |
Authorization | aaa authorization exec default group tacacs+ local | aaa authorization exec default group tacacs+ local |
Accounting | aaa accounting exec default start-stop group tacacs+ | aaa accounting exec default start-stop group tacacs+ |
Access Control | | |
Extended ACL | ip access-list extended WEB-FILTER | ip access-list WEB-FILTER |
Time-based ACL | time-range BUSINESS-HOURS | time-range BUSINESS-HOURS |
Object groups | object-group network WEB-SERVERS | object-group network WEB-SERVERS |
Dynamic ACL | ip access-list extended DYNAMIC | ip access-list dynamic DYNAMIC |
Control Plane Security | | |
CoPP/Control plane | control-plane | system control-plane |
Rate limiting | police cir 1000000 | police rate 1000 kbps |
Management plane | feature management | management ssh |
Network Automation & APIs
Function | Cisco NX-OS | Arista EOS |
---|
NETCONF | | |
NETCONF enable | feature netconf | management api netconf |
NETCONF SSH | netconf ssh | transport ssh default |
REST API | | |
REST API enable | feature restconf | management api http-commands |
HTTPS | restconf | protocol https |
Model-Driven Telemetry | | |
Telemetry enable | feature telemetry | daemon terminattr |
Sensor groups | sensor-group 1 | daemon terminattr streaming |
Destination groups | destination-group 1 | Built into TerminAttr |
Python Integration | | |
Python enable | feature python | python-shell (built-in) |
Python scripts | python bootflash:script.py | schedule script.py interval 300 |
Zero Touch Provisioning | | |
ZTP enable | feature ztp (limited) | zerotouch enable |
ZTP status | show ztp status | show zerotouch |
ZTP script | N/A (basic) | zerotouch config-url |
Monitoring & Observability
Function | Cisco NX-OS | Arista EOS |
---|
sFlow/NetFlow | | |
sFlow enable | feature sflow | sflow enable |
sFlow collector | sflow collector 192.168.1.200 | sflow destination 192.168.1.200 |
sFlow sampling | sflow sampling-rate 4000 | sflow sample 4000 |
SPAN/RSPAN | | |
SPAN session | monitor session 1 | monitor session 1 |
SPAN source | source interface ethernet1/1 both | source ethernet1 both |
SPAN destination | destination interface ethernet1/2 | destination ethernet2 |
RSPAN VLAN | monitor session 1 type rspan-source | monitor session 1 type rspan |
Streaming Telemetry | | |
Streaming enable | telemetry | daemon terminattr |
gNMI subscribe | N/A (limited) | Native gNMI support |
Kafka streaming | Third-party required | Native with TerminAttr |
High Availability & Redundancy
Function | Cisco NX-OS | Arista EOS |
---|
Graceful Restart | | |
BGP graceful restart | graceful-restart | graceful-restart |
OSPF graceful restart | graceful-restart | graceful-restart |
NSF/SSO | | |
Non-stop forwarding | nsf | Built-in with MLAG |
Stateful switchover | redundancy | MLAG provides redundancy |
BFD (Bidirectional Forwarding Detection) | | |
BFD enable | feature bfd | bfd (enabled by default) |
BFD for BGP | neighbor x.x.x.x fall-over bfd | neighbor x.x.x.x bfd |
BFD for OSPF | ip ospf bfd | ip ospf bfd |
BFD intervals | bfd interval 300 min_rx 300 multiplier 3 | bfd interval 300 min-rx 300 multiplier 3 |
Platform-Specific Advanced Features Summary:
Cisco NX-OS Strengths:
- FEX (Fabric Extender) support for extended port density
- OTV (Overlay Transport Virtualization) for DCI
- LISP support for mobility and multi-homing
- Comprehensive MPLS feature set
- Advanced security with TrustSec, MACsec
- Traditional data center features like FCoE
Arista EOS Unique Advantages:
- Native Linux integration – full bash shell access
- Advanced event handling and automation
- Superior MLAG implementation vs traditional stacking
- CloudVision integration for centralized management
- Zero Touch Provisioning – industry-leading automation
- Native streaming telemetry with TerminAttr
- Configuration sessions with rollback capabilities
- Built-in Python scripting environment
- Modern API support (gNMI, REST, RESTCONF)
- Container support with Docker integration
Key Architectural Differences:
Cisco Approach:
- Feature-based licensing model
- Traditional hierarchical CLI structure
- Modular feature enablement (
feature xyz
)
- Complex VDC (Virtual Device Context) support
- Hardware-dependent features
Arista Approach:
- Software-driven with EOS consistency across platforms
- Linux-based foundation enables powerful scripting
- Event-driven automation built into the OS
- Cloud-native design principles
- Simplified licensing model
When to Choose Each Platform:
Choose Cisco NX-OS for:
- Legacy MPLS/service provider networks
- Fibre Channel/FCoE requirements
- Complex multi-tenancy with VDCs
- Integration with existing Cisco infrastructure
- Advanced security requirements (TrustSec)
Choose Arista EOS for:
- Modern cloud/web-scale data centers
- Automation-first environments
- Streaming telemetry and observability
- DevOps/NetOps integration
- Container/microservices architectures
- Simplified operations at scale