Pluribus Networks is now Arista Unified Cloud Fabric

Unified Cloud Fabric for Lab Automation

Wire once and never re-cable with virtualized layer 1 switching and cross connects

Unified Cloud Fabric for Lab Automation (VirtualWire) is an integrated physical layer feature set for the Netvisor® ONE Operating System (OS) that enables native Layer 1 switching capabilities on Open Networking hardware switches. With VirtualWire, you can quickly build new topologies in software in a matter of minutes with visibility and troubleshooting built-in, all at a fraction of the cost of traditional Layer 1 switches.

Wire Once and Never Re-Cable

A significant amount of lab testing time is spent planning and re-cabling the Layer 1 physical topology before any testing even occurs.

 

 Plus, the process of monitoring the health of your infrastructure and troubleshooting connectivity issues can be cumbersome. Not to mention expensive lab equipment like signal generators can be underutilized, and lab setup can be prone to human error.

With Pluribus VirtualWire for lab automation solutions, you can quickly build new topologies in software in a matter of minutes with visibility and troubleshooting built-in, all at a fraction of the cost of traditional Layer 1 matrix switches.

Manage Lab Connectivity and Troubleshooting Virtually

The Pluribus VirtualWire layer 1 switch is a highly flexible, highly-scalable physical layer non-blocking switching matrix powered by the Pluribus Netvisor® OS. It is designed to build dynamic, high-performance lab connectivity with packet/application/link layer visibility

VirtualWire enables an engineer to conserve time, maximize productivity, reduce costs and eliminate errors associated with manual patching. VirtualWire also allows users to store well-known physical configurations and reproduce the configurations at will for subsequent testing. VirtualWire also offers a powerful RESTful API to integrate with a customer’s own management and orchestration tools.

Features and Benefits

Software-based Configuration

After initial wiring, Pluribus VirtualWire acts as a virtual patch panel that can be reconfigured in software, without changing any wiring. Create new test connections in seconds from anywhere

Efficient Tool Sharing

Share expensive test tools (e.g. traffic generators) efficiently and dynamically re-assign them to different test environments with a software command. Ports can be associated 1:1, 1:n or n:1 to increase sharing flexibility.

Layer 1 Switching Transparency

VirtualWire is transparent to the entire Ethernet frame and L2 control protocols and can be configured to pass errored and runt frames. Link up/down status can be tracked and reflected from end to end, even across a multi-switch VirtualWire fabric.

Speed and Media Conversion

Connect test tools to devices under test with any mix of port speeds and media (copper, multi-mode fiber, single-mode fiber). No need to throw away older tools or buy expensive new test ports to work with newer devices.

Programmability

VirtualWire switches and fabrics are highly programmable for rapid test development and execution. An entire fabric can be managed and programmed from any switch. Choose CLI, REST API or Python or leverage pre-tested integrations with popular lab orchestration software such as Quali CloudShell.

Flexible Scaling

Add switches to the VirtualWire fabric as needed to add higher speed ports, scale up overall port capacity, or scale out to additional sites.

Repeatable Configuration

Save any configuration of virtual connections for future re-use to enable rapid test repeatability.

End-to-end Visibility

Leverage fabric-wide visibility into flows, packets, and link-layer status to accelerate troubleshooting of connectivity and performance issues.

CapEx Savings

VirtualWire runs on open network switching hardware, offering significant CapEx savings versus traditional Layer 1 switches – often only 1/10th the cost!

See how you can decrease test cycle time, improve lab utilitization and lower cost

Use Cases

Pluribus VirtualWire is ideal for lab automation and many other uses

Learn more about Pluribus VirtualWire for lab automation