Wifi Revolution

Aruba Networks, a provider of wireless local area networks (LANs) and mobility solutions, announced the release of OS 3.4 software for Aruba controllers.

 

The new OS 3.4 is provided with features that target network RF performance, network provisioning, and system operation. These features enhance the performance and value of Aruba’s wireless LANs.

 

“OS 3.4 continues our tradition of pushing the limits of wireless performance, and integrating value-added features into our controller operating system to reduce the cost of network ownership,” said Keerti Melkote (News - Alert), Aruba's co-founder and chief technology officer, in a statement.

 

There are two significant enhancements to RF performance: long-haul 802.11n mesh and the channel reuse algorithm.

 

According to Melkote, the new 802.11n mesh feature is targeted at the growing number of customers using Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) outdoors, both to connect facilities and for surveillance applications.  The channel-reuse algorithm increases the network capacity without increasing interference susceptibility.

 

Both of these features can be retrofitted at no cost to existing networks, adding value without requiring a forklift upgrade, Melkote added.

 

Mesh enables the packets to hope wirelessly from one access point to the other along the most advantageous travel path. This feature is important for supporting video surveillance, telemetry, large campus and remote site applications.

 

The new 802.11n mesh feature leverages Multiple In Multiple Out (MIMO) technology to sustain > 100Mbps Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) throughput over a point-to-point mesh link of more than 1 kilometer.

 

With MIMO antennas technology, the OS 3.4 is now capable of increasing the path distances in outdoor environments that lack multipath as well, making the network more robust, high-speed, long-haul resilient and ideal for a wide range of data and video applications.

 

The second RF enhancement is the addition to Aruba's Adaptive Radio Management (ARM (News - Alert)) technology of a self-tuning algorithm that dynamically rejects interference from adjacent access points operating on the same channel. Officials added that this feature allows simultaneous transmissions from multiple access points that are operating on the same channel and at distances closer than would otherwise be possible.

 

By enabling channel reuse, along with other ARM capabilities, the capacity of the LAN network is increased significantly with high client density without the susceptibility to interference inherent in single channel architectures.

 

OS 3.4 also includes three features targeted at simplifying network set-up and on-going network operation: user assistance wizards; role-based guest access; and Open Shortest Path First (OSPF) controller integration, officials said.

 

User assistance wizards make quick work of wireless LAN creation and administration, transforming tasks that previously required multiple manual steps into a streamlined process. As a result, system commissioning is significantly easier and faster.

 

OS 3.4 incorporates a three-step delegated provisioning model to provide guests with access to enterprise wireless networks. First, the employee is authenticated and authorized to provision guest access. Once authorized, a simple Web-based form is made available with appropriate network access permissions for the guest(s). Finally, Aruba's policy enforcement firewall makes available a suitable set of roles from which to choose for different levels of guest access.

 

The OSPF controller integration addresses the complexity of manually administrating IP subnets and VLANs to terminate on a router. It simplifies network administration, reduces costs by eliminating the need for a router, and increases resilience from outages by dynamically routing around network problems.

 

“Network life-cycle expenses are often overlooked when a wireless network is initially selected because assessing costs can be difficult prior to deployment,” continued Melkote.

 

“VLAN administration and guest access management are cases in point, and consume considerable IT overhead on a recurring basis, especially for medium to large enterprises,” Melkote added. “OS 3.4 successfully targets these two pain points, making quick work of even the most complex guest access scheme while doing away with the need for router configuration to handle VLANs and subnets. As a result life-cycle costs are reduced and IT resources are freed to focus on other business-critical issues.”

 

Recently Aruba Networks (News - Alert) announced that Washington and Lee University, a private university in Lexington, Virginia, selected Aruba’s 802.11n Wi-Fi network across its 55 acre college campus, TMCnet reported. Aruba, and authorized integration partner DNS were selected by the University to securely support 802.11n and new devices, such as the Apple iPhone (News - Alert) which have surpassed the capabilities of the legacy network.

 

 

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