RE: [WIRELESS-LAN] Big Aruba Environments- Management of multiplecontrollers

[Johnson, Bruce T]

Lee and John,

What's lacking in AirWave's config capabilities?  Doesn't it support all the
controller's configuration elements?  Is this a matter of some here (CLI), some
there (controller GUI or NMS)?

I liked AirWave's directory-based approach.  To me it allows for better
configuration containment.

You make a good point Lee - Aruba consider a monitoring-only option.  I think a
lot of Cisco shops would take notice.

To be fair, I don't think anyone's NMS offers the single pane of glass for FCAPS
(or whatever ITIL calls it), but I see AirWave as the product most likely to
succeed.  Infrastructure vendors are always lacking in the NMS space.  They seem
content to let someone else manage/monitor/report things better. 

Bruce T. Johnson | Network Engineer | Partners Healthcare 
Network Engineering | 617.726.9662 | Pager: 31633 | bjohns...@partners.org | 
149 13th Street, 10th Floor, Mailstop 10055B, Charlestown, Ma  02129


-Original Message-
From: The EDUCAUSE Wireless Issues Constituent Group Listserv
[mailto:wireless-...@listserv.educause.edu] On Behalf Of Lee H Badman
Sent: Sunday, March 15, 2009 1:28 PM
To: WIRELESS-LAN@LISTSERV.EDUCAUSE.EDU
Subject: Re: [WIRELESS-LAN] Big Aruba Environments- Management of
multiplecontrollers

Hi John-

"It does not do config now, but really I'm not sure you want it to. How often do
you change your WLAN network?"

we change some of ours on occasion, both in prod and for development- to meet
different transient circumstances while our prod "main" WLANs roll along largely
undisturbed.  And when you want to make changes, to me it's important to be able
to do what you want, when you want with no management system impediments,
forced practices, or jumping between systems to do a little hereand a little
there.

 "...do you really want to set up your QOS or multicast outside the Aruba
interface?"

If ANY product (not picking on any vendor with this comment) touts themselves as
a WLAN management solution, then yes, I'd expect to set up QoS, client security,
WLANs, or any system parameter in a single pane of glass. Or if a vendor is
better at monitoring, I'd like to see a monitoring only version at a reasonable
price marketed rather than be expected to pay top dollar for a complete solution
but only have it be practical for half my team's needs.

That being said... everyone has their own needs and ways of solving those needs.
It's nice to see a growing number of viable options and healthy competition
making for better solutions.

Respectfully,

Lee Badman

From: The EDUCAUSE Wireless Issues Constituent Group Listserv
[wireless-...@listserv.educause.edu] On Behalf Of John W Turner
[tur...@brandeis.edu]
Sent: Saturday, March 14, 2009 7:56 PM
To: WIRELESS-LAN@LISTSERV.EDUCAUSE.EDU
Subject: Re: [WIRELESS-LAN] Big Aruba Environments- Management of
multiplecontrollers

We have 6 controllers (though that is really immaterial since you only config
the WLAN on the master) and have been deployed with 900 AP's for over 3 years.

We went with Airwave about 6 months ago and are EXTREMELY happy with it. It
provides an invaluable amount of visibility into the network and is a huge help
in diagnosing client problems. We see this as a business intelligence tool to
assist us in strategically tweaking/upgrading our WLAN network.

It does not do config now, but really I'm not sure you want it to. How often do
you change your WLAN network? I can see some features getting into Airwave
(black listing, key rotation, guest provisioning) but do you really want to set
up your QOS or multicast outside the Aruba interface?

I see the Airwave and Aruba controller interfaces serving two distinct purposes:
Airwave for operations and Aruba for management.

--
John W. Turner
Director of Networks & Systems
Brandeis University

- Original Message -
From: "Ken Connell" 
To: WIRELESS-LAN@LISTSERV.EDUCAUSE.EDU
Sent: Friday, March 6, 2009 8:39:15 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern
Subject: Re: [WIRELESS-LAN] Big Aruba Environments- Management of
multiplecontrollers

We did a trial on both...

For us the MMS was unreliable and some of the tools (like finding users) just
didn't work. We were constantly rebooting and tweaking, but I must note we had
the software version not the appliance.

The airwave product for us was great with stats, finding users and what not, but
the config for Aruba just isn't there yet, and for that reason we haven't
committed.


Ken Connell
Intermediate Network Engineer
Computer & Communication Services
Ryerson University
350 Victoria St
RM AB50
Toronto, Ont
M5B 2K3
416-979-5000 x6709


From: "Steely, John"
Date: Fri, 06 Mar 2009 08:11:18 -0500
To: 
Subject: Re: [WIRELESS-LAN] Big Aruba Environments- Management of multiple
controllers
I am curious if we have any Aruba shops on the list who have Airwave, but also
had experience with the Aruba MMS appliance and would be willing to share your
thoughts on comparing

RE: [WIRELESS-LAN] Big Aruba Environments- Management of multiplecontrollers

[Lee H Badman]

Hi John-

"It does not do config now, but really I'm not sure you want it to. How often 
do you change your WLAN network?"

we change some of ours on occasion, both in prod and for development- to meet 
different transient circumstances while our prod "main" WLANs roll along 
largely undisturbed.  And when you want to make changes, to me it's important 
to be able to do what you want, when you want with no management system 
impediments,  forced practices, or jumping between systems to do a little 
hereand a little there.

 "...do you really want to set up your QOS or multicast outside the Aruba 
interface?"

If ANY product (not picking on any vendor with this comment) touts themselves 
as a WLAN management solution, then yes, I'd expect to set up QoS, client 
security, WLANs, or any system parameter in a single pane of glass. Or if a 
vendor is better at monitoring, I'd like to see a monitoring only version at a 
reasonable price marketed rather than be expected to pay top dollar for a 
complete solution but only have it be practical for half my team's needs.

That being said... everyone has their own needs and ways of solving those 
needs. It's nice to see a growing number of viable options and healthy 
competition making for better solutions.

Respectfully,

Lee Badman

From: The EDUCAUSE Wireless Issues Constituent Group Listserv 
[wireless-...@listserv.educause.edu] On Behalf Of John W Turner 
[tur...@brandeis.edu]
Sent: Saturday, March 14, 2009 7:56 PM
To: WIRELESS-LAN@LISTSERV.EDUCAUSE.EDU
Subject: Re: [WIRELESS-LAN] Big Aruba Environments- Management of 
multiplecontrollers

We have 6 controllers (though that is really immaterial since you only config 
the WLAN on the master) and have been deployed with 900 AP's for over 3 years.

We went with Airwave about 6 months ago and are EXTREMELY happy with it. It 
provides an invaluable amount of visibility into the network and is a huge help 
in diagnosing client problems. We see this as a business intelligence tool to 
assist us in strategically tweaking/upgrading our WLAN network.

It does not do config now, but really I'm not sure you want it to. How often do 
you change your WLAN network? I can see some features getting into Airwave 
(black listing, key rotation, guest provisioning) but do you really want to set 
up your QOS or multicast outside the Aruba interface?

I see the Airwave and Aruba controller interfaces serving two distinct 
purposes: Airwave for operations and Aruba for management.

--
John W. Turner
Director of Networks & Systems
Brandeis University

- Original Message -
From: "Ken Connell" 
To: WIRELESS-LAN@LISTSERV.EDUCAUSE.EDU
Sent: Friday, March 6, 2009 8:39:15 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern
Subject: Re: [WIRELESS-LAN] Big Aruba Environments- Management of 
multiplecontrollers

We did a trial on both...

For us the MMS was unreliable and some of the tools (like finding users) just 
didn't work. We were constantly rebooting and tweaking, but I must note we had 
the software version not the appliance.

The airwave product for us was great with stats, finding users and what not, 
but the config for Aruba just isn't there yet, and for that reason we haven't 
committed.


Ken Connell
Intermediate Network Engineer
Computer & Communication Services
Ryerson University
350 Victoria St
RM AB50
Toronto, Ont
M5B 2K3
416-979-5000 x6709


From: "Steely, John"
Date: Fri, 06 Mar 2009 08:11:18 -0500
To: 
Subject: Re: [WIRELESS-LAN] Big Aruba Environments- Management of multiple 
controllers
I am curious if we have any Aruba shops on the list who have Airwave, but also 
had experience with the Aruba MMS appliance and would be willing to share your 
thoughts on comparing the two?

Thanks in advance,
John

John Steely
Associate Director
Infrastructure Systems Department
Library and Information Services
Dickinson College
P.O. Box 1773
Carlisle, PA 17013
717-245-1613 (Voice)
717-245-1690 (Fax)
ste...@dickinson.edu


From: The EDUCAUSE Wireless Issues Constituent Group Listserv 
[mailto:wireless-...@listserv.educause.edu] On Behalf Of Lee H Badman
Sent: Thursday, March 05, 2009 9:55 AM
To: WIRELESS-LAN@LISTSERV.EDUCAUSE.EDU
Subject: [WIRELESS-LAN] Big Aruba Environments- Management of multiple 
controllers

Wondering how bigger Aruba shops are centrally managing multiple controllers? 
From what I can tell right now, AirWave is pretty much an effective graphical 
monitoring tool, but is pretty anemic at configuration of Aruba. Am I missing 
something?

-Lee

Lee H. Badman
Wireless/Network Engineer
Information Technology and Services
Syracuse University
315 443-3003

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