Also like Airespace's, Aruba's AP supports multiple ESSIDs (Extended Service Set IDs) as well as VLAN tagging, and makes available 16 BSSIDs (Basic SSIDs, usually MAC addresses) per radio to mitigate issues with broadcast and multicast traffic aggregation when more than one ESSID is being used.
Aruba representatives arrived in our lab, then unpacked and turned on the 5000 Wireless Switch and APs. The switch was quickly found by the APs, which were then able to receive their configurations. We configured the system with APs directly connected to the 5000, APs directly connected on the same subnet and APs connected on another subnet. Regardless of how they were connected, the APs were configured properly on separate channels, and we were ready for testing in just a few minutes. At the time of our testing, configuration and management was limited to an IOS-like CLI, powerful for experienced administrators but difficult for newbies to learn. At deadline, Aruba notified us that it's now shipping a Web-based management tool.
Aruba's throughput results were solid. Maximum 802.11b performance was 6.5 Mbps, and maximum 802.11a performance was 24.3 Mbps. Only Airespace and Cisco delivered comparable results. For range, Aruba was near the top of the heap for 11a, but its 11b range was the worst of the seven vendors whose products we tested.
Aruba's solution was the third most expensive proposal we received, attributable in large part to the cost of the 5000 switch. On the positive side, the Aruba 5000 setup is powerful and flexible enough to sit as an appliance at the core of your network, providing a secure and scalable gateway capable of supporting legacy APs where the wired system meets the wireless. This may be all that many sites need--in which case, spending $30,000 for a core internetworking device is not unreasonable. However, by installing it as an appliance at the core, you don't really take advantage of all the power the system has to offer when directly attaching APs to the switch.
Aruba 5000 Wireless LAN Switching System, Aruba 52 Access Point. Aruba Wireless Networks, (408) 227-4500. www.arubanetworks.com
Trapeze Networks' response to our RFP comprised Mobility Exchange (MX), a distributed WLAN switch; Mobility Points (MP) APs; Mobility System Software to tie the two hardware components together; and RingMaster Tool Suite, a set of integrated planning, deployment and management tools.
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