The Aruba Validated Reference Design (VRD) series is a collection of technology deployment guides that include descriptions of Aruba technology, recommendations for product selections, network design decisions, configuration procedures, and best practices for deployment. Together these guides comprise a reference model for understanding Aruba technology and network designs for common customer deployment scenarios. Each Aruba VRD network design has been constructed in a lab environment and thoroughly tested by Aruba engineers. Our partners and customers use these proven designs to rapidly deploy Aruba solutions in production with the assurance that they will perform and scale as expected.
The VRD series focuses on particular aspects of the Aruba technologies and deployment models. Together the guides provide a structured framework to understand and deploy Aruba wireless LANs (WLANs). The VRD series has four types of guides:
• Foundation: These guides explain the core technologies of an Aruba WLAN. The guides also describe different aspects of planning, operation, and troubleshooting deployments.
• Base Design: These guides describe the most common deployment models, recommendations, and configurations.
• Applications: These guides are built on the base designs. These guides deliver specific information that is relevant to deploying particular applications such as voice, video, or outdoor campus extension.
• Specialty Deployments: These guides involve deployments in conditions that differ significantly from the common base design deployment models, such as high-density WLAN deployments.
Figure 1 Aruba technology series
This VRD is a base design guide, and it describes best practices for determining AP deployments in an Aruba 802.11n wireless. This VRD describes RF design principles that will help the network engineer in these ways:
• Successfully select the correct AP model.
• Determine the number of APs required.
• Determine proper placement of APs by using software and physical site surveys.
This guide is divided into major sections that cover environmental evaluation, AP and antenna selection, and the process of performing a site survey on a facility. This guide shows the process of using the Aruba VisualRF Plan and performing a physical site survey using an Aruba Instant AP and AirMagnet Site Survey Pro software on the same facility.
This guide applies to all indoor products regardless of software version.
• This guide assumes a working knowledge of Aruba products. This guide is based on the network detailed in the Aruba Campus Wireless Networks VRD and the Base Designs Lab Setup for Validated Reference Design. These guides are available for free at http://www.arubanetworks.com/vrd.
• The complete suite of Aruba technical documentation is available for download from the Aruba support site. These documents present complete, detailed feature and functionality explanations outside the scope of the VRD series. The Aruba support site is located at: https://support.arubanetworks.com/. This site requires a user login and is for current Aruba customers with support contracts.
• Aruba hosts a user forum site and user meetings called Airheads. The forum contains discussions of deployments, products, and troubleshooting tips. Airheads Online is an invaluable resource that allows network administrators to interact with each other and Aruba experts. Announcements for Airheads in-person meetings are also available on the site: http://community.arubanetworks.com/
• The VRD series assumes a working knowledge of Wi-Fi®, and more specifically dependent AP, or controller based, architectures. For more information about wireless technology fundamentals, visit the Certified Wireless Network Professional (CWNP) site at http://www.cwnp.com/