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Aruba RAPs and StarLink

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  • 1.  Aruba RAPs and StarLink

    Posted Dec 15, 2021 09:44 PM
    At my work we have attempted to deploy Aruba RAPs on satellite internet connections but they have failed to handle the long latency associated with Satellite links (200ms+)

    However the latency often reported with StarLink which uses a LEO constellation of satellites is around 20-60 ms and with lower packet loss than associated with DSL.

    I am interested in anyone's experience with using ArubaRAPs over StarLink.
    - Does the Aruba RAP maintain a stable connection?
    - What is the performance for tools like Teams / Zoom etc

    Any feedback relating to using Aruba's RAP technology over StarLink would be most appreciated.

    ------------------------------
    Richard Frost
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  • 2.  RE: Aruba RAPs and StarLink

    EMPLOYEE
    Posted Dec 17, 2021 10:24 AM
    Please check with support why your RAP is unstable at the 200ms links. I can imagine performance is not that great, as it would not be with just internet traffic, but would not see why it becomes unstable.

    I know just 2 people who deployed StarLink (and told me ;)); so I can imagine not so many people deployed a RAP over that link. I didn't hear big issues with Teams/Zoom (without the RAP), it even seems to work better than expected.

    ------------------------------
    Herman Robers
    ------------------------
    If you have urgent issues, always contact your Aruba partner, distributor, or Aruba TAC Support. Check https://www.arubanetworks.com/support-services/contact-support/ for how to contact Aruba TAC. Any opinions expressed here are solely my own and not necessarily that of Hewlett Packard Enterprise or Aruba Networks.

    In case your problem is solved, please invest the time to post a follow-up with the information on how you solved it. Others can benefit from that.
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 3.  RE: Aruba RAPs and StarLink

    Posted Dec 19, 2021 05:52 PM

    Thanks for your reply!

    Much appreciated.

    If I do find out about how RAPs work over StarLink I will post information here against my original post. 



    ------------------------------
    Richard Frost
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    Original Message


  • 4.  RE: Aruba RAPs and StarLink

    Posted Dec 20, 2021 06:29 PM
    Hello Herman

    Can you post your experience with the RAP on a StarLink connection - I am interested in latency between the RAP and the RAP Mobility Controller 

    Does Airwave track latency between RAPs and the Mobility Controllers?
    I can see latency for how long an IP Address is assigned via DHCP but that is not indicative of the link latency rather latency on the Mobility Controller's end to assign a end of tunnel IP address.

    If Airwave does not track latency - what tools are people using to measure latency over RAP connections?

    One that comes to mind is iPerf that could be used.

    ------------------------------
    Richard Frost
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 5.  RE: Aruba RAPs and StarLink

    EMPLOYEE
    Posted Dec 20, 2021 04:35 AM
    Hi,

    I am one of the two guys Herman talked about 😁
    I'm currently on holidays (do not at home), but I will try this as soon as I get back home.

    Fabien

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    Fabien Giraud
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    Original Message


  • 6.  RE: Aruba RAPs and StarLink

    Posted Feb 15, 2022 03:28 PM
    Hello,
    Since October 2021 we have been using a RAP-3WNP through the Starlink network, and it works very well.
    However, since February 8, 2022 it doesn't work anymore and we had to put the RAP back on the ADSL network with the FAI Orange (France).
    The company SpaceX does not see any problem on its Starlink network and asks us for the "logs" of the RAP for analysis.
    The RAP was provided to us by the client (2014) in order to establish a permanent link between the client (Guyana) and our company (France).
    Not having the initial control of this product, I totally do not know how to recover a log inside, if you have an idea….
    I hope I'm on the right thread and thank you in advance for the answers.
    Alain

    ------------------------------
    Carbonnel Alain
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 7.  RE: Aruba RAPs and StarLink

    MVP GURU
    Posted Feb 17, 2022 06:49 AM
    Hi Alain,

    with show ap debug... you don't have the info ?

    it is RAP mode or IAP-VPN Mode ?

    ------------------------------
    PowerArubaSW : Powershell Module to use Aruba Switch API for Vlan, VlanPorts, LACP, LLDP...

    PowerArubaCP: Powershell Module to use ClearPass API (create NAD, Guest...)

    PowerArubaCL: Powershell Module to use Aruba Central

    PowerArubaCX: Powershell Module to use ArubaCX API (get interface/vlan/ports info)..

    ACEP / ACMX #107 / ACDX #1281
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 8.  RE: Aruba RAPs and StarLink

    Posted Feb 17, 2022 08:06 AM

    Hi Alexis,

     

    Thank you for your post

    I'm not an ARUBA equipment specialist.
    This product was supplied to us by our client as part of an H24 industrial surveillance since 2014 between our company (Métropole France) and Guyana (Kourou).

    I spoke to the client yesterday, and he explained:

     

    Once a RAP box is controlled by the VPN concentrator it is no longer administratable locally (to my knowledge).

    It is not possible to retrieve logs on it.

    At the concentrator level it is possible to see connection logs and possibly to identify the problems encountered.

    In terms of operation the case just mounts a secure connection between it and the concentrator.

    This is IPSEC protocol (TCP/UDP 4500 and TCP/UDP 500).

     

    However, if our RAP can no longer contact the concentrator for an unknown reason, the log of the hub will be useless.

     

    I was wondering if the RAP contacted a site as part of some validation before establishing the VPN.... ?

     

    As an attachment, the block diagram.

     

     

     

     

     




    Original Message


  • 9.  RE: Aruba RAPs and StarLink

    EMPLOYEE
    Posted Feb 17, 2022 07:20 AM
    Historically the RAP-5WN has a debug interface in the GUI but only while provisioning it for the first time:https://community.arubanetworks.com/browse/articles/blogviewer?blogkey=ddca64b1-756d-4eac-af26-d8fab7a7c797
    EDIT: you said 3WN

    The underside of the RAP-5WN has a connector for a little-used and rare console cable that could be used to observe the sapd_debug_log and the rapper.log file that would show AP connectivity attempts.  I am not even sure there is a way to obtain this cable anymore:  Maybe an Aruba SE near you would have it.

    Any AP can be provisioned as a remote AP and I would find an AP with a more common console cable and provision that successfully first via DSL.  After, I would move that AP to the starlink connection and plug the console cable into that AP and attempt to tail the sapd_debug_log or the rapper log to find out why it is not connecting.  It would be best to get help from HPE technical support in that endeavor along with whoever maintains your remote AP controller so that they can monitor the incoming traffic.  This definitely will not be easy...







    ------------------------------
    Any opinions expressed here are solely my own and not necessarily that of Hewlett Packard Enterprise or Aruba Networks.
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 10.  RE: Aruba RAPs and StarLink

    Posted Feb 17, 2022 08:52 AM

    Hello Joseph,
    Thank you so much for your post.
    This is a RAP-3WNP. I saw this connector under the case and I thought it should be used for a console. The idea of going through this connector to get info is very attractive.
    If one is in the traditional, one should be on RS232 n.8.1 to 9600bds.
    I found the position of the Pins on the internet, so no problem to establish a connection with a terminal, but the problem is to know the commands to send to see the logs...

     

     




    Original Message


  • 11.  RE: Aruba RAPs and StarLink

    EMPLOYEE
    Posted Feb 17, 2022 09:30 AM
    If you get into the console, "tail -f sapd_debug_log" would be the command to observe connectivity.  There are a few steps before that, but I will let you get the console up and running first...

    ------------------------------
    Any opinions expressed here are solely my own and not necessarily that of Hewlett Packard Enterprise or Aruba Networks.
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 12.  RE: Aruba RAPs and StarLink

    Posted Feb 18, 2022 04:38 AM

    Hello, Joseph,

     

    The console is established.

     

     

    I typed your sapd_debug_log command, but the answer is "Permission denied"!

    This morning, several tests were carried out in close collaboration with our customer.

    When we type "enable" on the console, we are asked for a password..... but no one knows it. (admin, password, root) does not work and our customer does not know.

    The product was sold to our customer by Alcatel.

    as an attachment the console

     

     




    Original Message


  • 13.  RE: Aruba RAPs and StarLink

    MVP GURU
    Posted Feb 18, 2022 04:47 AM
    What firmware version ?

    you can configure password on AP System Profile (on the controller side)

    ------------------------------
    PowerArubaSW : Powershell Module to use Aruba Switch API for Vlan, VlanPorts, LACP, LLDP...

    PowerArubaCP: Powershell Module to use ClearPass API (create NAD, Guest...)

    PowerArubaCL: Powershell Module to use Aruba Central

    PowerArubaCX: Powershell Module to use ArubaCX API (get interface/vlan/ports info)..

    ACEP / ACMX #107 / ACDX #1281
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 14.  RE: Aruba RAPs and StarLink

    Posted Feb 18, 2022 05:20 AM

    The firmaware version is 4.3.3.

    As an attachment what the console renders for an OK link on the Orange ISP.

     




    Original Message


  • 15.  RE: Aruba RAPs and StarLink

    Posted Feb 18, 2022 05:52 AM
      |   view attached
    The differences at boot that renders the console at the end of the message between Starlink and ADSL

    ------------------------------
    Carbonnel Alain
    ------------------------------

    Attachment(s)

    pdf
    Difference at boot.pdf   189 KB 1 version
    Original Message


  • 16.  RE: Aruba RAPs and StarLink

    EMPLOYEE
    Posted Feb 18, 2022 11:34 AM
    the messsages about the link will be different, because if the AP connects to the controller successfully, it will have a configuration for the ethernet ports and to enable them.  if it does not connect, it will have fewer messages.  The messages from the rapper.txt and the sapd_debug_log would be more valuable.

    I messaged you on how to tail them..

    ------------------------------
    Any opinions expressed here are solely my own and not necessarily that of Hewlett Packard Enterprise or Aruba Networks.
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 17.  RE: Aruba RAPs and StarLink

    MVP GURU
    Posted Feb 18, 2022 06:05 AM
    4.3.3 ??

    ------------------------------
    PowerArubaSW : Powershell Module to use Aruba Switch API for Vlan, VlanPorts, LACP, LLDP...

    PowerArubaCP: Powershell Module to use ClearPass API (create NAD, Guest...)

    PowerArubaCL: Powershell Module to use Aruba Central

    PowerArubaCX: Powershell Module to use ArubaCX API (get interface/vlan/ports info)..

    ACEP / ACMX #107 / ACDX #1281
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 18.  RE: Aruba RAPs and StarLink

    Posted Feb 18, 2022 08:43 AM
      |   view attached
    Alcatel-Lucent

    AOS-W Version 6.2.1.3 (build 39155 / label #39155)
    In files attached the tracks of the console to the boot.

    ------------------------------
    Carbonnel Alain
    ------------------------------

    Attachment(s)

    txt
    Console Boot.txt   6 KB 1 version
    Original Message


  • 19.  RE: Aruba RAPs and StarLink

    Posted Apr 08, 2022 10:07 AM

    The problem is solved.

    The solution was to put a network analyzer (Wireshark) at the departure of the RAP and at the arrival to the concentrator to realize that the UDP/4500/500 packets did not pass with Starlink.

    Starlink was very collaborative and through multiple tests they showed that they did not block these ports. We contacted the operator «Orange», French's  ISP of the box on arrival. After many tests they showed that the NAT of the box did not work on the UDP/4500/500 ports for IPs coming from Starlink, and this since an update of the box on 8/02/2022. No rational explanation for this phenomenon. Setting up the old firmware in the box solved the problem.

    A subsequent test was carried out in order to reproduce the phenomenon on a box (LiveBox pro 3) identical with the firmware that was causing the problem. The bug did not reappear. We can imagine that the bug came from an update with memory corruption…...

    Thank you to all those who answered me.



    ------------------------------
    Carbonnel Alain
    ------------------------------

    Original Message