(I think using specific ap-name configurations is asking to trip over it in the future IMO.)
@MatthewSeymour wrote:
*snip*
What I was hoping to avoid was having as many different AP groups as we currently have but it seems I'll actually require more than ever :(
*snip*
@Ryan that describes what we do in 6.5. It works but becomes messy and means that applying a change to, say, all our accommodation APs involves changing enough AP groups that it's trivial to miss one.
To put this in context:
(*****Domain1) #show ap-group | include Total
Total:318
(*****Domain2) #show ap-group | include Total
Total:428
We have 746 ap-groups at the moment. And while there are currently 4 of us on my team, I used to manage this with only one other person. ArubaOS makes this extremely manageable and flexible as Jerrod stated. AOS8 doesn't have to change that.
Your point about applying a change becoming nasty...I would disagree. If you want to change a particular building's or set of buildings' configuration, you'd want the flexibility of an ap-group(s) per building in order to selectively decide the locations to receive the change. BUT, if you're deciding to make (for example) a change to standardize on 12-18dBm EIRP for 5GHz instead of 12-15dBm EIRP, you still make that change in the applicable radio-profile, and that change is applied within all ap-groups where that radio-profile is used. If you want to change what data rates you trim, you make that at the ssid-profile and it applies to all ap-groups using the virtual-aps that use that ssid-profile. It's still centralized configuration.
Doubling-down on the cooking analogy:
- ap-groups are cookbooks
- profiles are recipes
- knobs|settings are ingredients
(ACK that I used incredients and recipes differently in an earlier post.)
If you had a dessert cookbook that included cake, pie, and brownies and then you decide to use egg white substitute instead of raw egg in the brownies, you just change that recipe -- no need to touch the cookbook, as it already has that brownie recipe applied.
BTW, I love talking about and comparing Wi-Fi configurations, and I'll be at ATM19, so if you want to chat, hit me up. :)