Wireless Access

We have ordered some equipment and I have been charged with setting upgrading some AP-345 devices at our headquarters and then shipping the AP-345 to the final destination and then provisioning the same AP-345 at the final destination.

The 2 locations will have controllers runnign the same Aruba O.S. version; but, the different locations will have a different network IP Address scheme.  In the past when I have setup AP-345 Access Points, they came with version 8.0 and our controllers had O.S. version 8.3 and the AP-345 connected automatically to the new controller and began the update process.  Before I know it (after a restart the AP-354's MAC address was listed in the local controller's configuration just waiting to be provisioned and I could not login to the AP-345 from an SSH session or console session.

Now instant Access Points, I needed to first convert them to Campus mode; but, AP-345 I did not have to do that. 

My question is, what is the best way to update the AP-345's O.S. from 1 location and then move it to a new network and provision it to a different local controller that has the same O.S. version?

Is it as simple as disconnecting it and then re-connecting it in a different network?  Will the original controller forget about the AP if it does not see it on the network?  As you can see I have never tried this before; but, my manager wants us to be as prepared as we can before we get to the other destination.

Set it up at the destination.

You would not save  time by opening the box, putting it on the network, re-packing it and shipping it.

The access point at the destination would follow the normal discovery process upgrade itself and put itself in the default ap group.

If you pre-stage an AP to a cluster, it will stick to that cluster, which will cost you time trying to figure things out.  

Ship the access point to the destination and configure your discovery method there (dns, dhcp option or deploy the AP on the same vlan as the controller), and everything will be fine.

On a different note: If this is a multi-site deployment, please solicit the help of a Value Added Reseller or your local Aruba Sales Engineer to supplement the advice you are given here.  Even though we try to give the best of advice here on the forum, there are plenty of ways to go wrong that could hobble your deployment structurally if not designed properly.  There are many details that a VAR or your Aruba Sales Engineer can help with that we cannot see or comment on in this forum.

Hello cjoseph,

You mentioned in your last comment: "If you pre-stage an AP to a cluster, it will stick to that cluster, which will cost you time trying to figure things out."

What if I just connect the AP-345 to the HQ Wireless network and I do not provision that AP to the cluster.  I just let the AP upgrade from version 8.0 to version 8.3 and then disconnect it.  Then reconnect it when at the final destination?  Where that AP-345 will recognize the new network and that network's local controllers?  I would think that Aruba is designed to configure many locations with different devices.  The quesiton is how to configure them correctly to do that.  

Here is another idea, what if I Upgrade the AP-345 to version 8.3 from the HQ Vlan/Controllers.  I will not provision the AP-345 in the HQ network; but, perhaps execute a facotry reset on the AP-345?  Will a factory reset keep the O.S. version and then erase pretty much everythngin else? 

Has anyone ever setup some deivces at 1 location and then ship them to be plugged in at another location?  

I would think that if you are in an organization and you need to tranfer an AP from 1 location to anther because you do not have any spare devices then you should be able to do that.

What if one does a write erase on the AP and that AP was in the default group?  I would suspect that the Write erase would take away any configurations but not the OS version.

I would hope that I could just plug in the spare AP top the new location and then provision the AP to the new contorller on the same VLan.

What would we do if we needed to move anAP from 1 location to another?