RF Optimisation in dense Lab deployments 6.X

1. Disabling channel bonding on your controller's APs and interfering APs.

When AP's are too many and too close together as often happens in LAB situations, it can help to encourage APs being managed by other controllers as well as configuring your own to disable channel bonding on your 2.4 and 5 GHz radios. See the following radio profile changes that disable channel bonding on your controller and arm profile changes that encourage neighbouring APs to discontinue the use of channel bonding. This request to have neighbouring APs disable channel bonding may not be honoured, but ArubaOS by default will honour these types of requests. Since in your lab most of the neighbouring APs are being managed by Aruba Controllers, this make more channels free for your APs to choose from.

Note: it is a good idea to keep a minimum distance of at least 10 feet between APs. There is a certain amount of interference between radios even if they are running on 5GHz but different channels.

(controller) # configure terminal (controller) (config) #rf ht-radio-profile default-a (controller) (High-throughput radio profile "default-a") # 40MHz-intolerance (controller) (High-throughput radio profile "default-a") # rf ht-radio-profile default-g (controller) (High-throughput radio profile "default-g") # 40MHz-intolerance (controller) (High-throughput radio profile "default-g") # rf arm-profile "default" (controller) (Adaptive Radio Management (ARM) profile "default") # no 80MHz-support (controller) (Adaptive Radio Management (ARM) profile "default") # 40MHz-allowed-bands None (controller) (Adaptive Radio Management (ARM) profile "default") # write memory

you can copy and paste this into your controller:

configure terminal rf ht-radio-profile default-a 40MHz-intolerance rf ht-radio-profile default-g 40MHz-intolerance rf arm-profile "default" no 80MHz-support 40MHz-allowed-bands None exit exit write memory

2. Enabling band-steering.

Encourage or force your dual band clients to connect to the 5 GHz radios leaving your 2.4 GHz radio mainly for your single band 2.4 GHz clients. First determine which vap profiles you have, then enable band-steering in each of them. (controller) #show wlan virtual-ap Virtual AP profile List ----------------------- Name References Profile Status ---- ---------- -------------- default 0 acme-employee-vap_prof 1
You can copy and paste this into your controller after editing the virtual-ap "name":
configure terminal wlan virtual-ap "acme-employee-vap_prof" band-steering steering-mode "force-5ghz" write memory Alternatively you can set your 2ghz radio to spectrum mode: config term ap spectrum local-override override ap-name "your-ap-name" spectrum-band "2ghz" exit write mem

3. Disabling troublesome channels on select controllers.

If you have disabled channel bonding, enabled 40MHz intolerance, and enabling band-steering... and your still having major connectivity issues.... First determine which channel your troublesome AP is operating on. I have noticed that channel 165 is troublesome on some but not all controllers, more so than other channels. You can disable channel 165 on your controller as follows: (Controller143) #configure terminal Enter Configuration commands, one per line. End with CNTL/Z (controller) (config) # ap regulatory-domain-profile "default" (controller) (Regulatory Domain profile "default") # no valid-11a-channel 165 (controller) (Regulatory Domain profile "default") # exit (controller) (config) # exit (controller) # write memory Saving Configuration... Configuration Saved. You can copy and past the following commands to your controller CLI: configure terminal ap regulatory-domain-profile "default" no valid-11a-channel 165 exit exit write memory

4. Windows 7 Client issues with network icon and system tray.

If you don't see the netowrk icon in your Windows system tray, you can type "network" into the search field via your "Start" button, select the "Network and Sharing Center" icon.    From that window, look at it's top right area, you will see "Connect or disconnect" hyperlink.   Clicking that link will show available wlans.   If you see no wlan's, and only "Currently connected to: training.arubanetworks.com No Internet access", then you need to find the "Wi-Fi USB" icon on your desktop.  Double click it, wait for "true" and the cmd prompt it created to dissapear.  Check for wlan's again, you should now see your and or other studetns wlans available.

If you are unable to connect to your own table's wlan successfully, disabling your wlan adapter, re-enable it, try connecting again.   If this still does not succeed, as as LAST resort.... open cmd.com on your remote wlan client and type "shutdown /r /t 0".  This will reboot your wlan client.   Reconnect to it again, confirm you see your wlan in the network list.   Try connecting again and it just may work this time.  Chronic interferience in dense lab deployments can cause degredation of the wlan drivers reliability.