Chapter 2
About Aruba Instant
About Aruba Instant
This chapter contains the following topics:
Aruba Instant Overview 12
What is New in the Release 15
Aruba Instant Overview
Aruba Instant virtualizes Aruba Mobility Controller capabilities on 802.1 capable access points creating a
feature-rich enterprise-grade WLAN that combines affordability and configuration simplicity.
Instant is a simple, easy to deploy turnkey WLAN solution consisting of one or more Instant APs. An
Ethernet port with routable connectivity to the Internet or a self-enclosed network is used for deploying
an Instant Wireless Network. An Instant AP can be installed at a single site or deployed across multiple
geographically dispersed locations. Designed specifically for easy deployment and proactive
management of networks, Instant is ideal for small customers or remote locations without requiring any
on-site IT administrator.
An Instant AP cluster consists of member Instant APs and a conductor Instant AP in the same VLAN, as
they communicate with broadcast messages. A virtual controller is a combination of the whole cluster,
as the member Instant APs and conductor Instant AP coordinate to provide a controller-less Instant
solution. In an Instant deployment scenario, the first Instant AP that comes up becomes the conductor
Instant AP. All other Instant APs joining the cluster after that Instant AP, become the member Instant
APs.
In an Instant deployment scenario, only the first Instant AP or the conductor Instant AP needs to be
configured. The other Instant APs download configurations from the first Instant AP that is configured.
The Instant solution constantly monitors the network to determine the Instant AP that must function as
a conductor Instant AP at a given time. The conductor Instant AP may change as necessary from one
Instant AP to another without impacting network performance.
Each Instant AP model has a minimum required software version. When a new Instant AP is added into
an existing cluster, it can join the cluster only if the existing cluster is running at least the minimum
required version of that Instant AP. If the existing cluster is running a version prior to the minimum
required version of the new Instant AP, the new Instant AP will not come up and may reboot with the
reason Image sync fail. To recover from this condition, upgrade the existing cluster to at least the
minimum required version of the new Instant AP first, and add the new Instant AP. For more
information about supported Instant AP platforms, refer to the Supported Instant AP Platforms table
and the Aruba Instant Release Notes.
Aruba recommends that networks with more than 128 Instant APs be designed as multiple, smaller
virtual controller networks with Layer-3 mobility enabled between these networks.
Aruba APs are available in the following variants:
nUS (United States)
nJP (Japan)
Aruba Instant 8.11.1.0 12
