Wi-Fi switch vendor Aruba is opening up its access-point source code, reports Techworld. The code will let its switches manage other vendors’ access points (APs) - starting with Netgear. Rival, Trapeze, is expected to follow suit, according to Techworld.
The decision contrasts with its rival, Airespace, which Cisco agreed to buy in January: “Cisco is not committed to interoperability,” said Keerti Melkote, Aruba’s marketing VP. This means other vendors can sell their interoperability with rivals and an advantage over Airespace, he argued.
Aruba is putting some of its AP source code on SourceForge. Vendors whose access points are based on the Atheros radio silicon and the PowerPC chipset will be able to use that code to convert their APs into Aruba APs, which can work with an Aruba switch to handle functions like RF monitoring, radio management and intrusion prevention. Functions like transmit power level, and radio channel selection are handled under the control of the Aruba switch.
Once certified, NETGEAR wireless access points can be completely managed through a centralized Aruba WLAN system and will be able to support advanced features and functions such as sophisticated RF monitoring, adaptive radio management and wireless intrusion protection.
Netgear recently announced two MIMO access points; an Airgo-based enterprise level wireless router (below), and an Atheros-based wireless router for consumers.
WiFi Planet says the source code for Aruba’s own APs specifically, the BIOS-like boot code that loads at startup is going to be made freely available to any product vendor that would like to download it and build it into their Wi-Fi hardware. Whether the AP is “fat” or “thin,” when it boots and sees an Aruba switch on the network, it will load the code needed to be centrally managed.
This is good news, indeed.
Charging premium prices for “dumb” APs - without vendor interoperability - has become an issue. WiFi switch vendors can now concentrate on what they do best - proprietary WiFi switches with superior management and control features.
Techworld quotes Keerti Melkote, Aruba’s marketing VP:
Previous efforts to link multi-vendor APs have focussed on a proposed IETF standard called CAPWAP, and its precursor, the LWAPP protocol proposed by Airespace. “This is not CAPWAP, it’s an independent Aruba programme,” said Melkote. He agreed that it overlapped with the bootstrapping part of the CAPWAP proposals, and would need to be updated if and when a full CAPWAP standard emerged.
“The CAPWAP group has only done the taxonomy,” said Melkote. “We want to get on with multi-vendor interoperability sooner. If we have a CAPWAP standard, we would expect to update this.” He suggested that downloading software to the AP might work better than imposing a protocol on it, creating a set-up that is easier to evolve with new functions.
The APs that get the Aruba treatment will be enterprise models, not consumer products. They will be the standard products, however, and sold at the usual price, said Melkote. Netgear is expected to have its first AP certified in about a month’s time.
Although Atheros/PowerPC APs are the first target, Aruba intends to expand the plan to include other vendors like Broadcom, said Melkote. It might even allow new technologies like MIMO to emerge in enterprise networks more quickly, he said - although the fact that 802.11n is not yet a standard might make users cautious.
Related DailyWireless stories include; Cisco + Airespace?, WiFi Switch Adds IPV6, Columbris + Cable = CableZones, Cable Zones, and Smart Switches Get New Standard.
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