Aruba Networks
Encyclopedia
Aruba Networks, Inc. is a networking vendor selling enterprise wireless LAN
and edge access networking equipment. The company has over 500 employees and is headquartered in Sunnyvale, CA. Aruba's core products are access points (APs), mobility controllers, and network management software through their Airwave
Management Platform product.
According to the Dell'Oro Report published in Q408, Aruba ranked #2 in market share in the wireless LAN market.
In May 2009, the company introduced the Virtual Branch Network (VBN) family of products targeting branch offices and remote locations.
and Matrix Partners
. In 2005, it entered into an agreement to provide OEM equipment to Alcatel-Lucent
.
Aruba went public in March 2007. It acquired the wireless security business of Network Chemistry
later that year. In 2008 it purchased AirWave Wireless
, a vendor of wireless network management software.
-branded products such as access points
, wireless controllers and software. Aruba sells products under their own brandname and as OEM products from other vendors, such as the Dell PowerConnect
W-series products.
s from Aruba are targeted at the corporate market and support the IEEE 802.11n standard. Some AP's can use external antennas both for improved indoor-coverage as outdoor usage. One model AP is weather-proof to be used with up to 4 external antennas.
All Aruba access points offer ARM: Adaptive Radio Management, integrated security features, integrated spectrum analysis and supports mesh-features for campus-wide deployment.
routing. Most models are to be used with external antennas and designed for outdoor use and optimized to be used for wireless security cameras
(PoE) switch for use with the Access Points. Management can be done via a dedicated out of band 10/100/1000 Mbit/s Ethernet
port.
-features.
runs on all Aruba access-points and mobility controllers.
Wireless LAN
A wireless local area network links two or more devices using some wireless distribution method , and usually providing a connection through an access point to the wider internet. This gives users the mobility to move around within a local coverage area and still be connected to the network...
and edge access networking equipment. The company has over 500 employees and is headquartered in Sunnyvale, CA. Aruba's core products are access points (APs), mobility controllers, and network management software through their Airwave
AirWave Wireless
Airwave Wireless, Inc. was founded in 2000 as an Wi-Fi hotspot provider, with venture capital from Idealab. In the wake of the dot-com bust they adopted a new business model, selling wireless network management software: the AirWave Management Platform, or AMP...
Management Platform product.
According to the Dell'Oro Report published in Q408, Aruba ranked #2 in market share in the wireless LAN market.
In May 2009, the company introduced the Virtual Branch Network (VBN) family of products targeting branch offices and remote locations.
Corporate history
Aruba was founded in 2002 by Keerti Melkote and Pankaj Manglik. The company was venture backed by Sequoia CapitalSequoia Capital
Sequoia Capital is a Californian venture capital firm located on Sand Hill Road in Menlo Park, California. The Wall Street Journal has called Sequoia Capital "one of the highest-caliber venture firms", and noted that it is "one of Silicon Valley's most influential venture-capital firms"...
and Matrix Partners
Matrix Partners
Matrix Partners is a US based private equity investment firm focusing on venture capital investments. The firm invests in seed and early stage companies in the United States and India, particularly in the software, communications, semiconductors, data storage, Internet or wireless sectors.The firm...
. In 2005, it entered into an agreement to provide OEM equipment to Alcatel-Lucent
Alcatel-Lucent
Alcatel-Lucent is a global telecommunications corporation, headquartered in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, France. It provides telecommunications solutions to service providers, enterprises, and governments around the world, enabling these customers to deliver voice, data, and video services...
.
Aruba went public in March 2007. It acquired the wireless security business of Network Chemistry
Network Chemistry
Network Chemistry is a Wi-Fi security startup based in Redwood City, California. The firm was founded in 2002 by several co-founders including Rob Markovich and Dr...
later that year. In 2008 it purchased AirWave Wireless
AirWave Wireless
Airwave Wireless, Inc. was founded in 2000 as an Wi-Fi hotspot provider, with venture capital from Idealab. In the wake of the dot-com bust they adopted a new business model, selling wireless network management software: the AirWave Management Platform, or AMP...
, a vendor of wireless network management software.
Hardware
Aruba offers Wi-FiWi-Fi
Wi-Fi or Wifi, is a mechanism for wirelessly connecting electronic devices. A device enabled with Wi-Fi, such as a personal computer, video game console, smartphone, or digital audio player, can connect to the Internet via a wireless network access point. An access point has a range of about 20...
-branded products such as access points
Wireless access point
In computer networking, a wireless access point is a device that allows wireless devices to connect to a wired network using Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or related standards...
, wireless controllers and software. Aruba sells products under their own brandname and as OEM products from other vendors, such as the Dell PowerConnect
Dell PowerConnect
PowerConnect is a Dell series of network switches. The PowerConnect "classic" switches are based on Broadcom or Marvell Technology Group fabric and firmware. Dell also offers the PowerConnect J-series which are Juniper Networks switches and the PowerConnect B-series which are Dell-branded Brocade...
W-series products.
Access points
Wireless access pointWireless access point
In computer networking, a wireless access point is a device that allows wireless devices to connect to a wired network using Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or related standards...
s from Aruba are targeted at the corporate market and support the IEEE 802.11n standard. Some AP's can use external antennas both for improved indoor-coverage as outdoor usage. One model AP is weather-proof to be used with up to 4 external antennas.
All Aruba access points offer ARM: Adaptive Radio Management, integrated security features, integrated spectrum analysis and supports mesh-features for campus-wide deployment.
Mesh routers
Aruba offers 4 models mesh-routers. These mesh-routers are access-points with integrated OSI layer 3Network Layer
The network layer is layer 3 of the seven-layer OSI model of computer networking.The network layer is responsible for packet forwarding including routing through intermediate routers, whereas the data link layer is responsible for media access control, flow control and error checking.The network...
routing. Most models are to be used with external antennas and designed for outdoor use and optimized to be used for wireless security cameras
Remote access points
For small branches or working from home Aruba offers RAPs: Remote Access Points that communicate with Aruba's Mobility Controller. There are several RAPs: small single-radio AP's, a wired-only device and multi-user wired/wireless models.Access switches
The S3500 Mobility Access switch is a 24 ot 48 port Power over EthernetPower over Ethernet
Power over Ethernet or PoE technology describes a system to pass electrical power safely, along with data, on Ethernet cabling. The IEEE standard for PoE requires category 5 cable or higher for high power levels, but can operate with category 3 cable for low power levels...
(PoE) switch for use with the Access Points. Management can be done via a dedicated out of band 10/100/1000 Mbit/s Ethernet
Ethernet
Ethernet is a family of computer networking technologies for local area networks commercially introduced in 1980. Standardized in IEEE 802.3, Ethernet has largely replaced competing wired LAN technologies....
port.
Mobility contoller
Mobility controllers are used for a central organization-wide management of all access-points and users. For smaller environments APs with built-in controllers are available for up to 512 users. For larger organisations Aruba offers the 3000 series for 4 Gbps total bandwidth or 6000 series for up to 20 Gbps bandwidth and in both cases with a maxumum of 8192 users. The controllers offer access authentication, managed encryption, radio-spectrum analysis and firewallFirewall
Firewall may refer to:* Firewall , a barrier inside a building or vehicle, designed to limit the spread of fire, heat and structural collapse...
-features.
Antennas
Some Aruba access-points can use external antennas. A wide range of indoor and outdoor antennas are available, supporting different frequency-ranges, directional and omni-directionalSoftware
Aruba has software-products for use with their hardware. Aruba's own operating systemOperating system
An operating system is a set of programs that manage computer hardware resources and provide common services for application software. The operating system is the most important type of system software in a computer system...
runs on all Aruba access-points and mobility controllers.