The Aruba 8400 ArubaOS-CX Network Operating System

In this next installment looking at the Aruba Networks 8400 chassis switch, Ethan Banks looks how the switch interacts with ArubaOS-CX. The OS is highly programmable, supporting a well documented API in addition to a modular web GUI. Ethan takes a look at the extensibility offered by the system, the importance of the Linux kernal to the OS, and its design for resiliency.


Designing a Campus Switch with a “Carrier-Grade” Mindset

Kevin Myers looks at Aruba’s 8400 chassis switch and digs into how the company can backup their claim that it’s a “carrier-grade” campus core switch. Coming from a service provider background Kevin found this a rather tall order. However after learning more about the 8400, he found this was much more than marketing bluster. Indeed carrier-grade was an integral part of the core design and development philosophy of the switch.


The Aruba 8400 Hardware Highlights

In part two of his look at the Aruba 8400 chassis switch, Ethan Banks digs into the hardware of the device. The 8400 is built with redundancy in mind, which fits in with its campus core market. Aruba has designed it to offer a vaunted “carrier class” availability, with a service life to match. Ethan breaks down the unique ASIC used in the switch and digs into some speeds and feeds.


The Aruba 8400 Chassis Switch. Yes, But Why?

For those that have been around networking for more than a little bit, switches are often hard to get excited about. When Ethan Banks found out that Aruba Networks would be announcing a new chassis switch, he was initially demurred by the seemingly innocuous product . But after attending their announcement, his mind was racing with the possibilities for this new piece of hardware. So much so that this is part one in an article series going into a deep dive of all its capabilities.


Diving Into Design With The Aruba 8400

John Herbert takes a look at the design behind the new Aruba 8400 switch and why little things like airflow and linecard layout can help solve manufacturing issues. He also discusses how the new generation of switches like the 8400 can bring increased performance to locations that may not have the support of a full datacenter environment.


Moving beyond the CLI with Aruba 8400 (Enabling SDN for NetOps)

There are a number of programmable switches in the world, but Christopher Kusek sees Aruba’s 8400-series as something different. Instead designing programability that forces network admins to learn a completely new skillset (programming), the 8400’s Swagger interface is designed around how network admins actually do their job today. Christopher sees this as a major differentiator.


Lofty Goals for The Campus Core: Aruba 8400 Series and OS-CX

Brandon Carroll shares his thoughts on Aruba’s new 8400 Switch series, which he saw at a Networking Field Day Exclusive event. Brandon thinks Aruba has done a good job on the hardware side of designing a switch for Campus Aggregation & Core L2/L3 Ethernet deployments. The switch is powered by the Linux based OS-CX, which allows for full programmability and features a well thought out web GUI.


Network Break 148: HPE, Big Switch Partner; Brocade Spins Out SDN Startup

In this episode of the Network Break podcast, the Packet Pushers talk about much of this week’s IT news including HPE and Big Switch teaming up in the data center, Google’s routing initiative Espresso, Brocade spining out its OpenDaylight SDN controller to a startup, Aruba revealing more details of its brand new core switch, and more. Ethan Banks expands specifically on Aruba, as he just saw them present at a Networking Field Day Extra event.


Preview: Networking Field Day Exclusive with Aruba (HPE) – The 8400 core switch

The world of campus networking might not be the most exciting of late. But at a Networking Field Day Exclusive event with Aruba, Kevin Myers found a lot of interesting things about their 8400 core switch. Aruba touts it as offering increased automation and visibility into the campus core. For Kevin, he was initially impressed with the switch’s data center grade ports and speeds, encryption availability, and support for Aruba’s Virtual Switching Framework. Now that Kevin’s got a deep dive on the 8400, we’re looking forward to seeing more of his impressions soon!


E62 – Aruba Did What?

The No Strings Attached Show takes a look at the experience from Aruba Atmosphere 2017 in Nashville. They talk about some of the live demos they saw, including a live update of a controller during the keynote. Give it a listen and hear more from Blake Krone and Sam Clements!


The Rise of the Machine Learning Solutions

Shaun Neal published a piece with his thoughts on what he saw from Aruba Atmosphere 2017. He focuses in on their Niara solution which solves some of the issues that arise when managing network access via policy. He lays out three uses cases for it, how the solution works for stolen identities, malware, and software bugs. He thinks that with Niara, Aruba puts themselves near the forefront of adding in machine learning to enterprise management.


Building Reliability

Tom Hollingsworth looks at the issue of network reliability. At Aruba Atmosphere, he saw some impressive reliability features, including a live non-disruptive controller upgrade during one of the presentations. Tom found it impressive, but thinks a lot of the focus on reliability, is perhaps not seeing the forest for the trees. For Tom, maybe the idea of creating incredibly robust networks that absolve users from error, Tom calls for more limitations and responsibility for people working on and using them. A little knowledge goes a long way to absolving an organization from the expense of designing an implementing the “foolproof” network.


Exploring Mesh with an AP-205H

Scott McDermott takes a look at the HPE AP-205H access point that he got a look at from Wireless Field Day. While the device is versatile enough for a number of use cases, what Scott wanted to see is if he could use it to bridge all of his home media devices. He walks through all the steps of getting this setup, and what his impressions are. It might be a little overkill, but it definitely shows it’s a versatile piece of hardware!


ArubaOS 8 – Behind the Release Notes

ArubaOS 8 – Behind the Release Notes


Aruba ClearPass and Managing Unknown Devices

Aruba ClearPass and Managing Unknown Devices


Aruba ClearPass and Managing Unknown Devices

Aruba ClearPass and Managing Unknown Devices


Aruba’s Mobile First Vision: Much More Than Connecting Devices

Aruba’s Mobile First Vision: Much More Than Connecting Devices


Aruba’s Mobile First Vision: Much More Than Connecting Devices

Aruba’s Mobile First Vision: Much More Than Connecting Devices


Aruba Networks Brings Campus Wireless Improvements

Aruba Networks Brings Campus Wireless Improvements


Aruba Extends Feature Velocity to Partners

Aruba Extends Feature Velocity to Partners