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Optimizing AP Connections over Low-Speed or High-Latency Links
Depending on your deployment scenario, you may have Campus APs or Remote APs that connect to a managed device located across low-speed (less than 1 Mbps Megabits per second capacity) or high-latency (greater than 100 ms) links.
With low-speed links, if heartbeat or keep alive packets are not received between the AP and managed device during the defined interval, APs may reboot causing clients to re-associate. You can adjust the bootstrap threshold and prioritize AP heartbeats to optimize these types of links. In addition, high bandwidth applications may saturate low-speed links. For example, if you have tunnel-mode SSIDs Service Set Identifier. SSID is a name given to a WLAN and is used by the client to access a WLAN network., use them with low-bandwidth applications such as barcode scanning, small database lookups, and Telnet to avoid saturating the link. If you have traffic that will remain local, deploying remote APs Remote APs extend corporate network to the users working from home or at temporary work sites. Remote APs are deplyed at branch office sites and are connected to the central network on a WAN link. and configuring SSIDs Service Set Identifier. SSID is a name given to a WLAN and is used by the client to access a WLAN network. as bridge-mode SSIDs Service Set Identifier. SSID is a name given to a WLAN and is used by the client to access a WLAN network. can also prevent link saturation.
With high-latency links, consider the amount and type of client devices accessing the links. Aruba APs locally process 802.11 802.11 is an evolving family of specifications for wireless LANs developed by a working group of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). 802.11 standards use the Ethernet protocol and Carrier Sense Multiple Access with collision avoidance (CSMA/CA) for path sharing. probe-requests and probe-responses, but the 802.11 802.11 is an evolving family of specifications for wireless LANs developed by a working group of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). 802.11 standards use the Ethernet protocol and Carrier Sense Multiple Access with collision avoidance (CSMA/CA) for path sharing. association process requires interaction with the managed device.
When deploying APs across low-speed or high-latency links, the following best practices are recommended:
- Connect APs and managed devices over a link with a capacity of 1 Mbps Megabits per second or greater.
- Maintain a minimum link speed of 64 Kbps Kilobits per second. per AP and per bridge-mode SSID Service Set Identifier. SSID is a name given to a WLAN and is used by the client to access a WLAN network.. This is the minimum speed required for downloading software images.
- Adjust the bootstrap threshold to 30 if the network experiences packet loss. This makes the AP recover more slowly in the event of a failure, but it will be more tolerant to heartbeat packet loss.
- Prioritize AP heartbeats to prevent losing connectivity with the managed device.
- If possible, reduce the number of tunnel-mode SSIDs Service Set Identifier. SSID is a name given to a WLAN and is used by the client to access a WLAN network.. Each SSID Service Set Identifier. SSID is a name given to a WLAN and is used by the client to access a WLAN network. creates a tunnel to the managed device with its own tunnel keep alive traffic.
- If most of the data traffic will remain local to the site, deploy remote APs Remote APs extend corporate network to the users working from home or at temporary work sites. Remote APs are deplyed at branch office sites and are connected to the central network on a WAN link. in bridging mode. For more information, see Access Points.
- If high-latency links such as transoceanic or satellite links are used in the network, deploy a managed device geographically close to the APs.
- If high-latency causes association issues with certain handheld devices or barcode scanners, check the manufacturer of the device for recent firmware and driver updates.
The following topics provide information on configuring bootstrap threshold and prioritizing AP heartbeats:
Configuring the Bootstrap Threshold
To configure the bootstrap threshold using the WebUI, enter a value into the field in the advanced AP system profile settings. For more details, see Configuring the AP System Profile .
To configure this setting using the command-line interface, issue the command .
Prioritizing AP Heartbeats
To configure the AP heartbeat priority using the WebUI, enter a value greater than zero into the field in the advanced AP system profile settings. For more details, see Configuring the AP System Profile .
To configure this setting using the command-line interface, issue the command .
AM Copy Optimization
Starting from AOS-8 8.4.0.0, the AM Air Monitor. AM is a mode of operation supported on wireless APs. When an AP operates in the Air Monitor mode, it enhances the wireless networks by collecting statistics, monitoring traffic, detecting intrusions, enforcing security policies, balancing wireless traffic load, self-healing coverage gaps, and more. However, clients cannot connect to APs operating in the AM mode. Copy feature is significantly enhanced to reduce the burden on CPU Central Processing Unit. A CPU is an electronic circuitry in a computer for processing instructions. and increase the AP performance. The optimization impacts the following features:
IDS Signature Match
This feature will no longer be reliable in matching the packet payload or sequence number. You need to disable the parameter to detect the filtered packets and match all the packets with a given payload pattern or sequence number.
Frame Rate Anomaly Checks
The frame retry rate will be affected because the data received from the driver will now be filtered out. The frame retry rate will not be affected if parameter is disabled.
