Aruba 6000 Controller

Overview:

The modular 6000 Mobility Controller from Aruba delivers a wide range of network services to large campus networks. Offering unmatched scalability, the 6000 controller supports up to 32,768 users and performs stateful firewall policy enforcement at speeds up to 80 Gbps.

Through secure IP tunnels, Aruba access points (APs) and Mobility Access Switches move traffic to the 6000 controller over a public or private transport network and provide local bridging at the access layer, depending on the end user application or IT traffic forwarding requirements.

Core functionality for the 6000 controller is provided by Aruba M3 controller modules. Up to four M3 modules can be installed in one 6000 controller chassis. Fully configured, the 6000 controller supports up to 2,048 APs, 512 Mobility Access Switches or 4,096 Remote APs (RAPs).

The 6000 controller also manages authentication, encryption, virtual private network (VPN) connections, IPv4 and IPv6 Layer 3 networking, the Aruba Policy Enforcement Firewall (PEF), Aruba Adaptive Radio Management (ARM), and Aruba RFProtect™ Spectrum Analysis and Wireless Intrusion Protection capabilities.

Clustering and centralized management enable the deployment of large networks with hundreds of Mobility Controllers with minimal staff. A master Mobility Controller can manage local Mobility Controllers, while AirWave™ provides enterprise-wide clarity and control through real-time monitoring, historical reporting and troubleshooting.

Core functionality is enabled by one of three available supervisor modules. Multiple supervisor modules may be installed in a single chassis, and mixing of different supervisor module types is supported. The modular Aruba 6000 chassis supports a combination of supervisor and line card modules:

• The Aruba M3 Controller Module is the industry's highest performing controller module with throughput of 20Gbps and the ability to support up to 512 LAN-connected access points or 2,048 remote access points. Designed for the performance needs of 802.11n, the M3 is built on a flexible multi-core processing architecture that makes it adaptable to wireless LAN, remote networking, or network security services. The M3 includes 2x10GBase-X Ethernet XFP ports and 10x 1000Base-X SFP ports.
• The Aruba Supervisor Card II (SC2) is a controller module designed to support up to 256 LAN-connected 802.11a/b/g/n wireless access points. The SC2 requires the installation of a line card module for network connectivity.
• The Aruba Supervisor Card I (SC1) is the original controller module for the Aruba 6000 designed to support up to 128 LAN-connected 802.11a/b/g/n wireless access points. The SC1 requires the installation of a line card module for network connectivity.
• The Aruba LC-2G is a 2-port line card compatible with the M3, SC2, and SC1 supervisor modules. It contains 2x 1000Base-X GBIC slots.
• The Aruba LC-2G24F is an Ethernet line card compatible with the M3, SC2, and SC1 supervisor modules. It contains 2x 1000Base-X GBIC slots and 24x 100Base-T ports.

Specifications:

Aruba M3 Controller Module
The Aruba M3 Controller Module leads the industry in performance. Designed for the performance needs of 802.11n, the M3 is built on a flexible multi-core processing architecture that makes it adaptable to wireless LAN, remote networking, or network security services.

Aruba M3 Controller Module:

The Aruba M3 Controller Module leads the industry in performance. Designed for the performance needs of 802.11n, the M3 is built on a flexible multi-core processing architecture that makes it adaptable to wireless LAN, remote networking, or network security services.

¹ Capacity determined by AP, RAP, and WIP software licenses

Aruba Controller Series Comparison Matrix:

Documentation:

Aruba A6000 Controller Datasheet (.PDF)

Mobility Controller Product Line Matrix (.PDF)