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| Mesh IAP Configuration
Aruba Instant 6.5.0.0-4.3.0.0 | User Guide
The mesh portal broadcasts a mesh services set identifier (MSSID/ mesh cluster name) to advertise the mesh
network service to other mesh points in that Instant network. This is not configurable and is transparent to the
user. The mesh points authenticate to the mesh portal and establish a link that is secured using Advanced
Encryption Standard (AES) encryption.
The mesh portal reboots after 5 minutes when it loses its uplink connectivity to a wired network.
Mesh Points
The mesh point establishes an all-wireless path to the mesh portal. The mesh point provides traditional WLAN
services such as client connectivity, intrusion detection system (IDS) capabilities, user role association, and
Quality of Service (QoS) for LAN-to-mesh communication to clients and performs mesh backhaul/network
connectivity.
A mesh point also supports LAN bridging. You can connect any wired device to the downlink port of the mesh
point. In the case of single Ethernet port platforms such as IAP-105, you can convert the Eth0 uplink port to a
downlink port by enabling
Eth0 Bridging
. For additional information, see
Ethernet 0 for Mesh Point on page 335
.
Setting up Instant Mesh Network
Starting from Instant 6.4.0.2-4.1.0.0 release, mesh functionality is disabled by default, because of which over-
the-air provisioning of mesh IAPs is not supported.
To provision IAPs as mesh IAPs:
1. Connect the IAPs to a wired switch.
2. Ensure that the VC key is synchronized and the country code is configured.
3. Ensure that a valid SSID is configured on the IAP.
4. If the IAP has a factory default SSID (Instant SSID), delete the SSID.
5. If an extended SSID (ESSID) is enabled on the VC, disable it and reboot the IAP cluster.
6. Disconnect the IAPs that you want to deploy as mesh points from the switch, and place the IAPs at a remote
location. The IAPs come up without any wired uplink connection and function as mesh points. The IAPs with
valid uplink connections function as mesh portals.
Instant does not support the topology in which the IAPs are connected to the downlink Ethernet port of a
mesh point.
Configuring Wired Bridging on Ethernet 0 for Mesh Point
Instant supports wired bridging on the Enet0 port of an IAP. If IAP is configured to function as a mesh point,
you can configure wired bridging.
Enabling wired bridging on this port of an IAP makes the port available as a downlink wired bridge and allows
client access through the port.
When using 3G uplink, the wired port will be used as downlink.
You can configure support for wired bridging on the Enet0 port of an IAP by using the Instant UI or the CLI.
