Replacing APs in Bulk

Aruba Central (on-premises) now allows you to perform bulk replacement of Campus APs and Remote APs in the WebUI. You can replace the APs in bulk by using one of the following pages available under Network Operations app:

• Manage> Overview > Device Replacement under Sites filter. For more information, see Bulk Replacement from the Device Replacement Page.
• Manage Sites under Maintain > Organization > Network Structure > Sites. For more information, see Bulk Replacement from the Manage Sites Page.

Important Points

Following are the important points to consider when replacing APs in bulk:

• You can replace only the APs that are offline.

• The model number of the old APs and the new APs can be different.

• Bulk replacement of APs is applicable to Campus APs and Remote APs only.

• You cannot rename APs by using Device Replacement or Manage Sites page. To rename APs, see Renaming an AP.

• The old APs must be licensed devices. Also, ensure to have additional licenses available because the new APs will procure licenses during replacement.
• The new APs must be part of the device inventory, and must be licensed in Aruba Central (on-premises).
• After the APs are replaced, the new APs inherit the Group, Label, Site, and Visual RFRadio Frequency. RF refers to the electromagnetic wave frequencies within a range of 3 kHz to 300 GHz, including the frequencies used for communications or Radar signals. parameters along with licenses from the old APs.
• After the APs are replaced, the old APs are removed from:
  • Device inventory
  • Monitoring view, if associated
  • Visual RF, if the APs are associated with the Visual RF floor plan
  • Site, Label, and Group, if associated
• The new APs replace the old or faulty APs that were associated with the VisualRF floor plan.
• Bulk replacement of APs is an irreversible process. After the APs are replaced in bulk, you cannot revert to the old APs.

Bulk Replacement from the Device Replacement Page

To replace APs in bulk by using the Device Replacement page, complete the following steps:

1. In the Network Operations app, set the filter to one of the relevant options under Sites.
   The dashboard context for the selected site is displayed.
2. Under Manage, click Overview > Device Replacement.
   The Bulk Device Replacement page is displayed.
3. Select the number of offline APs under Devices table that you want to replace, and click the icon.

   The Replace Devices page is displayed.

   You can select a maximum of 30 offline devices from the Devices table for bulk replacement.

4. In the Devices table, select the serial number of the new AP from the New Device drop-down list.

   In the Confirmation page, the following warning is displayed—
   This is an irreversible operation. Do you want to proceed with the device replacement?

5. Click Replace.

   The Replacement Status pop-up window is displayed.

   The Replacement Status pop-up window displays the The replacement request has been accepted message for each of the newly replaced APs.

6. Click Done.

   The In Progress Devices table under Bulk Device Replacement displays the parameters of the new devices as described in Table 1.

   Table 1: In Progress Devices Parameters

   Parameters	Description
   Faulty device serial	The faulty serial number of the previous AP.
   New device serial	The serial number for each AP is a unique value. The serial number reflects the value of the new AP.
   License assignment	The status of the license assigned to the new AP.
   Group assignment	The status of the group name inherited from the old AP.
   Site assignment	The status of the site that is inherited from the old AP.
   Labels assignment	The status of the labels that are inherited from the old AP.
   Status	The bulk device replacement status.

The following figure displays three offline APs that are selected for replacement in the Bulk Device Replacement page .

Figure 1  Bulk Device Replacement

The following figure displays the Replace Devices page where serial number of the new APs are selected for replacement from the New Device drop-down list.

Figure 2  Replace Devices

Bulk Replacement from the Manage Sites Page

To replace APs in bulk by using the Manage Sites page, complete the following steps:

1. In the Network Operations app, set the filter to Global.
   
2. Under Maintain, click Organization.
   By default, the Network Structure tab is displayed.
3. Click the Sites tile.

   The Manage Sites page is displayed.

4. From the list of sites, select the site whose APs you want to replace.
5. Click the icon.

   The Replace Offline Devices pop-up window is displayed.

6. Click Replace.

   The Bulk Device Replacement page under Manage > Overview > Device Replacement is displayed.

7. Select the number of offline APs under Devices table that you want to replace, and click the icon.

   The Replace Devices page is displayed.

   You can select a maximum of 30 offline devices from the Devices table for bulk replacement.

8. In the Devices table, select the serial number of the new AP from the New Device drop-down list.

   In the Confirmation page, the following warning is displayed—
   This is an irreversible operation. Do you want to proceed with the device replacement?

9. Click Replace.

   The Replacement Status pop-up window is displayed.

   The Replacement Status pop-up window displays the The replacement request has been accepted message for each of the newly replaced APs.

10. Click Done.

The following figure displays the Replace Offline Devices pop-up window under Manage Sites page.

Figure 3  Manage Sites