Replacing an Access Point

Aruba Central (on-premises) now supports Campus AP, Remote AP, and Instant Access Point replacement workflow. You can now replace the APs from the AP dashboard in the Aruba Central (on-premises) WebUI. Navigate to Manage > Overview > Summary page to replace the AP.

Before you Replace a Campus AP or Remote AP

Following are the important points to consider before you replace a Campus AP or Remote AP:

• The device that has to be replaced must be offline.

• The model number of the old AP and the new AP can be different. The AP that replaces another AP need not be of the same model.

• The old AP must be a licensed device, and ensure to have an additional license available because the new AP will procure a license during replacement.
• The new AP must be part of the device inventory.
• After the AP is replaced, the new AP gets licensed and inherits the Group, Label, and Site parameters along with floor plan from the old device.
• The new AP does not inherit any configuration from the old AP.
• After the AP is replaced, the old AP is removed from:
  • Device inventory
  • Monitoring view, if associated
  • 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. if the AP is associated with the Visual RF floor plan
  • Site, Label, and Group, if associated
• The new AP replaces the old AP in the VisualRF floor plan if the old AP was associated with the VisualRF floor plan.
• The old AP is deleted from the monitoring view only after the validation process is complete. This validation process takes about 15 minutes.

Before you Replace an Instant AP

Following are the important points to consider before you replace an Instant Access Point:

• The device that has to be replaced must be offline.
• The model number of the old AP and the new AP must be the same. For example, an AP-505 must be replaced with an AP-505 only.
• The new AP must be part of the device inventory.
• Subscription must be assigned for the new AP.
• If the AP that is going to be replaced is a member, the new AP automatically inherits the configuration from the leader of the group.
• If the AP that is going to be replaced is a leader, the new AP does not automatically become the leader. Although the replacement procedure ensures that the new AP inherits the configuration settings, a new leader is elected after the new AP joins the cluster.
• After the AP is replaced, the new AP inherits the Group, Label, Site parameters, firmware version, and device name from the old device.
• The old AP is deleted from the monitoring view only after the validation process is complete. This validation process takes 15 minutes.
• After the device is replaced, the old AP is not removed from the device inventory. The AP can be reused in the future.

Replacing an AP from the Summary Page

To replace an AP from the summary page, complete the following steps:

1. In the Network Operations app, set the filter to Global.
   The dashboard context for the selected filter is displayed.
2. Under Manage, click Devices > Access Points.
   A list of APs is displayed in the List view.
3. Click Offline to view a list of offline APs in the Access Points table.
4. In the Device Name column, click the AP that you want to replace.
   The Overview > Summary page is displayed in the AP dashboard.
5. In the Actions drop-down list, click Replace Device.
6. In the Replace Device pop-up window, click Replace.
7. In the Replace Access Point page, perform the following steps:
   1. Select a replacement AP and click Next.
   2. Verify the attributes and click Next.

   Table 1: Parameters for Campus AP and Remote AP

   Parameters	Description
   Device name	The device name of the new AP.
   Serial number	The serial number for each AP is a unique value. The serial number reflects the value of the new AP.
   Subscription assigned	The new AP is assigned the same subscription as the old one. For example, if the old AP had a Foundation license, the new AP is assigned the same Foundation license.
   Model number	The model number of the new AP.
   Group name	The group name that is inherited from the old AP.
   Site assigned	The site that is inherited from the old AP.
   Label(s) assigned	The label(s) that is inherited from the old AP.

    

   Table 2: Parameters for an Instant Access Point

   Parameters	Description
   Device name	The name that is inherited from the old AP.
   Serial number	The serial number for each AP is a unique value. The serial number reflects the value of the new AP.
   Subscription assigned	The same subscription is assigned to the new AP. For example, if the old AP had a Foundation license, the new AP is assigned the same Foundation license.
   Model number	The model number is inherited from the old AP.
   Group name	The group name that is inherited from the old AP.
   Site assigned	The site that is inherited from the old AP.
   Firmware version	Firmware version is displayed as Unknown for the new AP. However, after the new AP is connected and the configuration in synchronized, the firmware is upgraded to the same version as the old device.

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

   3. In the Confirmation page, review the old and new device details and click Replace.
   4. In the Request Accepted pop-up window, click Done to continue the workflow.
8. In the Access Point Details page, a progress bar displays the device replacement status. Hover over the progress bar to view more details.
9. Optionally, hover over the progress bar and click Terminate if you wish you to discontinue replacing the device.

   If the device replacement process fails, click Terminate to end the procedure and retry.

10. Connect the new AP.

    The status in the progress bar changes to Device replacement in progress. Hover over the progress bar to view more details.

    If the firmware upgrade fails for an Instant Access Point, Aruba Central automatically retries one more time. If the firmware upgrade fails for the second time, the Firmware Updated status changes to Failed. You can manually upgrade the firmware. For more information, see Upgrading Device Firmware.

11. Navigate to the AP Summary page of the new device.
    1.  In the Network Operations app, set the filter to Global.
       The dashboard context for the selected filter is displayed.
    2. Under Manage, click Devices > Access Points.
       A list of AP is displayed in the List view.
    3. Click Online to view a list of online APs in the Access Points table.
    4. In the Device Name column, click the new AP.
       The Overview > Summary page is displayed in the AP dashboard.
    5.  In the Device section, you can view the following details:
       • AP Model
       • Country Code
       • MACMedia Access Control. A MAC address is a unique identifier assigned to network interfaces for communications on a network. Address
       • Serial Number
       • Last Seen
       • Last Reboot Reason
       • Firmware version
       • Configuration Status
       • BandBand refers to a specified range of frequencies of electromagnetic radiation. Selection
       • Power Negotiation
       • Group
       • Labels
       • Site
12. The Audit Trail page displays all the logs generated during the device replacement process. To view the logs, set the filter to Global. Under Analyze, click Audit Trail.

The Audit Trail table is displayed.