Onboarding Devices

Aruba Central (on-premises) allows you to onboard devices using the offline mode. In this mode, you can manually add devices to the inventory by using one of the following options:

To add devices:

  1. In the Account Home page, under Global Settings, click Device Inventory.
  2. In the Device Inventory page, click Add Devices.
  3. Enter the Serial Number, MAC address, and Part Number of the devices. You can add up to 32 devices.

To import devices from a CSVComma-Separated Values. A file format that stores tabular data in the plain text format separated by commas. file:

  1. Create a CSV file with the device list.
  2. Ensure that the CSV file includes column headers for part number, MACMedia Access Control. A MAC address is a unique identifier assigned to network interfaces for communications on a network. address, serial number, and other optional fields such as firmware version and IP address of the device.
  3. In the Account Home page, under Global Settings, click Device Inventory.
  4. In the Device Inventory page, click Import Devices Via CSV.
  5. Browse to your local directory, select the CSV file, and then click Open.
  6. Click Import.

Aruba Central (on-premises) supports adding devices using a pre-shared key(PSKPre-shared key. A unique shared secret that was previously shared between two parties by using a secure channel. This is used with WPA security, which requires the owner of a network to provide a passphrase to users for network access. ). If you want to add APs and switches to Aruba Central (on-premises), you can configure a shared secret key on the DHCPDynamic Host Configuration Protocol. A network protocol that enables a server to automatically assign an IP address to an IP-enabled device from a defined range of numbers configured for a given network.  server. When you add the same shared secret key in Aruba Central (on-premises), the devices with the known PSK string are added to the Aruba Central (on-premises) device inventory.

To onboard APs using PSK:

  1. Configure the following parameters on the DHCP server to which the APs connect.

    Option 60 with Aruba InstantAP

    Option 43 in the format <org>:<Aruba-Central IP>:<shared secret>

    Ensure that you provide only the IP address and not the host name.

  2. In the Aruba Central (on-premises) UI, go to Account Home and under Global Settings, click Device Inventory.
  3. Click Add/Delete PSK. The Add/Delete PSK window opens.
  4. Enter the PSK name and PSK details.
  5. Click Add.
  6. Reboot the Instant APs.
  7. Ensure that the Instant APs get the IP address from the DHCP server and connect to Aruba Central (on-premises).

To onboard AOS-Switches using PSK:

  1. Ensure that the switches are running factory default configuration.
  2. Configure the following parameters on the DHCP server:

    Option 43 in the format <Group>:<Topfolder>:<folder1>,<Aruba-Central IP>,<shared secret>

    Option 60

  3. In the Aruba Central (on-premises) UI, go to Account Home and under Global Settings, click Device Inventory.
  4. Click Add/Delete PSK. The Add/Delete PSK window opens.
  5. Enter the PSK name and PSK details.
  6. Click Add.
  7. Reboot the switches.
  8. Ensure that the switches get an IP address from the DHCP server, and connect to Aruba Central (on-premises).

Aruba Central (on-premises) supports adding factory default and pre-configured AOS-CX switches.

To add factory default AOS-CX switches:

  1. In the Account Home page, under Global Settings, click Device Inventory.
  2. In the Device Inventory page, click Add Devices.
  3. Enter the Serial Number, MAC address, and Part Number of the switches.

To add pre-configured AOS-CX switches:

  1. Create a backup of the configuration
  2. Reset the switch using the erase all zeroize command in the CLI.

    This initiates ZTPZero Touch Provisioning. ZTP is a device provisioning mechanism that allows automatic and quick provisioning of devices with a minimal or at times no manual intervention. on the switch, enabling the switch to obtain the IP address from the option 43 sent by the DHCP server and then connect to Aruba Central (on-premises).

    The <Group>:<Topfolder>:<folder1> portion in the option 43 is not used for AOS-CX switches.

Aruba Central (on-premises) offers monitoring service for WLANWireless Local Area Network. WLAN is a 802.11 standards-based LAN that the users access through a wireless connection. networks configured and managed using Aruba Mobility Controllers.

Aruba Central (on-premises) allows you to onboard and monitor controller clusters, the Mobility Conductor setup, and the conductor and local controller setup.

When you add a conductor controller or a Mobility Conductor, Aruba Central (on-premises) discovers all the associated controllers and campus APsCampus APs are used in private networks where APs connect over private links (LAN, WLAN, WAN or MPLS) and terminate directly on controllers. Campus APs are deployed as part of the indoor campus solution in enterprise office buildings, warehouses, hospitals, universities, and so on., and adds them to the device inventory.

Aruba Central (on-premises) does not support configuring controllers. To configure and deploy controllers, use the ArubaOS WebUI and CLI.

Before You Begin

Before adding controllers to Aruba Central (on-premises), ensure that the controller has the following parameters configured:

To configure connection profiles for adding controllers:

  1. In the Account Home page, under Global Settings, click Device Inventory.
  2. Click Controller Management. The Controller Management pop-up window opens.
  3. Under Connection Profile, configure the SNMP and HTTPSHypertext Transfer Protocol Secure. HTTPS is a variant of the HTTP that adds a layer of security on the data in transit through a secure socket layer or transport layer security protocol connection. connection profiles as per your requirement.
  4. To add an SNMP connection profile:
    1. Click SNMP and add the following details:
      • Name—Name of the connection profile.
      • SNMP Version—SNMP version, for example V2 or V3.
      • Community String—Community string required for the management of controller.
      • Click Save.
  5. To add an HTTPS connection profile:
    1. Click HTTPS and add the following details:
      • Name—Name of the connection profile.
      • HTTPS User—Username for HTTPS authentication.
      • HTTPS Password and Confirm HTTPS Password—Password for HTTPS authentication.
    2. Click Save.

To add controllers, click the Add MM/Controllers tab.

  1. Click + to add a controller.
  2. Enter a name for the controller.
  3. Enter the IP address of the controller.
  4. Select an SNMP or HTTPS profile.
  5. Click Save.
  6. Return to the Device Inventory page and verify if your controller is added.

 

Controllers come up in the Monitoring page only if it is licensed. You can choose auto subscription or license each controller manually. For more information on licensing, see Managing Licenses.

The devices provisioned in your account are listed under Global Settings > Device Inventory page.

Table 1 shows the contents of the Device Inventory page.

Table 1: Predefined Variables Example

Parameter

Description

MAC Address

MAC address of the device.

Type

Type of the device, for example AP or Switch.

IP address

IP address of the device.

Device Name

Name of the device.

Labels

Name of the label to which the device are assigned.

Model

Hardware model of the device.

Group

Name of the group to which the device is assigned. This column is displayed only for the Aruba Central Standard Enterprise mode users.

Status

Status of the subscription assignment.

To delete a device:

  1. On the Global Settings > Device Inventory page, click Delete Devices.

    The Delete Devices window opens and displays the list of devices provisioned in your network.

  2. Select the devices from the list.
  3. Click Delete.