Aerohive – The Changing of the Guard
WLANs and it’s acceptance as a secure and robust technology was a tumultuous experience. To me it was the technological conundrum. the mere perception of networking without wires, being able to transmit data, voice and video over a transmission media that is not visible, was to some protagonists of the wired world, preposterous and unrealistic. From the onset we had debate after debate about security. Remember, 802.11 started becoming a buzz word around the same time as hacking. Wireless technology was initiated into the hall of flames. Long ignored and accepted shortcomings of networking was mysteriously added to the smell test for WLANs. as an instructor I welcomed the intellectual frenzy because it presented a forum to get back to the foundations of networking. the questions opened an avenue for teaching theory.WLANs demands a strong knowledge of networking technology. Competition by manufacturers created the need for marketing techniques suited to a new breed of networkers,the wireless guys.
Social networking applications fostered a instant learning environment with debate, discussions, and, whitepapers. Generally, these high quality, documents reinforced the concepts of networking technology from way back in the old days.1998 the various manufacturers played a major role in assisting the instructor in validating the need for a theoretical understanding of concepts, standards, algorithms, protocols, design, traffic control, access control, frame types and all the good stuff. My classes were learning fountains of papers from Aruba, Cisco, WildPackets, AirMagnet, IBM, just to name a few. WLANs not only revolutionized networking, but through the programs put together by Planet 3, Cisco, Aruba,Symbol and the many to numerous to mention, the curiosity level of the networker was lifted to unimaginable heights.
As the acceptance of WLANs as a viable, secure and robust technology soared, the creative minds began working. We went through the myriad of devices, EWGs, EEGs, switches, controllers, amplifiers, antennas. We debated and discussed encryption schemes, access control methodologies,frame types, design, site surveying and the OSI model. Today we are witnessing a new phase and once again, a new debate, thrust on us through study. the mere concept of less wire networking has demanded a look at networks from the view of traffic control, airtime, co-existence of clients, quality of service and security.
I was recently introduced to line of products by a start up company, Aerohive. little did I know that I was delving into a concept of networking that reverted to the tried and tested rules of data communications. An article on a lively discussion between two CEO’s concerning controller based as opposed to non controller-based designs sent me rummaging through my piles of whitepapers and books. I finally found two of the best networking technology books in my library, one by Novell and one by Cisco. I reminisced on the days when I taught redundancy, bottlenecks, traffic control, single point of failure, maximum performance but minimum cost. I played in my mind the advantages of a distributed design as opposed to a centralized. Cost and ROI being major considerations in today’s implementation I was utterly amazed by what the designers at Aerohive was able to accomplish. the features of these products are unbelievable. Cooperative Control? QoS? Dynamic Airtime Scheduling? RADIUS support? best Path Forwarding?
Co-ordinated Radio Channel? Power Management?I quickly determined that this not an everyday occurence. this is major Am I witnessing the changing of the guard? Being technologically challenged, I downloaded every paper I could lay my hands on. Big mistake as I studied the theory presented by AeroHive, I accepted that simplicity has finally merged with functionality. I had become a witness. sorry Le Bron.
Coming Soon who needs WiMAX?..There’ll Be A Ruckus