New System Keeps Tarmac Workers, Maintenance Crews in Touch with Data Center SUNNYVALE, Calif.--(Business Wire)-- Aruba Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ: ARUN), a global leader in distributed enterprise network solutions, today announced that China-based Xiamen Airlines has deployed Aruba`s 802.11n Wi-Fi networks in tarmac operations areas at airports in Xiamen and Fuzhou. The new wireless networks will help keep aircraft inspectors, luggage handlers, and maintenance crews in constant communications with the airline`s data center. Xiamen Airlines was the first publicly owned airline in China, and distinguishes itself by its operating efficiency. The new system is intended to boost productivity by allowing personnel to quickly identify service, luggage, and equipment issues and speed up their resolution.

"Our profitability is linked to the rate at which we turn around planes and get them back in the air, and the timely dispatch of service and maintenance crews - and efficient handling of luggage - are essential to that goal," said Lin Tan, Director of Xiamen Airlines. "We used to rely on wired network connections but they hindered mobility and were a drag on efficiency. We eyed Wi-Fi for a long time as the preferred low-cost mobility solution, but 5GHz aircraft radar and other nearby networks made for a very challenging RF environment. It wasn`t until we tested Aruba and their Adaptive Radio Management technology that we found the first and only solution that consistently and reliably worked throughout our airport operations areas."

Adaptive Radio Management (ARM) technology uses infrastructure-based controls to optimize network and client performance in real-time. RF band and channel adjustments, power output manipulation, access point load balancing, airtime allocation, and interference mitigation are dynamically adjusted to ensure that latency-sensitive data, telemetry, voice and video applications have sufficient network resources to operate reliably. Key ARM features include:

* Band steering - actively guides faster 802.11a/n clients to the best available wireless channel. The result is better noise immunity, fewer sources of interference, and more available channels; * Spectrum load balancing - enables access points and Mobility Controllers to dynamically shift Wi-Fi clients to access points on channels with available bandwidth, preventing degraded network performance due to over-subscription; * Airtime fairness - allocates airtime to Wi-Fi clients, regardless of wireless chip or operating system supplier, based on bit rate capability, thereby preventing high speed 802.11n clients from being compromised by slower 802.11b/g clients.

By closing the gap between the theoretical performance of Wi-Fi clients and what is achieved in real-world deployments, ARM corrects network behavior so that end-users enjoy a better wireless experience.

Xiamen Airlines` network includes, among other products, Aruba`s 6000 Series Mobility Controller and dual-radio AP-124/125 802.11n Access Points. Aruba`s policy-enforcement firewall provides identity-based security, Quality of Service (QoS) control, and traffic management capabilities. Differentiated access is provided for each class of users based on factors including user identity, device type, location, and time of day.

"We operate in a very public environment over an open medium, and Aruba`s integrated security features, including specifically the policy enforcement firewall, demonstrably enhance the security of our network," continued Lin. "The new network also seamlessly interoperates with our existing security appliances. ARM convinced us of Aruba`s technical superiority, the firewall of their leadership in network security."

Source: Reuters.com

Editor: Tang Zhi