u/betelguese_supernova

Hello all,

Briefly here's some background about our operation: we have 1 HQ location which is a 100k sq ft building (80k of which is warehouse space). About 100 employees + anywhere from 50-150 guests (we have a couple of event rooms that we rent to the public). Then we have 4 other branch locations (also mixed office/warehouse space) which are much smaller (3-10 employees each).

Current network is a mixed bag. At HQ, we have Cisco switching with wireless. At our branches, the wireless is Ubiquiti.

I need to refresh the switches/wireless at our HQ and later in the future we'll hit the branches. Our network is pretty standard I think. Switches need standard layer 2 features. I don't need routing, but I do want to be able to apply IP ACLs. I am doing this on my Cisco switches as an additional security layer. Basically, I block east/west traffic at the port level. I also block all IPv6 traffic at the switch. In addition to that, I have 5 VLANs including a voice VLAN for ShoreTel/Mitel and a guest VLAN for guest wifi. I'm currently not using any type of network access control/RADIUS. Everything is PSK (yea, I know, not the best, hoping to change this in the future).

I also was going to stack my switches because I have an MDF with 7 switches and an IDF with 3 switches. This is basically all access switching. Even though we do have a few servers still on site, we don't push that much traffic to warrant some type of core distribution design. Most of our traffic is going to the internet now anyways as we move stuff to cloud. We only have a 200M internet circuit too. 1gb on the switch ports and 1gb uplinks for the APs is fine.

I've got quotes from Cisco and Aruba and the Aruba came in cheaper and looks very appealing. Aruba Central looks very interesting as a central cloud management option. We're currently not doing anything here in the Cisco realm. I have to manage all the switches individually. The APs have a physical controller. I'm a one-man shop who's used to the Cisco CLI, but I understand Aruba is very similar?

I'm trying not to make this post super long so my questions I'm hoping you all with Aruba experience could address:

1. If you moved from Cisco to Aruba, how was that experience? Any surprises or big gotchas?

2. For the wireless, I don't think I'd be using gateways. The APs would be locally bridged. My understanding is this is basically a controllerless model is that correct? Are there any downsides to this model? What I don't like about the Cisco wireless right now is the single point of failure of the controller.

3. If support lapses, do devices keep working (unlike Meraki for example)?

My VAR quoted me the following gear so far:

1. 6300M switch (JL661A) - maybe I can drop this to 6200 series?

2. AP-635 (for office space)

3. AP-587 (for warehouse space)

4. AP-518 (for our walk-in freezers/coolers in the warehouse)

5. ClearPass Cx000V VM appliance - not sure I actually need this day 1. This might be a nice to have in the future?

Thank you for any advice/comments/thoughts you can provide!

Hi everyone!

I could use some help preparing for my next trip. I've traveled a few places usually one bagging it (ok one bag + day bag), but I'm usually in cities during spring or fall. Also, for context, I'm from Florida, so we don't really do cold here.

I'm now going to Chile for the first time in June of this year with a planned trip of about 5 nights in San Pedro de Atacama to visit the sights of the Atacama desert.

San Pedro is around 2400m and I've seen the temperatures usually range from 50-60F (10-16C) in June. That doesn't seem too bad, but I'm concerned about the excursions I'm going to take.

For example, several excursions go up to 4000-4200m and we'd be there early in the morning (Tatio geyers or the altiplano lagoons for example). I've read it can drop below freezing during those times and things like hat, gloves, scarf, and other cold weather clothing is needed.

So, I could use some help with what I should buy to be comfortable at those temperatures but also be flexible and try to keep it to one bag.

I planned on buying some Heattech Ultra warm undershirts and tights for a base layer. After that what should I invest in? I do have a Uniqlo Ultra Light Down jacket already. Would that be a mid layer? Do I need to buy a bigger outer layer like their down parka or something (I'm open to other brands as well, just using Uniqlo as an example)?

After San Pedro, I'm coming back to Santiago for a couple of days before departing for Easter Island for 4 nights. I understand temps in both these places will probably be closer to San Pedro 50s-60s, maybe a bit warmer on Easter Island.

Can anyone offer any advice on what they'd pack for a trip like this? Thank you!

Bonus question: recommendations for footwear? I usually travel with a classic sneaker like a Stan Smith, but not sure if that's best for this environment. I'd prefer something that doesn't stand out in the city, so nothing too sporty, clunky, or bulky looking.