The document discusses the challenges and solutions of implementing Software Defined Networking (SDN) for managing mobile workplaces, particularly focusing on issues with client mobility and Wi-Fi performance for Unified Communications (UC) applications like Lync. It outlines the SDN architecture's components, QoS for media streams, and real-time diagnostics to enhance visibility and troubleshooting for network administrators. Additionally, it promotes Aruba's solutions that ensure optimal performance for voice, video, and desktop sharing over various network infrastructures.

3. Software Defined Networking:
Enabling The Mobile Workplace

4. 3+ mobile devices per user: strains network capacity
Sticky clients don’t roam well: bit rate and app performance degrade
Unpredictable client density: network must adapt to spontaneous collaboration
Wi-Fi Challenges In The Mobile Workplace

5. Common UC Over Wi-Fi Challenges
• Wired network may lose traffic
priority indicators
• Legacy wired network may
incorrectly tag traffic
• UC Servers are often not
configured to tag
Client Side Limitations Wi-Fi Limitations Wired LAN Limitations
• RF is a limited bandwidth
resource
• WMM traffic prioritization
depends on wired network
prioritization.
• No troubleshooting capabilities
for Lync
• High Client Diversity
• BYOD Security and on-boarding
• Client Roaming not optimized
• Client do not support upstream
tagging

6. SDN Architecture Overview
SDN
Controller
Southbound APIs
(OpenFlow, etc.)
Northbound APIs
(RESTful; undefined)

7. • QoS for voice, video, and desktop sharing Lync flows
• Real-time monitoring for voice and video call quality
• App RF technology enables Lync aware RF Management
• Remarks wired and wireless traffic with the right QoS levels
Application
Layer
Controller
Layer
Infrastructure
Layer
Application Fingerprinting and App
RF for Lync
Automated Wi-Fi Traffic Engineering
Post Call Statistics
Diagnostics
ArubaMOVE
Architecture
Aruba SDN Architecture

8. Lync Aware Wi-Fi In Action
Traffic streams as Lync voice,
video and desktop sharing
and tagged appropriately
Traffic Re-tagging
Load balancing and Client
Match ensure reliable voice
and video communications
Traffic Re-tagging
Voice, Video and
Desktop sharing
streams are
appropriately tagged
over LAN, WAN and
Wi-Fi
Traffic Prioritization
Lync aware adaptive
Radio Management,
Airtime Fairness ensure
optimal RF
performance
RF Optimization
The SDN Manager
sends in-call and post-
call statistics to the
controller
UC SDN API Information

9. Better Visibility, Faster Root Cause Analysis
Managing Lync over Aruba Wi-Fi
• System and access point Lync
utilization
• Centralized view of real-time call data:
caller, callee, R-value, packet loss, jitter
• Correlates call quality with Wi-Fi client
health
• Historical call quality information for
users and access points
• Real-time per-device, per-user active
sessions data
• Identifies call roaming events, tagging
errors, device population
Detailed diagnostics and monitoring
data helps the IT team to manage,
monitor and troubleshoot Lync over the
Aruba Wi-Fi

10. Aruba Lync Dashboard Overview
Usage Trends Troubleshooting

11. Is the Problem Wi-Fi, or Something Else?
Wi-Fi Problem Something Else
All Good!

12. Identify Client Configuration Errors

13. User – “Jenny” – Calls Help Desk
User-Specific Trends
Individual Call Records

14. User – “Jenny” – Calls Help Desk – Troubleshoot Specific Call
QoS Modifications and Quality Scores

15. User – “Jenny” – Calls Help Desk – Troubleshoot Specific Call
Individual Call Details

16. Identifying Trouble Areas – Call Quality on a Floorplan

17. • Fosters mobility and collaboration by leveraging the Lync SDN API
to provide contextual awareness and auto-adaptation to users,
devices, applications, and locations
• Delivers fine grained visibility into client, device, and network
operation to expedite root cause analysis and problem remediation
• Delivers a better user experience wherever you work or roam
+ =

18. Lync SDN API Information
• www.microsoft.com/en-
us/download/details.aspx?id=39714
• blogs.technet.com/b/lync/archive/2013/12/17/lync-and-
software-defined-networking.aspx
Aruba Wi-Fi For Lync Information
• www.arubanetworks.com/solutions/lync/
• E-mail: lyncready@arubanetworks.com