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SUNNYVALE, Calif., June 13, 2011 – Aruba Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ: ARUN) today announced that it and several application partners delivered the next-generation classroom experience at the University of Ottawa. Validated by the university information technology (IT) department, the classroom experience consisted of six leading multimedia educational applications delivered to 100 iPads, concurrently. Each of the applications was delivered simultaneously to all 100 iPads with the highest quality and without any noticeable jitter, delay or frame loss. 100 percent of the iPads passed the multimedia Service Level Agreement (SLA), as measured by VeriWave WaveInsite, which was also used to objectively verify sustained performance of 1Mbps of multimedia streaming to each iPad.

The University of Ottawa deployment resulted in the creation of the industry’s first and only reference design for deploying latency-sensitive mobile apps such as high-definition (HD) video over iPads in a high-density client environment. Using this 100 iPad setup as the baseline, organizations across verticals can confidently deliver a multimedia-grade Wi-Fi experience for hundreds of mobile users in high-density client environments.

“The devices that students use and the way that they use them have shifted dramatically in the last two years,” said Sylvain Chalut, chief information officer for the University of Ottawa. “Where we used to see about 75 percent laptops and 25 percent desktops, we now see maybe 50 percent laptops and the rest using other mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. Students used to scramble for the library and the computer lab between classes, but that is over. We once had a list of ‘approved devices’ that could access the network. Those days are behind us.”

Multimedia applications were delivered to a combination of first and second generation iPads, with and without 3G capabilities. The iPads were located in a 250-seat classroom at the University of Ottawa in order to demonstrate real-world performance (see figure 1).

The access network featured Aruba’s latest S3500 Mobility Access Switch, four Aruba AP-135s and an Aruba 6000 Mobility Controller with an M3 controller module running Aruba OS version 6.1 (see figure 2). IPv6 was used on all network interfaces and Access Points to show how to create a future-proof environment that can accommodate the onslaught of mobile devices. The entire network was managed by Aruba AirWave for complete network control and detailed visibility into user and device type.

The applications involved, each a leader in its category, included the following:

1. Learning Management: Blackboard Mobile™ Learn. This showed digital course content in which all clients simultaneously accessed course curriculum and viewed on-demand unicast streaming video

2. Video-Based Curriculum: Distribution Access Learning. This showed video distribution in which all clients simultaneously stream educational video content

3. Video Conferencing: Apple Facetime. This demonstrated how knowledge expert could be quickly and easily video conferenced into a class lecture

4. Dynamic Presentation: Apple AirPlay. This demonstrated automatic wireless streaming of multimedia content to an Apple TV, connected to the classroom projector

5. IP Television: HaiVision’s Furnace IP Video System. This demonstrated distribution of live local video content

6. Electronic Testing and Assessment: ResponseWare by Turning Technologies. This showed learning assessment with all clients responding to real-time polling questions

The high levels of application performance were enabled by the Aruba Mobile Virtual Enterprise (MOVE) architecture. The Aruba MOVE architecture differentiates itself from others by enabling context-aware networking services, identifying the user, device, application and location and optimizing the access network for multimedia applications. Unlike most existing Wi-Fi networks based on 802.11n, the Aruba MOVE architecture provides the RF and application intelligence necessary to deliver latency-sensitive applications like streaming video and interactive learning in a high-density client environment.

“The University of Ottawa demonstration showed the power of the Aruba MOVE architecture for supporting IOS applications in dense environments,” said Robert Fenstermacher, marketing director for Aruba. “For instance, application fingerprinting was used to automatically prioritize Apple Facetime over other traffic, ensuring a high-quality video conferencing experience over Wi-Fi. These are the kinds of applications people expect to use on their mobile devices today. Making them work reliably requires both an application-aware Wi-Fi network and close integration with application partners.”

“We have seen a growing number of institutions expand into the mobile realm to support a greater number of students and a broader mix of course content,” said Emily Wilson, senior marketing manager for Blackboard Mobile. “Blackboard Mobile Learn enables learners to access classroom material however and whenever they want using the devices they love, like the iPad. Blackboard Mobile Learn has been accessed in 99 countries and six territories.”

“Quality of experience for viewing live and on demand video assets is the top priority, however most wireless infrastructure fails miserably in delivering high quality video to mobile devices at scale,” said Peter Maag, executive vice president for Haivision. “The test combining Haivision’s Furnace IP video system and Aruba Networks demonstrated a high-quality viewing experience, regardless of where students and teachers are or what device they choose.”