Application Visibility and Deep Packet Inspection

AppRF is a custom built Layer 7 firewall Firewall is a network security system used for preventing unauthorized access to or from a private network. capability supported for Instant Access Points (IAPs) managed by HPE Aruba Networking Central. It consists of an on-board deep packet inspection and a cloud-based Web Policy Enforcement service that allows creating firewall policies based on types of application.

IAPs with DPI Deep Packet Inspection. DPI is an advanced method of network packet filtering that is used for inspecting data packets exchanged between the devices and systems over a network. DPI functions at the Application layer of the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) reference model and enables users to identify, categorize, track, reroute, or stop packets passing through a network. capability analyze data packets to identify applications in use and allow you to create access rules to determine client access to applications, application categories, web categories and website URLs Uniform Resource Locator. URL is a global address used for locating web resources on the Internet. based on security ratings. You can also define traffic shaping policies such as bandwidth control and QoS Quality of Service. It refers to the capability of a network to provide better service and performance to a specific network traffic over various technologies. per application for client roles. For example, you can block bandwidth monopolizing applications on a guest role within an enterprise.

The Deep Packet Inspection feature is supported on IAPs running Aruba InstantOS 6.4.3.x-4.1.x.x or later releases.
You can configure IAPs to send URL information for the blocked HTTP Hypertext Transfer Protocol. The HTTP is an application protocol to transfer data over the web. The HTTP protocol defines how messages are formatted and transmitted, and the actions that the w servers and browsers should take in response to various commands. and HTTPS Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure. HTTPS is a variant of the HTTP that adds a layer of security on the data in transit through a secure socket layer or transport layer security protocol connection. sessions to ALE Analytics and Location Engine. ALE gives visibility into everything the wireless network knows. This enables customers and partners to gain a wealth of information about the people on their premises. This can be very important for many different verticals and use cases. ALE includes a location engine that calculates associated and unassociated device location periodically using context streams, including RSSI readings, from WLAN controllers or Instant clusters.. The URL information can be extracted for the associated clients for DPI, analytics, and data mining through the Northbound APIs Application Programming Interface. Refers to a set of functions, procedures, protocols, and tools that enable users to build application software.. To enable URL information logging and extraction, enable the URL Visibility parameter in the IAP UI or CLI. For more information, see Aruba Instant User Guide.

Enabling Application Visibility Service on APs

To view application usage metrics for WLAN Wireless Local Area Network. WLAN is a 802.11 standards-based LAN that the users access through a wireless connection. clients, enable the Application Visibility service on APs.

To enable the Application Visibility feature, complete the following steps:

In the HPE Aruba Networking Central app, select one of the following options:
- To select an AP group in the filter:
  1. Set the filter to a group containing at least one AP.
    The dashboard context for the group is displayed.
  2. Under Manage, click Devices > Access Points.
    A list of APs is displayed in the List view.
- To select an AP in the filter:
  1. Set the filter to Global or a group containing at least one AP.
  2. Under Manage, click Devices > Access Points.
    A list of APs is displayed in the List view.
  3. Click an AP listed under Device Name.
    The dashboard context for the AP is displayed.
  4. Under Manage, click Devices > Access Point.
Click the Config icon.
The tabs to configure the APs are displayed.
Click Show Advanced.
Click the Services tab.
The Services page is displayed.
Expand the AppRF accordion.
Select any of the following options for Deep Packet Inspection:
- All—Performs deep packet inspection on client traffic to application, application categories, website categories, and websites with a specific reputation score.
- App—Performs deep packet inspection on client traffic to applications and application categories.
- WebCC—Performs deep packet inspection on client traffic to specific website categories and websites with specific reputation ratings.
- None—Disables deep packet inspection.
Click Save Settings.