Open Campus Solution Unifies Large-Scale University Network Connectivity

Asia | Education | Campus Network | Open Networking

At a Glance

Multi-homing architecture with five Pods ensures network scalability and fault tolerance for future expansion.
Anycast Gateway with BGP-EVPN reduces Wi-Fi roaming latency to just 10 milliseconds, delivering seamless mobility across campus.
Unified OpenWiFi Controller manages 637 APs and hundreds of SONiC switches from a single interface, cutting maintenance complexity by 70%.
Integrated traffic mirroring and analysis on Super Spine switches eliminates the need for additional monitoring hardware, reducing TCO.
SONiC-based switches with built-in Packet Broker functionality support traffic filtering, aggregation, and load balancing in one platform.
Full IPv4/IPv6 support with optimized routing tables accommodates 30,000 MAC addresses and 60,000+ IPv6 host routes for large-scale device access.

Customer Background

A large university in Asia with 800 acres serves over 13,000 faculty and students with more than 30,000 connected devices. With continued growth in teaching and research activities, the existing network infrastructure could no longer support increasing traffic demands and required a comprehensive upgrade.

Challenges

The university’s large-scale campus network presented several critical challenges that required immediate attention:

• Insufficient Performance: The original architecture could not deliver the low-latency, high-performance connectivity needed for thousands of concurrent users across a sprawling campus.
• Poor Roaming Experience: Frequent disconnections when moving between buildings disrupted online classes and research activities. Traditional Layer 3 roaming required re-authentication and IP address changes.
• Limited Visibility: Without centralized traffic monitoring, IT staff struggled to identify bottlenecks or optimize performance.
• Complex Management: Managing hundreds of access points and switches individually consumed excessive time and prevented strategic focus.
• Scalability Constraints: The rigid design made expansion difficult and costly, requiring extensive hardware replacements.

Solution

Network Architecture Design

We deployed a multi-homing architecture divided into five Pods, interconnected by two CX532P-M-H Super Spine switches. This modular design improves scalability, fault tolerance, and performance, allowing expansion without disrupting existing infrastructure.

Device Configuration

• Access Layer: 48x CX204Y-24GT-SPW2 Leaf switches with PoE (370W) and 25G/10G SFP28 uplinks
• Aggregation Layer: 10x CX308P-48Y-M-H Spine switches with 48 ports of 25G connectivity
• Core Layer: 2x CX532P-M-H Super Spine switches with 32 ports of 100G QSFP28
• Wireless: 637x AP6020 WiFi 6 access points

Network Exit

• The ET2500 Smart Gateway delivers 48 Gbps forwarding and supports up to 2 million routes.
• CX202P-24Y-M-H Border Leaf switches provide secure traffic forwarding with integrated routing and load balancing.

Highlights

Traffic Monitoring

• Traffic mirroring on CX532P-M-H Super Spine switches connects to the ET3212A appliance running Ntopng and FusionNOS for comprehensive analysis. SONiC-based switches integrate Packet Broker functionality for traffic filtering, aggregation, and load balancing.

Unified Management

The Asteria Controller provides centralized monitoring and control of all 637 APs and hundreds of switches, streamlining configuration and troubleshooting.

Seamless Roaming

Anycast Gateway technology with BGP-EVPN enables ARP table sharing between Leaf and Spine switches, reducing Wi-Fi roaming latency to 10 milliseconds for uninterrupted mobility.

Optimized Routing

IP routing aggregation optimizes MAC address and routing table management. The architecture supports 30,000 MAC addresses and 60,000 IPv6 host routes with full IPv4/IPv6 dual-stack capability.

Results

• Enhanced Stability: Network downtime reduced by 85% with efficient traffic distribution across multiple paths.
• Superior Scalability: Modular Pod design enables easy expansion without disrupting services or requiring major upgrades.
• Reduced Maintenance: Unified management cut routine network management time by 70%.
• Lower TCO: Integrated traffic monitoring eliminated separate monitoring infrastructure, reducing capital and operational costs.
• Exceptional Experience: 10ms roaming latency ensures seamless mobility. Student and faculty satisfaction increased by 92%.

Customer Testimonial

“The new network architecture has significantly improved system stability and performance while simplifying expansion and maintenance. The seamless roaming experience and centralized management have transformed how our IT team operates.” — Head of Network Management Department

Conclusion

This implementation demonstrates Asteraix’s expertise in delivering innovative solutions for large-scale educational environments. By combining Leaf-Spine architecture with integrated traffic monitoring, unified management, and advanced roaming technologies, the university achieved substantial improvements in performance, stability, and operational efficiency while reducing the total cost of ownership.
Ready to transform your campus network? Contact our solution experts to discuss your requirements.