In this guide, we will unbox the HP Aruba 6100 switch, overview its physical ports, and perform the initial configuration using a USB-C console connection.
The Aruba 6100 switch arrives in a standard box containing the following items:
The switch features a modern design with the HP Network and Aruba logos. It utilizes side-to-side airflow for cooling, supported by internal fans.
Port Configuration: This model includes 24 standard ports plus 4 SFP+ ports. The key difference between the 6000 and 6100 series is that the 6100 supports 10-gigabit fiber connections via these SFP+ ports.
Modern Aruba switches often include a USB-C console port for easier management.
Plug the power cord into the switch and connect a USB-C cable from the console port on the switch to your laptop or management PC.
On your Windows PC, open Device Manager. Look under "Ports (COM & LPT)" to identify which COM port was assigned to the USB-C connection (e.g., COM4).
Open a terminal program like PuTTY. Configure the serial connection with the following settings:
Click "Open". You may see some random characters initially as the switch boots up; simply press Enter to clear them.
Once the boot process is complete, you will be presented with a login prompt.
Log in with the default username admin. Leave the password field blank and press Enter.
The system will automatically prompt you to set a new password for the admin account. Enter your desired password and confirm it when asked.
You are now logged into the switch CLI. You can verify the factory default state by running the command:
show running-config
This confirms the switch is ready for further configuration.