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Installing new AOS8 virtual server as controller

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  • 1.  Installing new AOS8 virtual server as controller

    Posted Mar 05, 2026 03:57 PM

    Hello,

    I'm in the process of replacing our old aruba controller with a virtual machine running aos8. I installed it and turned it on, then it started a loop of trying to find activation.

    To activate it, I had to go through the quick-install to access cli and get the passphrase i needed for the license activation.

    I've now activated the license on the cloud side, but when I went back to add the licence key I got from aruba licensing, I found out the controller was "MD", a.k.a. expecting a master to run it, so I can't go in to conf t at all, and can't do configuration changes.

    Is there a way to change it to a standalone controller now afterwards, or do I need to reinstall the whole thing? And if I do that, it will genereate a new passphrase, won't it? So then I would need to get the old passphrase removed, can I do that myself or do I need HPE:s help to get the old one removed from the activation?

    Thanks in advance for any help



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  • 2.  RE: Installing new AOS8 virtual server as controller

    Posted Mar 06, 2026 05:10 AM

    Hello,

    No mate, you cannot convert an MD to a standalone controller in‑place. Once a controller boots as Managed Device (MD), it is permanently locked into MD mode until you wipe and re‑provision it. There is no CLI command to "flip" it to standalone.
    Yes, you must reinstall / reinitialize the VM (write erase + full setup, or redeploy the VM). And yes, a reinstall will generate a NEW passphrase.
    No, you do NOT need HPE support to "remove" the old passphrase
    The old passphrase simply becomes unused. You can re‑assign or re‑generate licenses yourself in the HPE Aruba licensing portal.
    Best regards



    ------------------------------
    Daniel Ruiz
    -----------------------
    Any opinions expressed here are solely my own and not necessarily that of Hewlett Packard Enterprise or Aruba Networks.
    If you have urgent issues, always contact your Aruba partner, distributor, or Aruba TAC Support.
    Check https://www.arubanetworks.com/support-services/contact-support/ for how to contact Aruba TAC.
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