It is also worth noting that by 2021, the IAP-205 was deep into its "Sunset" phase: : Occurred on May 1, 2018. End-of-Support Life (EOSL) : Scheduled for May 1, 2023 .
for IAP-205 in 2021 — it’s the final stable, secure release for this platform. Plan to replace IAP-205s by end of 2022–2023 due to hardware security limits (no WPA3, no 6 GHz, CPU limitations). aruba iap 205 firmware 2021
The primary reason 2021 firmware management was critical for the IAP-205 relates to its End of Life timeline. The IAP-205 went End of Sale in August 2018. It is also worth noting that by 2021,
If you are running a mixed cluster (e.g., 205s with 300-series APs), you cannot upgrade the cluster to 8.x. You will be restricted to the lowest common denominator, which is 6.5.4.x. Plan to replace IAP-205s by end of 2022–2023
In 2021, obtaining the firmware required an active Aruba Support Portal (ASP) account with an entitlement for the AP. Because the IAP-205 was near EoL, many found it difficult to download.
If you were managing an IAP-205 in 2021, you had two primary firmware branches to consider: (Legacy stable) and AOS 8.6.x (The final supported branch for Instant).