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Controller software enables you to configure the access points to send all CAPWAP-related errors to
a syslog server. You do not need to enable any debug commands on the controller because all of the
CAPWAP error messages can be viewed from the syslog server itself.
The state of the access point is not maintained on the controller until it receives a CAPWAP join
request from the access point. Therefore, it can be difficult to determine why the CAPWAP discovery
request from a certain access point was rejected. In order to troubleshoot such joining problems
without enabling CAPWAP debug commands on the controller, the controller collects information for
all access points that send a discovery message to it and maintains information for any access points
that have successfully joined it.
The controller collects all join-related information for each access point that sends a CAPWAP
discovery request to the controller. Collection begins with the first discovery message received from
the access point and ends with the last configuration payload sent from the controller to the access
point.
An access point sends all syslog messages to IP address 255.255.255.255 by default when any of the
following conditions are met:
•An access point running software release 5.2 or later has been newly deployed.
•An existing access point running software release 5.2 or later has been reset after clearing the
configuration.
If any of these conditions are met and the access point has not yet joined a controller, you can also
configure a DHCP server to return a syslog server IP address to the access point using option 7 on the
server. The access point then starts sending all syslog messages to this IP address.
When the access point joins a controller for the first time, the controller sends the global syslog server
IP address (the default is 255.255.255.255) to the access point. After that, the access point sends all
syslog messages to this IP address until it is overridden by one of the following scenarios:
•The access point is still connected to the same controller, and the global syslog server IP address
configuration on the controller has been changed using the config ap syslog host global
syslog_server_IP_address command. In this case, the controller sends the new global syslog server
IP address to the access point.
•The access point is still connected to the same controller, and a specific syslog server IP address
has been configured for the access point on the controller using the config ap syslog host specific
Cisco_AP syslog_server_IP_address command. In this case, the controller sends the new specific
syslog server IP address to the access point.
•The access point is disconnected from the controller and joins another controller. In this case, the
new controller sends its global syslog server IP address to the access point.
•Whenever a new syslog server IP address overrides the existing syslog server IP address, the old
address is erased from persistent storage, and the new address is stored in its place. The access
point also starts sending all syslog messages to the new IP address provided the access point can
reach the syslog server IP address.