Chapter 7 Controlling Lightweight Access Points

Autonomous Access Points Converted to Lightweight Mode

Autonomous Access Points Converted to Lightweight Mode

You can use an upgrade conversion tool to convert autonomous Cisco Aironet 1100, 1130AG, 1200, 1240AG, and 1300 Series Access Points to lightweight mode. When you upgrade one of these access points to lightweight mode, the access point communicates with a controller and receives a configuration and software image from the controller.

Refer to the Upgrading Autonomous Cisco Aironet Access Points to Lightweight Mode document for instructions on upgrading an autonomous access point to lightweight mode. You can find this document at this URL:

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/hw/wireless/ps430/prod_technical_reference09186a00804fc3dc

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Guidelines for Using Access Points Converted to Lightweight Mode

Keep these guidelines in mind when you use autonomous access points that have been converted to lightweight mode:

Converted access points support 2006, 4400, and WiSM controllers only. When you convert an autonomous access point to lightweight mode, the access point can communicate with Cisco 2006 series controllers, 4400 series controllers, or the controllers on a Cisco WiSM only.

Access points converted to lightweight mode do not support Wireless Domain Services (WDS). Converted access points communicate only with Cisco wireless LAN controllers and cannot communicate with WDS devices. However, the controller provides functionality equivalent to WDS when the access point associates to it.

In controller software release 4.2 or later, all Cisco lightweight access points support 16 BSSIDs per radio and a total of 16 wireless LANs per access point. In previous releases, they supported only 8 BSSIDs per radio and a total of 8 wireless LANs per access point. When a converted access point associates to a controller, only wireless LANs with IDs 1 through 16 are pushed to the access point.

Access points converted to lightweight mode must get an IP address and discover the controller using DHCP, DNS, or IP subnet broadcast.

After you convert an access point to lightweight mode, the console port provides read-only access to the unit.

The 1130AG and 1240AG access points support hybrid-REAP mode. See Chapter 13 for details.

The upgrade conversion tool adds the self-signed certificate (SSC) key-hash to only one of the controllers on the Cisco WiSM. After the conversion has been completed, add the SSC key-hash to the second controller on the Cisco WiSM by copying the SSC key-hash from the first controller to the second controller. To copy the SSC key-hash, open the AP Policies page of the controller GUI (Security > AAA > AP Policies) and copy the SSC key-hash from the SHA1 Key Hash column under AP Authorization List (see Figure 7-6). Then, using the second controller’s GUI, open the same page and paste the key-hash into the SHA1 Key Hash field under Add AP to Authorization List. If you have more than one Cisco WiSM, use WCS to push the SSC key-hash to all the other controllers.

 

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Cisco Systems OL-17037-01 manual Autonomous Access Points Converted to Lightweight Mode