Cisco Systems OL-7426-03 quick start Adding CA Certificates to a Cisco Wireless LAN Controller

Adding Cisco 1000 Series Lightweight Access Points to a Cisco Wireless LAN Controller

Cisco 1000 Series lightweight access points connect to the Cisco Wireless LAN Controller through the network as described in Cisco WLAN Solution Wired Connections. When a Cisco 1000 Series lightweight access point powers up, it searches for a Cisco Wireless LAN Controller as described in Cisco Wireless LAN Controller Failover Protection.

Adding CA Certificates to a Cisco Wireless LAN Controller

Certification Authority public-key certificates are used to authenticate the Web server and encrypt data transmissions between Web server and browser. The CA certificates are issued by a trusted Certifica- tion Authority, or CA.

Note: You can obtain a CA Certificate from three sources: Factory-supplied, Oper- ator-generated, and Purchased from a trusted CA. This procedure only applies to adding an Operator-generated or Purchased ID Certificate, as the factory-supplied Certificate is already stored in the Cisco Wireless LAN Controller NVRAM. You do not need to complete this procedure if you choose to use the factory-supplied CA Certificate.

CAUTION: Each certificate has a variable-length embedded RSA Key. The RSA key can be from 512 bits, which is relatively insecure, through thousands of bits, which is very secure. When you are obtaining a new certificate from a Certificate Authority (such as the Microsoft CA), MAKE SURE the RSA key embedded in the certificate is AT LEAST 768 Bits.

When you obtain certificates (usually in an email from the CA or from your key-generation program), it is a simple matter to add the CA certificate to your Cisco Wireless LAN Controller:

•Launch a Web User Interface session as described in Using the Web User Interface.

•Navigate to the CA Certification page in the Web User Interface.

•Copy the Certificate (a large block of ASCII characters) from your email or text viewer program, and paste it into the CA Certification box.

•Click Apply.

The CA Certificate is now in the Cisco Wireless LAN Controller Volatile RAM. Use ‘System Reboot with Save’ to save the CA Certificate to NVRAM, so the CA Certificate is preserved across restarts.

5/26/05 Adding Cisco 1000 Series Lightweight Access Points to a Cisco Wireless LAN Controller

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