Wireless LAP - unable to join a WLC

Jbautistkis_2 · ‎12-10-2009

I am intending to manually reset the LWAPP (1131), however, is there a way to access the LWAPP CLI? Currently, the LWAPP is stuck in a loop, thus debug message on the LAP display " No Join Response from WLC". So, because of this recurring loop, the LAP is not settling at a command prompt. Is there a way to break this cylce so I can enter in the command to point to a WLC ?

Leo Laohoo · ‎12-11-2009

Your AP is going into a boot loop because the firmware is a lightweight (RCV) image. If you want to configure an AP you need to convert the LAP to run autonomous IOS.

Depending on the configuration, the default username/password of LWAP is "Cisco".

The easiest way to convert an AP from LWAP to autonomous is to use the Mode button method:

Using a TFTP Server to Return to a Previous Release
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/wireless/access_point/conversion/lwapp/upgrade/guide/lwapnote.html#wp160918

Jbautistkis_2 · ‎12-11-2009

Please clarify your recommendation my good friend. We have a AIR-LAP1131AG-AK9, hence, a LWAPP. According to documentation, these LWAPPs can be manually configurabled right out of the box. The docs provide the commands for a proceedure in the event that the LWAPP is not being discovered by the WLC. http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/hw/wireless/ps430/products_tech_note09186a00808e2d27.shtml#backinfo

OR are you saying that this document just forgot to mention about the prerequiste ( On LWAPP with (RCV) image) ,needs to be converted to an Autonomous AP prior to manual configuration.

Leo Laohoo · ‎12-11-2009

Jbautistkis wrote:

We have a AIR-LAP1131AG-AK9, hence, a LWAPP. According to documentation, these LWAPPs can be manually configurabled right out of the box.

Not necessarily the case. You can have AIR-LAP1131AG but running autonomous IOS or AIR-AP1131AG running LWAP. It all boils down to WHAT firmware is the AP running on.

In your case, if I understand your situation correctly, you have an AP with LWAP RCV image but you want to configure something.

If this is the case, then you have very limited configuration capabilities in this situation and you are unable to envoke "config term".

If you want to configure the AP to autonomous mode, then you need to convert your AP from LWAP to autonomous AP using the link provided in my previous post.

Hope this helps.

Jbautistkis_2 · ‎12-12-2009

Yes, that is correct....I wanted to envoke "config term" and was not able to do so.Perhaps because the type of image on the AP, which you say is the LWAP RCV image. All I simply wanted to do, in an attempt to fix the discovery issue between the AP and the WLC, is to configure the LWAPP with an IP address and the IP Address of the WLC, as per the documented proceedure when a LWAPP is unable to join the WLC. It just seems trivial for Cisco to load onto a brand new LWAPP unit an IOS image such as; LWAP RCV image, by default, right out of the box. Because this image type complicates a troubleshooting scenario when the LWAPP is unable to join the WLC. How come the documented procedure, instructing the user to configure IP addresses, neglected the facts about image type?

Anyhow......the problem has been resolved and fortunately, I was spared into having to replace the IOS image. The problem was the time clock on the brand new WLC. After correcting the time clock, the LWAPP was able to join the WLC. One of the troubleshooting pages provided a long list of links to view when an LWAPP is unable to join the WLC.