WLC 2100 - And 2 port of poe (AP-Manager)

Timoteo Ribeiro · ‎06-09-2010

Hi,

i'm looking for help, because i need to configure an WLC2100, and i would like to know, if it's possible to connect directly the ap's to the wlc, or i will need a switch, to be between the wlc and ap's.

I say this because, when i connect an ap to an port (non ap-manager interface.), i can't obtain the configurations.

I only can work when i connect on the port that have the ap-manager interface.

I guess it's impossible to the wlc 2100 have more than 1 ap-manager interface assigned to the ports, according to the manual:

"

3-39
Cisco Wireless LAN Controller Configuration Guide
OL-18911-01
Configuring Multiple AP-Manager Interfaces
Note Only Cisco 5500 series and 4400 series standalone controllers support the use of multiple AP-manager
interfaces.

When you create two or more AP-manager interfaces, each one is mapped to a different port (see
Figure 3-15). The ports should be configured in sequential order such that AP-manager interface 2 is on
port 2, AP-manager interface 3 is on port 3, and AP-manager interface 4 is on port 4.
Note AP-manager interfaces need not be on the same VLAN or IP subnet, and they may or may not be on the
same VLAN or IP subnet as the management interface. However, Cisco recommends that you configure
all AP-manager interfaces on the same VLAN or IP subnet.
Note You must assign an AP-manager interface to each port on the controller.
Before an access point joins a controller, it sends out a discovery request. From the discovery response
that it receives, the access point can tell the number of AP-manager interfaces on the controller and the
number of access points on each AP-manager interface. The access point generally joins the AP-manager
with the least number of access points. In this way, the access point load is dynamically distributed
across the multiple AP-manager interfaces.

"

But this make me confused, because on wlc2100 we have 2 PoE ports, why that if we can't connect the ap's directly?

I would appreciate your answer as soon as possible,

best rgds,

Timóteo Ribeiro.

Leo Laohoo · ‎06-09-2010

Wait at least 20 seconds before reconnecting an access point to the controller (ports 7 & 8). Otherwise, the controller may fail to detect the device.

Timoteo Ribeiro · ‎06-11-2010

I already did that, but i only get this message:

*Mar 1 00:17:50.028: %CAPWAP-3-ERRORLOG: Not sending discovery request AP does not have an Ip !!

But when i connect the ap's to an switch, and that switch is connect to the wlc on port 1 (with the interface AP-Manager configured on that port), it works!!!

Or i connect one AP directly to the wlc on that port 1, it works fine.

But if i connect to a diferent port, it simply does not work.

I guess, it's impossible to have more than 1 ap connected directly to the wlc, because we can't have more than 1 interface AP-Manager.

Am i right?

Thanks on advance.

Timóteo Ribeiro

abersven · ‎06-13-2010

You should be able to use all the physical ports on the 2106 for access points. But you will need to use one of the ports as uplink to the rest of your network. Typically this is port number 1.
Make sure that PoE is enabled on port 7 and 8. This can be done via the web gui or via telnet or ssh to the WLC and use the following commands:
(Cisco Controller) >show port summary

           STP   Admin   Physical   Physical   Link   Link
Pr Type   Stat   Mode     Mode      Status   Status Trap     POE
-- ------- ---- ------- ---------- ---------- ------ ------- ---------
1 Normal Forw Enable Auto       100 Full   Up     Enable N/A
2 Normal Disa Enable Auto       Auto       Down   Enable N/A
3 Normal Disa Enable Auto       Auto       Down   Enable N/A
4 Normal Disa Enable Auto       Auto       Down   Enable N/A
5 Normal Disa Enable Auto       Auto       Down   Enable N/A
6 Normal Disa Enable Auto       Auto       Down   Enable N/A
7 Normal Disa Enable Auto       Auto       Down   Enable Enable (Power On )
8 Normal Disa Enable Auto       Auto       Down   Enable Enable (Power On )

(Cisco Controller) >
If power is off on the interfaces you can turn it on:
(Cisco Controller) >config port power all enable

An access point wants to use CDP to negotiate its power budget with the switch. Since the 2106 only provides pre standard Cisco inline power and does not give the access point the answers it wants via CDP the access point might fail to power up.
To override this mismatch you can configure the access points to drain power from the 2106 or a power injector regardless of the mismatch described above.
This can be done with the following two commands:
(Cisco Controller) >config ap power injector enable all override
(Cisco Controller) >config ap power pre-standard enable all

Make sure that the access points are associated to the 2106 before you try to configure them via the WLC. Use a power supply directly connected to the AP in order to power it up the first time if you do not have a switch that can do this.
You can also configure this via the web gui. I hope my examples show you what to look for.

André