SNMP Problem between WLC4402 and WCS

[charlesbisel]

I'm in the process of deploying a wireless network for my company. I have the Cisco Wireless LAN Controller 4402 (WLC4402) and the Cisco Wireless Control System (WCS). The WLC has recently been upgraded to 4.0.179.11 and the WCS is running version 4.0.66.0.

The problem that I am running into is that when I attempt to add the WLC4402 into the WCS software using the Read/Write community string, I get the following error: "Failed to add device to WCS". However, when I add the WLC4402 using the Read Only string, I have no trouble.

I have tried deleting and recreating the community strings, I have tried using all three versions (v1, v2c, and v3) and in every case, the Read Only access mode works but the Read/Write access mode fails. I'm not seeing anything in the SNMP Trap Logs on the controller that would indicate why it is failing.

Has anyone encountered this problem before, and if so, what should I do to remedy it? Thanks...

[Rob Huffman]

Hi Charles,

I am wondering if you are running into a problem because of the info listed below (WCS may need to be upgraded to newer version as well);

The following components are part of the Cisco UWN Solution and are compatible in this release:

Software release 4.0.179.11 for all Cisco controllers and lightweight access points

Cisco autonomous to lightweight mode upgrade tool release 2.01

Cisco Wireless Control System (WCS) software release 4.0.81.0

From this doc;

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps6366/prod_release_note09186a008075fef1.html#wp17724

Cisco WCS Upgrade

In order to be compatible, the Cisco WCS release must be the same or a more recent than the release on the controller. If an upgrade is planned, upgrade the Cisco WCS first to eliminate any unexpected issues. Cisco WCS for Linux supports database upgrades only from the following official Cisco WCS releases:

4.0.66.0 (listed in post)

4.0.81.0 (new)

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps6305/prod_release_note09186a008076664f.html

Hope this helps!

Rob

[guy.smith]

Not a solution I'm afraid... I have several 44xx controllers all with high speed connections to my WCS server and these added with no problem. I have a couple of WLC Modules in 28xx routers over slow links (ADSL) and none of these will add to the WCS server.

Q. What type of links are you running over?

[charlesbisel]

I actually solved the problem by looking at the debug logs on the WCS server. For reasons unknown, the WCS server was unable to add the WLC4402 because of the RADIUS servers that I had configured on the WLC4402. Looking at the logs, it kept choking when it came to that point.

I removed the RADIUS servers from the WLC4402, went back to the WCS server, and was able to successfully add the WLC4402 into WCS. After that, I added the RADIUS servers back into the WLC4402.

Thanks for the help though.

[tgrundbacher]

Hi all

I'm facing the very same problem right now, with releases WCS 4.2.110.0 and WLC 4.2.176.0. I'm trying to add a WLC2106 via SNMPv3, it just won't work. Every other of the 7x WLC 440x are registered successfully (although I also had problems adding some of them to WCS initially).

I've tried to change it from 3DES to DES and from SHA to MD5, no success. Changed also passwords in length and complexity.

The snmp debug on the WLC 2106 shows this:

Cisco Controller) >Fri Feb 27 10:52:36 2009: SNMPD: Packet from: 10.1.160.20:1312, in_packet_len = 61

Fri Feb 27 10:52:36 2009: SNMPD: calling srDoSnmp.

Fri Feb 27 10:52:36 2009: Unknown engine Ids

Fri Feb 27 10:52:36 2009: SNMPD: Sending SNMP packet to 10.1.160.20:1312, out_packet_len = 103

Fri Feb 27 10:52:36 2009: SNMPD: Packet from: 10.1.160.20:1312, in_packet_len = 88

Fri Feb 27 10:52:36 2009: SNMPD: calling srDoSnmp.

Fri Feb 27 10:52:36 2009: unknown user names

Fri Feb 27 10:52:36 2009: SNMPD: Sending SNMP packet to 10.1.160.20:1312, out_packet_len = 106

Fri Feb 27 10:52:36 2009: SNMPD: Packet from: 10.1.160.20:1312, in_packet_len = 134

Fri Feb 27 10:52:36 2009: SNMPD: calling srDoSnmp.

Fri Feb 27 10:52:36 2009: unknown user names

Fri Feb 27 10:52:36 2009: SNMPD: Sending SNMP packet to 10.1.160.20:1312, out_packet_len = 115

Any ideas?

[Roman Rodichev]

tgrundbacher , did you find a fix for this problem?

[tgrundbacher]

Hi rrodichev, I believe we haven't found a solution to this back then. The affected WLC 2106 is now out of service, so I don't have to care about it anymore. Maybe it helps when you temporarily remove the RADIUS server entries as charlesbisel has posted.

Apart from the SNMP auth problem we've faced another problem where some of the WLCs registered to WCS noted a RADIUS communication problem - yet nothing has changed in infrastructure within that time. After clearing the alarms several times it hasn't shown up anymore...it's like a lottery sometimes :(

[agoodall]

Charles I have encounted this problem by mistake. This may not be the problem but note this point (I don't have access to a WCS as it was a customer site). Note the WCS uses SNMP to control the WLC. The SNMP communties are used for SNMP network management get/set/trap etc. There is a separate field in the WCS for configuring the field which is populated by ****** as you type it in. I cannot remember which page it is on but the WLC page you browse to directly on the WLC and the page on the WCS must have the same name/word in the field