Cisco WLC (wireless lan controller) and managed AP

[Anon Anon]

Hi Everyone,

 

I have a Cisco Wireless Lan Controller (Cisco WLC) 5508, with a lot of managed Access Points.

 

When I discover the WLC on Spectrum, one click only shows me parameters related with this device, and the SSID of the configured LANs, but nothing about the managed Access Points.

 

Maybe I assumed (incorrectly) that Spectrum going to show me information of the AP. To solve this, i directly discover all the AP, but spectrum recognize like "pingable" devices. I verified the configuration of SNMP on the WLC GUI... and I realized that the configuration only affects to the WLC and not to the Access Points.

 

Can someone tell me how to enable SNMP on the AP (apparently when you use the AP mode, you lose a lot of configuration capabilities than if you use like a stand alone router), or any way to monitoring this on Spectrum?

 

I think that WLC it's a common implementation on enterprises, and this is a common requirement.

 

Thanks in advance

 

Cristian

[Anon Anon]

I found this information on the Cisco Website...

When you set the AP on Lightweight Mode (it's necessary to suscribe to the Wireless Lan Controller), you loose all the SNMP Capabilities... When you use the AP on "standalone" configuration, you can use all the SNMP capabilities....

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/hw/wireless/ps430/products_qanda_item09186a00806a4da3.shtml

Q. Can a LAP AP handle SNMP messages like an IOS AP?

A. The LAP APs cannot handle SNMP messages on their own. In order to handle SNMP messages, you should configure an SNMP community on the WLC to which the LAP is registered. All the AP information is managed by the WLC.

At least someone has found another solution (as would integrate the API of Cisco WLC with Spectrum), I think it's not possible to monitor them

Regards

[Renato Orgito]

You can still indirectly monitor the APs. You will have to configure you WLC to send traps when it detects problems with the managed APs. In Spectrum you will will need to map those traps and generate/clean alarms accordingly.

Regards

[Anon Anon]

Hi Renato, thanks for your answer.

 

I'm going to send this information to the WLC administrator..

If the traps identifies the AP... we can react to the alarms.

 

Do you know if the kind of traps can be configured to obtain only that are important for us?

 

Regards, 

Cristian

[Renato Orgito]

You have some control on the WLC on the types of traps that can be sent. But I don't think Spectrum has those traps mapped out of the box. You will have to load the mib and map the traps. Probably you are going to create some event rules.

I started to do it a long time ago, but them my company decide to manage the WLCs with Cisco NCS and we did not bother to finish this. But I can confirm that the traps related to the APs have some information that allows to identify them. If believe me message contains both then name and the IP of the APs.

 

Renato

[Shahla]

Prime  is where we configured the trap receivers with the parameters set for critical AP alarms. But I am not receiving any trap . Can somebody help.

[Nagesh Jaiswal]

Hello CristianLaSalvia, 

 

What version of Spectrum you are using? 

 

Thanks,

Nagesh 

[Shahla]

10,1

 

Sent from my iPhone

[Nagesh Jaiswal]

Thanks for the quick response CristianLaSalvia .

 

Did you enable the option to discover Access Points during discovery of WLC?

 

Thanks,

Nagesh Jaiswal

[Shahla]

How do I do that?

 

Sent from my iPhone

[Nagesh Jaiswal]

Hello CristianLaSalvia ,

 

I would suggest you to open support ticket so that someone can take a look at your environment and provide further guidance.

 

Thanks,

Nagesh Jaiswal

[Shahla]

I have already done that. Nobody has responded yet.

I used to get associated and disassociated traps from Aps.

[Nagesh Jaiswal]

Hello CristianLaSalvia ,

 

 

Can you share the ticket number?

 

Thanks,

Nagesh

[Shahla]

00615226 -

 

And they sent me the following link which I am going to read now:

 

https://docops.ca.com/ca-spectrum/10-1-and-10-1-1/en/managing-network/wlc-manager/access-point-ap-attributes

 

 

 

and this is the one that is already closed.

 

00579927: Working with Access Point in CA Spectrum<https://support.ca.com/irj/portal?NavigationTarget=navurl://fcdb1fdb19bf1b09361d9dd793842f1f>

[Shahla]

Where is this option:

 

   

•   Model the parent Wireless Controller device, by enabling Access Point Discovery, using the Create Wireless Access Points option.

 

[Nagesh Jaiswal]

Hi CristianLaSalvia, 

 

This option is at WLC Manager as well as at Discovery --> Modeling Options. 

 

Also sharing the video for more information: CA Spectrum: Wireless LAN Controller - YouTube 

 

Thanks,

Nagesh 

[Shahla]

I got it. Thank you

By default is “Idle”. And AP Migration Purge Interval is set for 23 hrs. Should I run discovery every 24 hours?

[Nagesh Jaiswal]

Hi CristianLaSalvia ,

 

No. You don't have to do anything.

 

Thanks,

Nagesh Jaiswal

[Shahla]

Thanks for your help.