3702i AP Won't Join vWLC

[Jim Blake]

I have put up a vWLC on VMware 6.0, running 8.8.120.0.  Enabled evaluation licences (it's in my Lab), built interfaces and WLANs to use them and now I'm trying to get a 3702i AP to join it. The AP comes up, gets DHCP address OK, gets option 43 OK, goes to the Controller, establishes DTLS OK, but then the controller says it can't find the file to download to update the AP (it was running 5.5 before). The vWLC logs show this:

*spamApTask5: May 25 19:40:23.708: %CAPWAP-3-DTLS_CLOSED_ERR: capwap_ac_sm.c:7331 00:fe:c8:e8:e3:04: DTLS connection closed forAP 10:0:10:10 (36401), Controller: 192:168:100:95 (5246) Echo Timer Expiry
*spamApTask5: May 25 19:39:35.692: %CAPWAP-3-TX_ERR: capwap_ac_sm.c:6045 The system has failed to transmit image data request to AP 00:fe:c8:e8:e3:04
*spamApTask5: May 25 19:39:35.692: %CAPWAP-3-ENCODE_ERR: capwap_ac_sm.c:3364 The system has failed to encode Image data request (Requested Ap Image not found) to AP 00:fe:c8:e8:e3:04
*spamApTask5: May 25 19:39:35.691: %CAPWAP-3-IMAGE_DOWNLOAD_ERR3: capwap_ac_platform.c:1545 Refusing image download request from Unsupported AP 00:fe:c8:e8:e3:04 - unable to open image file /bsn/ap//ap3g2

That same sequence of messages just cycles, the AP keeps retrying but of course, nothing happens. I checked compatibility and WLC 8.8 is reckoned compatible with the AP version. I've done this hundreds of times before, with no problem, so I'm familiar with the process 

I guess I'm doing some thing silly....any suggestions?

Thanks

Jim

[Leo Laohoo]

---

@Jim Blake wrote:

Requested Ap Image not found

---

Reboot the controller.

[Jim Blake]

Thanks Leo, I should have said before I posted, I had already rebooted the controller....and also rebuilt the controller from scratch from the OVA....still the same issue.

The OVA must be OK or it wouldn't build (would it?)

Thanks anyway :)

Jim

[Jim Blake]

I did some more digging, and while the AP is apparently looking for a file called ap3g2, I found in the "sho runn" output that to support 3700 APs, the vWLC wants to use a file called c3700, as shown below:

AP Bundle Information

Primary AP Image Size Supported AP's
---------------- ---- ------------
ap1g1 13572 AP700
ap1g3 15392 AP1530
ap1g4 28816 AP1850/1810
ap1g5 29336 AP1815,1540,AP1840
ap3g3 45792 AP2800,3800,4800,1560
c1570 13060 AP1570
c3700 14380 AP1700,2700,3700

When I try to get the AP to associate, the console output of the AP during boot cycles round the following:

*May 26 19:56:49.000: %CAPWAP-5-DTLSREQSEND: DTLS connection request sent peer_ip: 192.168.100.95 peer_port: 5246
*May 26 19:56:49.227: %CAPWAP-5-DTLSREQSUCC: DTLS connection created sucessfully peer_ip: 192.168.100.95 peer_port: 5246
*May 26 19:56:49.227: %CAPWAP-5-SENDJOIN: sending Join Request to 192.168.100.95perform archive download capwap:/ap3g2 tar file
*May 26 19:56:49.251: %CAPWAP-6-AP_IMG_DWNLD: Required image not found on AP. Downloading image from Controller.
*May 26 19:57:13.263: %CDP_PD-4-POWER_OK: 15.4 W power - NEGOTIATED inline power source

while the controller log cycles around the lines below:

*spamApTask6: May 26 19:57:47.984: %CAPWAP-3-TX_ERR: capwap_ac_sm.c:6045 The system has failed to transmit image data request to AP 00:fe:c8:e8:e3:04
*spamApTask6: May 26 19:57:47.984: %CAPWAP-3-ENCODE_ERR: capwap_ac_sm.c:3364 The system has failed to encode Image data request (Requested Ap Image not found) to AP 00:fe:c8:e8:e3:04
*spamApTask6: May 26 19:57:47.984: %CAPWAP-3-IMAGE_DOWNLOAD_ERR3: capwap_ac_platform.c:1545 Refusing image download request from Unsupported AP 00:fe:c8:e8:e3:04 - unable to open image file /bsn/ap//ap3g2
*spamApTask6: May 26 19:57:37.733: %CAPWAP-3-DTLS_CLOSED_ERR: capwap_ac_sm.c:7331 00:fe:c8:e8:e3:04: DTLS connection closed forAP 10:0:10:10 (36401), Controller: 192:168:100:95 (5246) Echo Timer Expiry

Hope this extra info is useful....This looks like a filename error, but of course, I can't get into the Linux underpinning the vWLC to sort it out :(

Jim

[Rasika Nayanajith]

Hi Jim,

Is it possible to downgrade to 8.5.140.0 & see if that helps ?

I doubt, you can upload individual AP images onto WLC

Rasika

[Leo Laohoo]

I think I know what this is ... Console into the AP and post the complete output to the command "dir".

[Jim Blake]

Hi Leo,

Here it is:

Directory of flash:/

2 -rwx 287 Jan 1 1970 00:06:43 +00:00 info
3 -rwx 69953 May 25 2019 18:45:34 +00:00 event.log
38 drwx 576 Mar 1 1993 00:05:02 +00:00 ap3g2-rcvk9w8-mx
5 -rwx 146 May 19 2019 15:10:49 +00:00 capwap-saved-config-bak
6 -rwx 11288 Mar 1 1993 00:00:20 +00:00 private-multiple-fs
17 drwx 2496 Apr 30 2019 21:32:03 +00:00 ap3g2-k9w8-mx.153-3.JD5
86 -rwx 64 May 11 2019 20:36:37 +00:00 sensord_CSPRNG0
75 drwx 512 Nov 28 2016 15:36:04 +00:00 configs
7 -rwx 174 Mar 1 1993 00:00:20 +00:00 env_vars
8 -rwx 0 Mar 1 1993 00:00:39 +00:00 config.txt
83 -rwx 71528 May 16 2019 19:28:28 +00:00 event.capwap
87 -rwx 64 May 11 2019 20:36:37 +00:00 sensord_CSPRNG1
89 -rwx 0 May 11 2019 19:37:52 +00:00 ce
14 -rwx 114 Nov 28 2016 15:51:44 +00:00 pnp-saved-config
15 -rwx 95008 May 19 2019 15:06:14 +00:00 lwapp_reap.cfg.bak

40900608 bytes total (19257856 bytes free)

[Leo Laohoo]

Do this:
deb cap con cli
del /f /r flash:ap3g2-k9w8-mx.153-3.JD5
conf t
no boo sys
end
REBOOT

[Jim Blake]

It looks like I've bricked the AP :(

All I get now is:

ap:
ap:
ap: boot
Loading ""...: permission denied

Error loading ""

Interrupt within 5 seconds to abort boot process.
Boot process failed...
ap:

I've managed to do something unpleasant, so I'll go away and google some more, see if I can bring the thing back to life

I'm sure there must be a way....tftp a file or something. Whatever, I'm learning a lot about APs :)

Jim

[Leo Laohoo]

Console into the AP and reboot (by pulling the power instead of the "reset" command). Post everything.

[Jim Blake · Accepted solution]

Well, that was fun....NOT! I eventually found a community message at https://community.cisco.com/t5/wireless-mobility-documents/access-point-rommon-recovery-ap-prompt-recovery-example/ta-p/3119495 which I adapted and followed, having downloaded the file c3700-k9w8-tar.153-3.JJ.tar.

Notice the file name....it starts with "c3700", whereas the other files provided for the 3700 series of APs were named with the prefix "ap3g2".

That worked! I got the file tftp'ed across, booted from it and the AP came up, and joined the WLC. The change of name seemed to fix it

Thanks to all contributors, its been an interesting one :)

Jim

[Jonas Kalldert]

Hi,

I have had a similar problem. I noticed that if the current image is to old on the AP it cant be upgraded directly to 8.8

Eather test to upgrade the AP manually or downgrade the vWLC to an older version. Test to join the AP and if it can join and upgraded to that version, try to upgrade the vWLC again.

Best regards,

Jonas

[Wi-Fi_Rambler]

This was correct for my situation.  I had a AIR-AP2802I-B-K9 running 8.3.143.15 code that could not upgrade to 8.10.162.0 without upgrading to 8.5.x first.