- Introduction
- Problem Description
- Access Point Roles
- Problem Type
- Software Version
- Problem Details
- Setup
- Logs
- Error Messages
- Resolution
- More Information
Introduction
In this document Cisco TAC engineer "Siddharth Vij" has explained about Issue Mesh Access Point (MAP) not able to join the controller through Root Access Point (RAP). The MAP is unable to join the Wireless controller through the RAP over the Air. If Ethernet port of MAP is connected to wired network, MAP is able to join the controller.
Problem Description
In the first test, the MAP was connected to the LAN via switch, secondly the connection via switch was unplugged - MAP wasn't rebooted, and thirdly - the MAP was rebooted (power failure simulation).
The effect was the same as always - MAP when is connected to the LAN via switch - is joining to the controller properly, when the connection to the switch is unplugged - after about 5 min MAP is joining to the controller via RAP properly, after reboot of MAP - MAP can't join to the controller.
Access Point Roles
- Access points within a mesh network operate as either a root access point (RAP) or a mesh access point (MAP).
- RAPs have wired connections to their controller, and MAPs have wireless connections to their controller.
- MAPs communicate among themselves and back to the RAP using wireless connections over the 802.11a radio backhaul. MAPs use the Cisco Adaptive Wireless Path Protocol (AWPP) to determine the best path through the other mesh access points to the controller.
- All the possible paths between the MAPs and RAPs form the wireless mesh network. Figure 8-1 shows the relationship between RAPs and MAPs in a mesh network.
Simple Mesh Network Hierarchy
Problem Type
Software Failure
Software Version
7.2.110.0
Problem Details
The customer has the AP 3502 and tried to set it up in bridge mode.
Setup
WLC --- Switch ---- RAP ((((( MAP
On a 5508 controller running 7.2.110.0.
Logs
From the logs we can see, when the MAP connected to through the Gig-Ethernet interface, the MAP is able to discover the controller and join it without any issues, as on the logs below:
*Aug xx 11:09:56.578: %CAPWAP-5-SENDJOIN: sending Join Request to 192.168.yyy.xxx
*Aug xx 11:09:56.578: MESH_EVENT:mesh_capwap_state_changed current DISCOVERY new JOINING
*Aug xx 11:09:56.578: MESH_EVENT:received mesh_lwapp_handle_request type JOINING
*Aug xx 11:09:56.578: MESH_EVENT:mesh_lwapp_handle_joining
*Aug xx 11:09:56.585: %CAPWAP-3-EVENTLOG: Join Response from 192.168.yyy.xxx
*Aug xx 11:09:56.588: %CAPWAP-3-EVENTLOG: PTMU : Setting MTU to : 1485
*Aug xx 11:09:56.758: MESH_EVENT:mesh_capwap_state_changed current JOINING new CONFIG
*Aug xx 11:09:56.758: MESH_EVENT:received mesh_lwapp_handle_request type JOINING
*Aug xx 11:09:56.758: MESH_EVENT:mesh_lwapp_handle_joining
*Aug xx 11:09:57.053: MESH_EVENT:mesh_capwap_state_changed current JOINING new JOINED-UP
But when the AP disconnected from the wired side, and rebooted, the AP is trying to scan for a parent all the time, and try to add it , and discover controllers, but the MAP is not able to discover the controller, and getting the following;
SENDING DISCOVERY REQUEST wtpStartAcDiscovery:1309, Controller XXXX-xx-X-01: IP Address 0xxxA8xxxx
*Aug xx 00:27:46.309: %CAPWAP-3-EVENTLOG: Could not resolve gateway. Not sending discovery request to 0.0.0.0, type 1.
*Aug xx 00:27:46.309: %CAPWAP-3-EVENTLOG: Discovery Request sent to 255.255.255.255 with discovery type set to 0
*Aug xx 00:27:46.312: %LINK-3-UPDOWN: Interface Dot11Radio0, changed state to down
*Aug xx 00:27:46.319: %LINK-5-CHANGED: Interface Dot11Radio0, changed state to reset
*Aug xx 00:27:47.004: %CAPWAP-3-EVENTLOG: CAPWAP state not up. Abort sending channel and power levels info.0:0:0:0
*Aug xx 00:27:47.335: %LINK-3-UPDOWN: Interface Dot11Radio0, changed state to up
*Aug xx 00:27:48.335: %LINEPROTO-5-UPDOWN: Line protocol on Interface Dot11Radio0, changed state to up
*Aug xx 00:27:49.024: %CAPWAP-3-EVENTLOG: CAPWAP state not up. Abort sending channel and power levels info.0:0:0:0
*Aug xx 00:27:49.030: %CAPWAP-3-EVENTLOG: CAPWAP state not up. Abort sending channel and power levels info.0:0:0:0
*Aug xx 00:27:49.030: ADJ:Scanning channel 100
*Aug xx 00:27:51.044: %CAPWAP-3-EVENTLOG: CAPWAP state not up. Abort sending channel and power levels info.0:0:0:0
*Aug xx 00:27:51.050: %CAPWAP-3-EVENTLOG: CAPWAP state not up. Abort sending channel and power levels info.0:0:0:0
*Aug xx 00:27:51.050: ADJ:Scanning channel 104
*Aug xx 00:27:53.063: %CAPWAP-3-EVENTLOG: CAPWAP state not up. Abort sending channel and power levels info.0:0:0:0
*Aug xx 00:27:53.069: %CAPWAP-3-EVENTLOG: CAPWAP state not up. Abort sending channel and power levels info.0:0:0:0
*Aug xx 00:27:53.069: ADJ:Scanning channel 108
*Aug xx 00:27:55.083: %CAPWAP-3-EVENTLOG: CAPWAP state not up. Abort sending channel and power levels info.0:0:0:0
*Aug xx 00:27:55.089: %CAPWAP-3-EVENTLOG: CAPWAP state not up. Abort sending channel and power levels info.0:0:0:0
*Aug xx 00:27:55.089: ADJ:Scanning channel 112
*Aug xx 00:27:56.310: %CAPWAP-3-EVENTLOG: Could not discover any MWAR.
Error Messages
It looks the MAP is not able to resolve the gateway when connecting through the RAP:
*Mar 1 00:27:46.309: %CAPWAP-3-EVENTLOG: Could not resolve gateway. Not sending discovery request to 0.0.0.0, type 1.
we can see on the logs indicating that the MAP is getting an IP address:
"*Mar 1 00:13:17.302: %CAPWAP-3-EVENTLOG: ADDING IP 192.168.xxx.xxx, 255.255.xxx.x resolvemethod 1, ip_dhcp_addr 0"
And after that the MAP is sending discovery request, but there is no response for these request:
*Mar 1 00:39:23.745: %CAPWAP-3-EVENTLOG: Discovery Request sent to 192.168.xxx.xxx with discovery type set to 1
Resolution
Enabling .11n on 5GHz radio in the WLC (Wireless -> 802.11a/n -> High Throughput (802.11n) ) the MAP is correctly joined to the controller through RAP.
