1532e Access Point not joining 5508 Controller

[tbarron11]

I must be missing some step here, and I am not very experienced with wireless so forgive my ignorance.

I am trying to add a 1532e access point (to be used as a mesh access point, connecting a remote system physically located away from our main facility to our wireless) to a new 5508 controller. I have successfully added regular APs (AIR-CAP3502I-A-K9) just by changing the network port on the switches they are connecting with to the new vlan for the new wireless system (there is an old wireless system existing as well).

When I connect the 1532e to a switch port on the new wireless vlan it successfully takes an IP address from the DHCP server, and I can ping the wireless controller and successfully ping CISCO-CAPWAP-CONTROLLER (ie, resolve the DNS name) but it won't join the controller.

I do have the MAC address of the 1532e added in the MAC filters on the controller for all wlans and on the management interface which is also the AP management interface.

Heres the message I get:

Cisco IOS Software, C1530 Software (ap1g3-K9W8-M), Version 15.3(3)JA1, RELEASE SOFTWARE (fc1)
Technical Support: http://www.cisco.com/techsupport
Copyright (c) 1986-2014 by Cisco Systems, Inc.
Compiled Fri 19-Dec-14 10:28 by prod_rel_team
*Mar  1 00:00:41.359: %SNMP-5-COLDSTART: SNMP agent on host ap is undergoing a cold start
*Mar  1 00:00:42.479: %LINEPROTO-5-UPDOWN: Line protocol on Interface BVI1, changed state to up
*Mar  1 00:00:43.487: %LWAPP-3-CLIENTERRORLOG: Config load from flash failed. Initialising Cfg

*Mar  1 00:00:49.031: %SSH-5-ENABLED: SSH 2.0 has been enabled
*Mar  1 00:00:49.031: %LINK-6-UPDOWN: Interface Dot11Radio0, changed state to up
*Mar  1 00:00:49.031: %LINK-6-UPDOWN: Interface Dot11Radio1, changed state to uplwapp_crypto_init: MIC Present and Parsed Successfully

*Mar  1 00:00:59.483: Currently running a Release Image

*Mar  1 00:00:59.491: Using SHA-2 signed certificate for image signing validation.
*Mar  1 00:01:38.099: %DHCP-6-ADDRESS_ASSIGN: Interface BVI1 assigned DHCP address 10.10.254.197, mask 255.255.255.0, hostname AP1005.ca2a.a774

*Mar  1 00:01:57.975: APAVC: Succeeded to activate all the STILE protocols.

*Mar  1 00:01:57.975: APAVC: Registering with CFT

*Mar  1 00:01:57.975: APAVC: CFT registration of delete callback succeeded

*Mar  1 00:01:57.975: APAVC: Reattaching  Original Buffer pool for system use

*Mar  1 00:01:57.975: Pool-ReAtach: paks 11465 radio10857

*Mar  1 00:02:01.119: AP image integrity check PASSED

*Mar  1 00:02:01.131: %LWAPP-3-CLIENTERRORLOG: Config load from flash failed. Initialising Cfg

*Mar  1 00:02:01.239: %LINK-5-CHANGED: Interface Dot11Radio0, changed state to reset
*Mar  1 00:02:02.251: %LINK-6-UPDOWN: Interface Dot11Radio0, changed state to up
*Mar  1 00:02:02.259: %LINK-5-CHANGED: Interface Dot11Radio1, changed state to reset
*Mar  1 00:02:03.251: %LINEPROTO-5-UPDOWN: Line protocol on Interface Dot11Radio0, changed state to up
*Mar  1 00:02:03.283: %LINK-6-UPDOWN: Interface Dot11Radio1, changed state to up
*Mar  1 00:02:04.283: %LINEPROTO-5-UPDOWN: Line protocol on Interface Dot11Radio1, changed state to up%Default route without gateway, if not a point-to-point interface, may impact performance
%Error opening flash:/capwap-saved-config (No such file or directory)
*Mar  1 00:02:19.755: %SYS-6-LOGGINGHOST_STARTSTOP: Logging to host 255.255.255.255 port 514 CLI Request Triggered
Translating "CISCO-CAPWAP-CONTROLLER"...domain server (10.10.5.5) (10.10.5.4)

Not in Bound state.

*Mar  1 00:04:49.775: %CAPWAP-3-DHCP_RENEW: Could not discover WLC. Either IP address is not assigned or assigned IP is wrong. Renewing DHCP IP.

Then it renews the IP, getting the next DHCP IP in the pool and gives the same message again.

I've reset the AP to factory defaults a few times, tried manually configuring the Controller IP address and assigning it a static IP through the CLI... Nothing seems to change.

Any ideas?

[Rasika Nayanajith]

Try to put this AP on the same vlan as WLC management & reload.

Attach complete console output from the AP. Also post "show sysinfo" from your WLC CLI as well

HTH

Rasika

[tbarron11]

Thanks for the responses.

The AP is on the management VLAN which is also the AP management VLAN configured on the WLC.

 It does resolve the .domain.com address and yes the domain name is configured in DHCP options.

Any other ideas?

[Stephen Rodriguez]

can you run the following on the CLI of the WLC concurrently?

debug mac-address < mac address of the 1532 >

debug capwap events enable

debug capwap errors enable

HTH,

Steve

[tbarron11]

Time is set yes.

I ran the debug commands on the WLC and it showed nothing.

[hisham683 · Accepted solution]

alright.... if you know that the AP is picking up an IP and can ping the controller, then here's a couple more suggestions:

- Make sure the controller is running at least code version 7.6

- Make sure the AP itself did not come with Mesh AP software installed on it. If it did you will need to its MAC to the AP authorization list. Do a show version and sh inventory and post it here if you're not sure.

- try to manually set the controller IP address on the AP using the command " capwap ap controller ip address xxxx>

[tbarron11]

Ok, the software version on the controller is 7.4. I'll get this updated to the latest version and try again.

[hisham683]

You said this is a new controller. Have done any time settings on it yet?

APs will not join until you set an NTP server or manually set the time.

[hisham683]

I think you should see trying resolve CISCO-CAPWAP-CONTROLLER.domain.com, but its only translating CISCO-CAPWAP-CONTROLLER. Is the domain name configured in the DHCP options?

otherwise like Manannalage ras... said, put them in the same VLAN and it should discover it via broadcast.

[tbarron11]

After updating to the latest software release, they join the AP just fine.

I never thought on a newly purchased controller that the software would be so old that the AP's purchased along with the controller wouldn't be able to join it... :)

Thanks!

[Scott Fella]

When purchasing a WLC, you specify the code train you would want the controller to come with. This is why you could of gotten a WLC with older code or even a controller with the latest code.  Sometimes if you purchase through distribution or maybe an online store, the WLC could of been sitting there for a very long time.  So just be aware next time.  Here is a compatibility list also for future use:

http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/wireless/compatibility/matrix/compatibility-matrix.html

-Scott