8540 WLC Set up

[benolyndav]

Hi

I have a new 8540 WLC to setup so when i boot and it loads up I say no to autoinstall and then go through the steps, why does one of the steps ask me to add an SSID name ? should the name I add be an SSID that I will be later broadcasting ? also i have read that if I want to enable the ports as  1gig i need to insert an sfp in port 4 and then rebbot is this correct ? and do I also need to enable lag before the reboot ? another step is to add the management IP Address which I do but then after the reboot should i create a etherchannel on the swithc the WLC connects to would this then come up and up ?  should I then be able to browse to the management IP Address or do I need to enabll HTTPS mode ?.

Thanks

[Dustin Anderson]

I can't say on the SFP as I have not set one up, but I can answer these.

1: SSID, I just did test and you can delete it once in the GUI

2: LAG, if you intend to have multiple links, then when you enable lag, you should have the etherchannel set up also. You can do it with a single link and enable LAG later, but it will reboot.

3: I believe HTTPS is enabled by default, so once it has an IP, you should be able to web into it.

[Flavio Miranda]

Hi

"I have a new 8540 WLC to setup so when i boot and it loads up I say no to autoinstall and then go through the steps, why does one of the steps ask me to add an SSID name ?"

 Not sure if there is a reason for that as, on this stage, you will not be able to use wireless, but, it is a WLC so it not strange that they ask to setup an SSID as the start up.

"should the name I add be an SSID that I will be later broadcasting ?"

No, I always put a generic SSID during this stage. You can delete after or change it.

"also i have read that if I want to enable the ports as  1gig i need to insert an sfp in port 4 and then rebbot is this correct ?"

Not exactly. Here what Cisco says:

"Switching Between 10 G and 1 G

• The SFP installed in port 1 determines the modes for port 2 to 4 at power-up; the mode cannot be changed after power-up. The default modes for all ports is 10G when no SFP is installed in port 1.
• Conversely, if an SFP module is installed and the user wants to switch to 4 x 10 G mode, then an SFP+ module must be installed in port 1 and the WLC rebooted.
• Thus, Online Insertion and Removal (OIR) of SFP and SFP+ between 10 G and 1 G is not possible.
• OIR of 10 G to 10 G and 1 G and 1 G is possible."

"and do I also need to enable lag before the reboot ?"

You can enable Lag at any time but you will be required to reboot

"another step is to add the management IP Address which I do but then after the reboot should i create a etherchannel on the swithc the WLC connects to would this then come up and up ?"

etherchannel is not a requirement. It can be a trunk if you are going to use one interface only. It will depend on the installation and objective. You may want split the traffic per interface instead. 

But, I'd say a port-channel is the most common scenario.

  "should I then be able to browse to the management IP Address or do I need to enabll HTTPS mode ?."

HTTPS is anble

[benolyndav]

Hi

Thanks for the info very helpful!!  so just so I am understanding correctly if a standard sfp module is in port 1 and I go through the initial set up i mentioned then reboot,  Ports 2-4 will run at 1gig.?  Once the WLC  boots and I have the IP on management and etherchannel and vlans i should be able to access gui, ? can everything from then on be done vis gui.? Also is it possible to change management IP later on.?

Thanks

[Flavio Miranda]

Yes. If you are going to use 1Giga, connect the iGiga SFP to port 1 and then reboot.  Then, you have all ports at 1 giga.

Once you have this done, you add the management IP address  and switch side done , interface in channel then you should be able to access the WLC.

 Yes, you are able to change the management IP address after installation.  But, you also have the Service Port for this kind of activity.  If you change the management IP address  you can get locked outside if something went wrong. So use the Service Point for this job.

[benolyndav]

Hi

So the management is a virtual interface yes? and I see the SP is physical

Thanks

[Flavio Miranda]

Management interface is similar to a interface vlan on the switch side.  Service port is physical and accept SSH and HTTP/HTTPS for device management

The concept of interface management in cisco WLC is a bit confuse as it sounds like it should be use for the WLC management but it is actually use to a lot more. The Access point will join the WLC using this interface. You use it for TACACS, RADIUS etc

[benolyndav]

Hi

Management interface is similar to a interface vlan on the switch side.  Service port is physical and accept SSH and HTTP/HTTPS for device management. are you saying we need service port to be enable to access via ssh/https

The concept of interface management in cisco WLC is a bit confuse as it sounds like it should be use for the WLC management but it is actually use to a lot more. The Access point will join the WLC using this interface. You use it for TACACS, RADIUS etc

[Flavio Miranda]

"are you saying we need service port to be enable to access via ssh/https"

No. I just said that the service pprt can handle ssh and http/https.

You can access the wlc using management interface Just fine. Either using ssh or http and https.

 The diffrent is that the servixe port is used for the Box management only while the management interface can be used for the Box management and other service like I listed.

You are going to need the service port if you need to change the management interface ip address, for example. Almost everything else is done using the management interface

[Leo Laohoo · Accepted solution]

---

@benolyndav wrote:
why does one of the steps ask me to add an SSID name

---

Just enter a fictitious SSID.  It is very easy to erase the SSID later.  

---

@benolyndav wrote:
also i have read that if I want to enable the ports as  1gig i need to insert an sfp in port 4 and then rebbot is this correct

---

If I am not mistaken, it should be a GLC-SX-MM or GLC-SX-MMD.  

[Flavio Miranda]

Awesome!