Can we use default interface on a Flexconnect locally switched WLAN for central switching?

Tejas Satnurkar · ‎02-21-2016

I have got myself into a confusion here.

I am trying to figure out an option where I can centrally switch some clients on a flexconnect locally switched WLAN.

We cannot go with AAA VLAN override here since VLAN IDs are different at different locations.

We have all APs in flexconnect mode with one of the WLANs centrally switched. Now we need to change the WLAN to locally switched as we are deploying APs at remote location. Now we need the old centrally switched clients to be still switched centrally but the new ones to be switched locally.

If we change the WLAN from central switching to local switching and do not do flexconnect vlan mapping on APs, will the clients use the interface mapped on the WLAN and be centrally switched?

Is there any other way we can achieve this?

Note: we are running version 8.0.120.0 on WLC AIR-CT5508-K9.

Thanks in anticipation,

Tejas

Ric.Beeching.Education · ‎02-23-2016

Hi Tejas,

The central vs local switching is managed at the WLAN level so whichever option you have selected will apply there for any clients using that SSID.

It doesn't matter if you don't use WLAN-VLAN mappings as once you have selected the "local switching" option, the APs will switch all clients out on whatever VLAN your interface is set to on the central WLC, even if it that VLAN doesn't exist on the local network the AP is attached to. Basically you'd end up with dropped traffic in that scenario.

I have had a similar situation where I wanted a mix environment for remote offices using the same SSID as a central office. I got around this by having some APs joined to a primary WLC performing central switching (actually they were in local mode but same thing) and then a secondary WLC with the remote office APs joined to with local switching enabled.

With that setup you can have the same SSID across your central and remote offices but with different capabilities when it comes to local switching, AVC, mDNS etc. The downside is you have to purchase another WLC of some kind but a vWLC could achieve what you want providing you don't want to do any anchoring on the second WLC.

Tejas Satnurkar · ‎02-25-2016

Thanks for your response Ric.

We are going forward with the WLAN-VLAN mapping on all APs, will be spanning the L2 VLAN across all trunks until APs.