Cisco 2504 WLC Configuration

[Mohammed Ismail Shareef]

Hi Everyone,

I have got one new Cisco 2504 WLC with 5 AP License & 4 1600 Series Access Points.

I have three sub-nets in my network as following;

- VLAN 10 : 192.168.90.0/24 (IT Dept.) - SSID : XXXX-IT

- VLAN 20 : 192.168.92.0/24 (Common Staff) - SSID : XXXX

- VLAN 30 : 192.168.94.0/24 (Corporate Dept.) - SSID : XXXX-CORP

I have to place 4 AP's on two floors 2 AP's on each floor. All the AP's should release all the three SSID's and receptively users should connect to appropriate networks.

Example:

IT Department is on 2nd Floor and the IT people connects to XXXX-IT and gets the sub-net 192.168.90.XXX. When the IT people visits 3rd floor they should still be connected to the same network XXXX-IT through 3rd Floor's AP's.

Honestly i have very little knowledge of wireless technology and moreover no knowledge about WLC's.

Kindly help me configure this out as per my requirement.

Regard

@Mohammed

[Daniel Ordóñez Flores]

Hi Shareef

Don't worry about it by default when you create a new WLAN and you select an ID below of 16 all the AP's broadcast all the SSID (WLAN's) configured on your WLC. So don't worry just remember you need to select and ID below of 16.

**Please rate useful answers**

[Mohammed Ismail Shareef]

Hi Ordonez,

Thanks for your quick response, you are right that all the AP's will broadcast all the selected created WLAN's ID.

But i am confused about the connectivity, how each WLAN's ID will have different sub-nets.

I hope you understand what is my problem.

As a reference i have attached my current structure. IT connects to all the network where ever they go. I want all the clients connects to their respective networks where ever they are because they should not kill the other networks traffic.

VLAN-10 : 2.5 Mbps

VLAN-20 : 3.0 Mbps

VLAN-30 : 1.0 Mbps

Regard

@Mohammed

[Daniel Ordóñez Flores]

Hi again:

how each WLAN's ID will have different sub-nets.?

Well every WLAN needs to be mapped a its respestctive VLAN. You created dynamic interfaces for every WLAN, right?

Maybe you created a dynamic interface called IT and you set a ip address 192.168.90.X/24 and you wrote its mask and your GW. Finally you assigned your DHCP server for that WLAN. Maybe, just maybe, you DHCP server is 192.168.90.Y/24

After when you created your WLAN the WLC asked you about one dynamic interface and you selected IT Dinamyc interface. 

If you do that for every WLAN should be its own address.

[Mohammed Ismail Shareef]

Hi Ordonez,

The ISP router has three sub-interfaces with VLAN tags and also acts as DHCP server for all the sub-nets.

I have 4 ports on WLC, 1st ports is management port and i am using 3rd & 4th port for the purpose of POE.

The WLC is fresh and there is no configuration other than above.

Kindly suggest. I will try to create network topology and add it in the mean while.

Regards

@Mohammed

[Daniel Ordóñez Flores]

Ok we will be here...

[Mohammed Ismail Shareef]

Hi Ordonez,

Kindly find the attached topology as per my imagination. I don't know whether it is right way to do or not. Do i have to make the ports 3,4 on switch as Trunk ?

If you see my currently topology attached in my previous posts, there were three links port 3- IT, port 4 - XXXX & port 5 - XXXX-CORP. I set the ports speed to 10 Mbps and with the help of below command i was controlling to bandwidth for all the departments.

switch(config)#interface fa 0/3

switch(config-if)#srr-queue bandwidth limit 14 (For 1 Mbps)

Similarly for all the departments.

Now i am afraid to say what will happen to this bandwidth limitation if we have WLC & AP's in the picture.

I hope you give me a better solutions out of it.

Regards

@Mohammed

[Daniel Ordóñez Flores]

The connection between your WLC and your Switch, yes should be a trunk port.

If you want to get the ap to join, you need to setup a dhcp scope on the wlc and it must be on the same network as the wlc management.  The ap will get an ip address from the pool and join the wlc as long as everything else is configured correctly.

So don't connect directly your AP to your WLC.

I'm not sure why you want to limit the bandwith, remember that wireless protocols can get until 300 Mbps, in a normal services more o less 54 or more.

[Mohammed Ismail Shareef]

Hi Daniel,

Now i am completely confused.

First of all i am connecting only two AP's to WLC because i do not have power adapters for them so i am using the two POE ports (3rd & 4th). Remaining two i have 2 power adapters for them.

What i did till now:

While configuring management interface i configured the below parameters;

IP : 192.168.90.3

Mask : 255.255.255.0

Gateway : 192.168.90.1

DHCP Server  : 192.168.90.1

VLAN-ID : 10

I connected only 1 AP to 3rd port and it took the IP 192.168.90.88.

I created 1 WLAN "TEST" and configured the security "WPA1+WPA2".

I can see the SSID "TEST" and when i connect i have the IP form the same range 192.168.90.xxx and i have internet access.

The reason i am limiting the bandwidth because i have 7 Mbps of internet connection and i am dedicating as below;

IT - 2.5 Mbps

CORP - 1 Mbps

Common/Others - 3 Mbps

Hope you understand what i am trying to say. By the way where you wanted me to add you ? Twitter or Facebook (@DanielOrdonezMX) ?

Regards

@Mohamemd

[Daniel Ordóñez Flores · Accepted solution]

Twitter.

Ok. Well let me try to explain. Cisco recommend don't attached directly the AP to the WLC, maybe is working but you don't get support from Cisco Tac in case you needed.

Now, you configured your managed interface, now your wireless clients are getting ip addressing from the same subnet, right?

Well I know you want to use separate subnets for every WLAN.

Now create a new dynamic interface from Controller--> Interfaces 

Then write a name for example WLAN-CORP and write the corresponding VLAN in your example clan 30.

Then click on apply button. A new windows will appear write the ip address for example:

P : 192.168.94.3

Mask : 255.255.255.0

Gateway : 192.168.94.1

DHCP Server  : 192.168.94.1

VLAN-ID : 30

Then create your WLAN. Click on WLAN--> Type WLAN-->Profile Name WLAN-CORP

Write the SSID (WLAN) name and this is import on ID select a value below of 16.

Numer 1,2,3,4 are fine.

Then click on Apply button and a new windows will appear, in "Interface or Interface group" select the interface "WLAN-CORP" and fill the rest.

Now the clients on your WLAN Corp will get an ip 192.168.40.X

[Mohammed Ismail Shareef]

Hi Daniel,

This is great, i understood little and i will try that when i am in office tomorrow morning, but tell me one thing, is anything wrong using POE for only the purpose of power ?

I think i gotta limit the bandwidth on the router's sub interfaces as i can see the bandwidth limitation will not function the way it is now.

Do you have any better solutions how can i limit the bandwidth to each VLAN ?

Kindly do add me also on twitter @mismailshareef.

Regards

@Mohammed

[Daniel Ordóñez Flores]

@DanielOrdonezMX

If you want add me :)

[Daniel Ordóñez Flores]

please check this link

http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/support/docs/wireless/2500-series-wireless-controllers/113034-2500-deploy-guide-00.html