Confirm L2, intercontroller roam & AP high availability operation using 7.6.130.0

[Steven Shelton]

I would like to hear that these functions are known to work with 7.6.130.0 in this configuration.

The customer will have a pair of primary controllers deployed in separate telco closets. Each primary controller consists of a pair of WLC 5508 configured in HA SSO and will be on 7.6.130.0.  

The hope is to use the AP's primary/secondary controller option under HA to steer APs to a desired controller.

Over last weekend this was tested with the exception of one primary controller (currently the only production controller) was running 7.6.100.0 and the new controller used 7.6.130.0.  APs joined to the new controller did not behave as expected when the primary/secondary controller was defined in the HA tab.  The only way an AP could be steered to the new controller was to add APs until the production controller reached 500 APs. After an AP joined the test controller (7.6.130.0) it could not be directed back to production controller (7.6.100.0) with prim/sec controller.  Client roaming from an AP one controller to an AP on the other controller was successful and no dropped packets from a continuous ping. 

This weekend we are trying it again but plan to have both controllers on 7.6.130.0.  Roaming is layer 2 only.  Confidence level is high for everything but the ability to direct APs to a specific controller by using the primary/secondary controller option on the AP.  This has to work, we have to have control over the APs since a few WLANs will only exist on one controller, not both. (yes, I see the problem there but that's what they want to do at this time). 

Is there anyone who is currently using a similar configuration and knows this to work with 7.6.130.0?  I'm going out a limb this weekend would like to have a reasonable expectation of success on the second try.

Upgrading to version 8 is possible this weekend, if we need to do so in order for all this work.

BTW, the APs are a mix of 1142, 3502i/e and 3602e.

Thank you

[Stephen Rodriguez · Accepted solution]

Using Primary/Secondary to direct the AP to a particular controller works, so long as you have AP Fallback Enabled. This should be under the Controller > General tab.

You also want to make sure that the WLC are in the same mobility group, and it sounds like you have that configured already as roaming between the WLC worked.

HTH,

Steve

[Scott Fella · Accepted solution]

I have customers who are running AP SSO at multiple buildings and the failover between buildings works fine on v7.6.130.0.  Orimary for the AP's is the HA pair at the location. Secondary is the HA pair in the other location.

-Scott
 

[Steven Shelton]

Thanks, that's what I needed to hear.  I felt fairly certain the issues we experienced in testing were related to the 7.6.100.0 release.  Anytime the production controller is rebooted, it randomly changes some of the AP configurations.

My next posting will ask out using AutoRF.  I know back in the day when this product was mostly Airespace code, AutoRF didn't seem to work well and Airespace recommended not using it. I know the customer wants to use AutoRF very much.

[Scott Fella]

RRM is Cisco's term for autoRF:)  it works well but can be tweaked depending on ap placement and density. 

-Scott