Help with WLC 5508 configuration

[James060277]

Hello all, first off let me start by saying I am very new to this so I apologize ahead of time but am very eager to learn. I have a WLC 5508 and a Catalyst 2960S as well as 3 AIRCAP 3502E access points. I have read books and watched tons of Youtube videos but I still cant get my access points to find the WLC. I am finally done beating my head against a wall and am hoping someone can help. 

[marce1000]

 - So ,where are you stuck then ?

 M.

[James060277]

I am stuck with the fact that the ap's wont show up in the wlc management. I feel like maybe i didnt set the switch up right or don't have something connected right. I am beyond frustrated. I ran the network assistant and this is what it shows me. I have one Ap that shows up both of my 2960S switches( CSA & CSA2) and the thing on the bottom right is my 5508. What should I do? Is there an example configuration that I could follow?                                                                                                               

 

[balaji.bandi]

Steps as below :

1. Configure switch port access

2. VLAN have DHCP help config to get IP address from DHCP

3. DHCP have Option to setup WLC Controller to register

4. AP register with WLC conroller

here is the reference guide :

https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/support/docs/wireless-mobility/wireless-lan-wlan/70333-lap-registration.html

Good examples :

https://mrncciew.com/2012/12/27/understanding-dhcp/

[patoberli]

Your WLC management interface and the AP aren't in the same VLAN (see the different IP address). You can have them in different networks, but that requires a router and some advanced DHCP configuration (which I don't recommend for a beginner). I suggest you put the WLC ap-management interface and AP into the same VLAN and the AP should automatically find and connect to the WLC.

Please note, you need to have active licenses on the WLC and the WLC software release needs to support the AP model. Additionally you must have selected the correct country for your AP model on the WLC. I think the 5508 doesn't require you to accept the license EULA, but better check on the licensing screen if there is an option to agree to it.

[James060277]

Thank you for your reply. Since my last post I created a couple of VLANs. I created a trunk to communicate from switch to switch. I reconfigured the wlc ( for the 100th ) time and specified it to be on it's own vlan. I did choose the static option instead of dhcp when it came to the service port interface. As far as licensing I'm not sure how to check that. I still cant seem to see the ap interface. For that matter from what I've read the wlc mgmt interface is also used as the ap interface. I cant seem to co sole in to the AP's. Everytime I try I see nothing happen. I've held the mode button down till solid red to "reset" them and still nothing. In the wlc ap interface it says I have 0 ap's. Right now I'm trying to figure out how to put dhcp on wlc vlan. This is a mess. Hats off to those of you that do this regularly. I love a challenge/puzzle but this is pushing me to the limit. 

[patoberli]

There are some requirements that must be met, before starting to integrate a WLC.

One of those is a working router and I suggest at least 2 VLANs. 

The WLC has several physical and more importantly virtual interfaces. You want the WLC to be connected to a Trunk port on the switch, with all VLANs on the switch configured beforehand.

Here is a fairly good guide, which even includes sample Switch configuration:

http://what-when-how.com/deploying-and-troubleshooting-cisco-wireless-lan-controllers/overview-and-configuration-cisco-wireless-lan-controllers/

It's for older software releases, but I don't think much has changed.

Important, the AP needs to be in the same VLAN as the management interface and you should have a separate DHCP server providing IP addresses for that VLAN (create that on your router for your VLAN for the start). You should also have a DHCP server running for the VLAN where your clients should be in the end. I don't suggest to use the WLC DHCP server, as that feature is removed in newer WLC platforms. 

[Wifi_Eshwar92]

what do you see on ap console? 

[Rich R]

Provide "show sysinfo" and "show time" from the WLC along with "show ap join stats summary all" and "show ap join stats detailed <MAC>" for each AP.
Then provide full console logs from the APs from the moment you turn them on.
How is your DHCP configured? (presume you're doing that on the switch) it should have include option 43 encoded with WLC IP.
If you're not using DHCP (recommended) then how have you configured the APs?

[James060277]

Thank you for your help. I am not able to get the ap info as I cant get them to join. I was able to get the sys info and the time. Again I appreciate your help. I really just want this to work. I need some guidance for dummies. For that matter I bought Cisco Networking for Dummies but doesnt touch on WLC that much. Thanks again. 

[David Ritter]

Why not just re-address the wlc to 192.168.1.x and most everything will begin to work.
as it is their is no bridging inplace from the 192.168.1x to the 192.168.100.x segments (no router)
when the AP's are on a different segment from the WLC, the first thing they do is (if not ever configured) a DNS shout out for 'Cisco-lwapp-controller" followed by 'Cisco-capwap-controller'. Otherwise they turn-on looking for their configured MWAR's (controller ip's). If multiple choice, they always pick the least loaded WLC.
As has been mentioned, one should not (never) hook a wlan ssid to the management segment but rather to another virtual interface.. (vlan). You may have many ssids link to the same virtual interface.

good luck

[patoberli]

Oh you should also upgrade the FUS to a newer version, information here:
https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/wireless/controller/release/notes/fus_rn_OL-31390-01.html

Please note, that upgrade can take up to 30 minutes and fixes some important storage bugs, most notably CSCul68057.

[James060277]

Thank you to everyone for your expertise and sharing your knowledge with me on this matter. I think ultimately what may be going on is that I dont have a Cisco router. I have been using the AT&T modem/router plugged into port 1 on the 2960S. At first I didn't have static ip addresses but since our thread I've paid for those. I set up a DHCP server and scope on server 2008. I'm currently looking to buy a Cisco 2811 for about 80 dollars and hope this fixes my issue. This has been a long confusing road with so many variables at play. From routers to server co figuration and so on. I was hoping to get this done without having to buy another piece of equipment but I'd rather it work properly. Am I on the right track here or am I going to waste my money. Also I have been experimenting with packet tracer to set all this up beforehand. I'll touch base after I buy this router. Thank you all again. 

[patoberli]

You are actually trying to do something fairly difficult, which requires a lot of networking knowledge in many different areas. Trust me, this is something that does take time, more so the first time you try to implement it.
I can't say if the Cisco router will make it easier, but it's a nice piece of hardware with many software features (correct licensing required). I think the basic license should suffice for your design which comes preinstalled.

[James060277]

Ok....Update time. 

So I went out and bought a Cisco 2821 router and an ASA 5505. I installed them and did a very basic installation. I was having trouble for a while with this until I realized I had competing NAT's. I disabled the Nat or put it in pass-through mode and all is well. I can now access the internet. I configured the WLC 5508 (Again) and used the ip information from setting up the 2821. I now can see my AP's broadcasting. However now i'm having trouble accessing the Management interface gui. It is set at static 192.168.2.1 with web mode and secure web mode enabled. I can ping that address from a different PC in the network successfully but I cant access the gui. I'm confused. I even went into the IPv4 settings on the NIC and changed the ip setting to use this specific address. Still nothing. Im sooooooooooo close. I just need to get into this. Any suggestions?