Setting up a Aironet 1852E AP

[George Hill]

Hello,

we have a lot of 1242 AP, these are end of live. We've got 1852e APs as replacement.

I tried to setup these APs and recognized that there are different Firmware Versions.

The 1. AP is a mobility express controller firmware 8.2.141.0, to set this AP as a primary

controller was not very difficult.

The 2. AP is a capwap AP with firmware 8.2.141.0. I connected it with DHCP, it joined

to the Controller and everything was easy, i can setup them in the web-interface of the

primary controller.

The 3. AP is a capwap type with firmware 8.3.112.0. This AP doesn' t get a IP Address

from DHCP. When i give it manual an IP-address, he tried to join with the controller but

gets no configuration and start the join process again and again.

Does these APs get connected with different firmware-versions ?

If not, where can i get the firmware, we don't have a contract with Cisco, the reseller

couldn't help me.

What is to do ? We want to replace all APs 1242, but i'm disappointed, that this is not an

easy way.

Thanks, George

[Flavio Miranda]

Hi,

If you run show version and did not see the following information, then you have a Lightweight AP and not ME AP:

AP Image type    : MOBILITY EXPRESS IMAGE

AP Configuration : MOBILITY EXPRESS CAPABLE

I've seen a lot of cases by here. Cisco should allows for ME image download with no contract, but, it is up to them.

 Focus on your problem, if you have an Lightweight AP there's no other way to solve it:

 Get ME image

Convert AP

Join to the Master AP

Try to contact Cisco.

-If I helped you somehow, please, rate it as useful.-

[George Hill]

Thanks for your answer.

The Primary Controller is a ME AP, the second and the third AP are lightweight APs.

The second AP has the same firmware version as the Controller, the third AP has a

different firmware version.

I don't understand why the second AP joins, but the third controller doesn't join.

Is this a problem of the firmware version ?

[Flavio Miranda]

I suggest you do not focus on version but image type.

 Run the show version command and make sure this ME image.

[George Hill]

Why does the second lightweight AP joins without problems ? It has no ME image, but joins and was configured by the primary controller and i can configure it over the webinterface of the primary controller.

[Flavio Miranda]

Well, if it joins it is ME.

 You can try downgrade the third one to the same version. I already saw people complaining about upper version not able to join.

 I think worth  it to try.

-If I helped you somehow, please, rate it as useful.-

[George Hill]

Sry, but the second Ap is a lightweight capwap Ap and joined to the primary controller with no problems.

It don't has the mobility express software, so it is possible, i read this in several comments, to join to a ME controller with lightweight ap image.

[Flavio Miranda]

Alright then. I may be wrong.

[George Hill]

I have downloaded the ME Software from Cisco and converted a capwap AP in a ME ap.
Now i have the problem, the next one doesn't downgade.
Someone an idea to solve the problem ?

AP00F8.2C22.5D58#
AP00F8.2C22.5D58#archive download-sw /reload tftp://192.168.100.152/AIR-AP1850-K
9-8.2.141.0.tar
######################################################################## 100.0%
Image downloaded, writing to flash...
do PREDOWNLOAD, part1 is active part
tar: can't open '/tmp/part.tar': No such file or directory
No part.tar found
Error: '/etc/capwap-upgrade.sh PREDOWNLOAD' failure.
AP00F8.2C22.5D58#

Thanks, George

[Vengatesa Prasath]

HI George,

Please try with the .zip file instead of .tar. 

Please use: AIR-AP1850-K9-ME-8-2-141-0.zip

.tar file only for capwap to ME conversion.

hope this helps.

Please rate useful post

Regards,

Vengat

[Flavio Miranda]

Hi,

According to Cisco docs, the proper command to convert from CAPWAP to ME is:

ap-type mobility-express tftp://<TFTP Server IP>/<path to tar file>

 PREDOWNLOAD, as per your log, is a procedure where the AP gets the image from the WLC prior from joining the WLC. 

 Try to repeat the process using the above commnad and share the results.

For your reference:

https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/wireless/controller/technotes/8-3/b_Cisco_Mobility_Express_Deployment_Guide/b_Cisco_Mobility_Express_Deployment_Guide_chapter_010.html

-If I helped you somehow, please, rate it as useful.-