WDS and number of APs

[b.kokken]

Is it possible to have multiple WDS servers in one subnet?

I was wondering if entering an IP address at the option "Specified Discovery" for all APs could make it possible to have APs register themselves to a specified WDS AP in one subnet? My client will go well above the max of 60 WDS APs per server.

[Rob Huffman]

Hi Bas,

Here is an excerpt from a Cisco document that addresses this issue:

How many infrastructure access points (APs) can a single WDS manage?

A single WDS AP can support a maximum of 60 infrastructure APs when the radio interface is disabled. The number drops to 30 if the AP that acts as the WDS AP also accepts client associations.

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Can I set up more than 60 access points (APs) in a WDS that uses AP-based WDS?

Do not use more than 60 APs on one WDS master. You can run into CPU utilization problems with more than 60 APs. You can have multiple WDS masters, but they need to be on different subnets. An example is the use of:

One WDS master and 30 APs on 10.10.10.10

Another WDS master and 30 APs on 10.10.20.20

In this case, the issue is that you cannot fast roam between WDS domains.

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Here is a link to the actual doc:

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/tech/tk722/tk809/technologies_q_and_a_item09186a00804d4421.shtml#qa8

Here is another link to a doc for configuring WDS AP's:

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/sw/cscowork/ps3915/products_user_guide_chapter09186a008052db43.html#wp1948756

Hope this helps!

Rob

Please remember to rate helpful posts.....

[b.kokken]

Thanks for your reply. I also did read this documentation but was wondering if the Specified discovery was a work around for having more than one WDS master in a subnet.

Unfortunately....

Thanks,

Bas

[cstave]

As I found out yesterday, specified discovery is not a workaround for having more than one WDS master.

I had about 40 APs configured to communicate to the a WDS master and was trying to add a second WDS master and change the remaining APs on my network to use that as the WDS master. It seemed to be going well, every AP I switched to be using the second WDS master was showing up just fine. I then checked the old WDS master and realized that it was in 'backup' mode, having determined that the newer WDS master was the primary.

Long story short, if two WDS devices are on the same subnet, they will configure themselves as a master and a backup. Elsewhere on the forums, people suggest having two management vlans and WDS subnets while having the ssids that use use have consistent VLANS.

Someone had asked about using ACLs to mask the master WDS devices from each other on the same subnet -- it was recommended against, though I think I might try it. I'll respond with how that went.

[b.kokken]

Thanks for your feedback.

We actually decided to move ahead and break up the management VLAN, and therefore the WDS subnets, into pieces.

I would not recommend on using ACLs as this might greatly influence transparancy in the network.

Also it might not be possible. I am not sure but can imagine that WDS advertises itself using multicast or broadcast packets.

Thanks,

Bas

[Markus.Raff]

For those who might be still interested in running multiple WDS masters in one subnet:

If you have no problem connecting all of your wds systems to one switch you simply configure the switch ports as protected. Et voila! AP will automatically register to any of the availablbe WDS systems until its limit (60) is reached. The rest of APs registers to the next system and so on.

Hope this helps ;- )

[janf]

Regarding using protected switch ports to overcome the 60 AP limit with WDS on an AP for a given subnet, have you or anyone else done this and does it work?

[mcnaz-yeo]

Would appreicate U can share the sample command. Thanks

[mcnaz-yeo]

Thanks , it mean the port which connected to the AP was configured as switch port protected. But the WDS is at the same switch or different ? How i assign the 2nd master WDS.