Wireless Intrusion Detection System Support

[charles.e.davis]

We have a system has deployed Wireless Access Points (1242ag IOS ver - 12(3)8-JA2) in multiple locations within a campus.  Our customer is now requiring us to have also deploy WIDS in each of these locations.  We have decided to deploy in conjuction with the 1242 downgraded to the light weight IOS, a 4402 WLAN controller and WCS software running on our network management workstation.  The question is if or when one of the access points gets cut off from the WLAN controller and/or the WCS software on the network management workstation:

1. Does it keep operating allowing connecitivity to the network?
2. What happens to the WIDS support? 
3. What happens once connectivity is reestablished to either the controller or the WCS software?

Thanks for your help in advance.

Charles Davis

[Nicolas Darchis · Accepted solution]

APs that stay up when WLC goes down (or link is cut off) is the HREAP mode.

To keep network connectivity you can define SSIDs as "local switching" where the traffic is not proxied through the WLC (just like IOS APs actually).

The WLC/WCS can't get WIDS reports if the APs are not joined to the WLC though

Nicolas