Wireless Access

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Access network design for branch, remote, outdoor, and campus locations with HPE Aruba Networking access points and mobility controllers.
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AP cannot join controller when not directly connected

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  • 1.  AP cannot join controller when not directly connected

    Posted Jun 09, 2016 09:04 AM

    Hi everyone,

     

    Just would like to check if someone has experienced this. I have MC-650 running 6.1.x.x and new AP-215. I upgraded the controller to 6.4.3.9 to accommodate the newer AP. I was able to register the AP to the controller. Since I have more than 4 APs already, I made a trunk from one of the controller port going to a trunk port of a switch:

     

    Controller <-> PoE Switch <-> AP

     

    But in this setup the AP is not able to join back to the controller. Config of the ports joining the controller and PoE Switch is trunk and allow all VLANs. 

     

    According to the Data Sheet, the controller supports 16 APs despite 4 PoE ports, so definitely cascading/trunking to a PoE switch should work. I have also read the release notes of 6.4.x but haven't read anything confirming this behavior. Is there a known limitation for MC-650 that requires AP to be directly connected? 



  • 2.  RE: AP cannot join controller when not directly connected

    EMPLOYEE
    Posted Jun 09, 2016 11:30 AM

    The AP does not need to be on a Trunk port.  You might want to make that an access port.  Also, what is your access point being used for that AP to discover the controller? (DNS, DHCP Option, Broadcast)



  • 3.  RE: AP cannot join controller when not directly connected

    Posted Jun 09, 2016 09:41 PM

    Hi Sir,

     

    It is in trunk port due to the other VLANs for SSID. It is using DHCP; the controller is configured as DHCP server. Anyhow I will double check my config. Thanks!

     



  • 4.  RE: AP cannot join controller when not directly connected

    EMPLOYEE
    Posted Jun 09, 2016 10:05 PM

    What is the default gateway for the VLAN that the access point is on?

    Can that VLAN traffic route to the management ip address of the controller?



  • 5.  RE: AP cannot join controller when not directly connected

    Posted Jun 11, 2016 09:58 PM
    Hi,

    What is the status and flags for APs on controller? <show ap database >?


  • 6.  RE: AP cannot join controller when not directly connected
    Best Answer

    MVP
    Posted Jun 12, 2016 10:54 AM

    It is in trunk port due to the other VLANs for SSID. It is using DHCP; the controller is configured as DHCP server. Anyhow I will double check my config. Thanks!

     

    You do not need the user vlans at the access port to the AP. 

    If the AP is in a vlan for which the controller has an ip interface it will use broadcast to find it and connect.

    If the AP is not in a vlan for which your controller has an ip interface you need (easiest solution) to configure an A record 'aruba-master' on your DNS server and makle sure the AP can resolve that address. It will then set up an ipsec/gre tunnel (with all the user vlans within that tunnel) to the controller.

     

    So only on the controller uplink do you need all the vlans. 

    The AP just needs a layer 3 connection to the ip adress it receives from resolving aruba-master.



  • 7.  RE: AP cannot join controller when not directly connected

    Posted Jun 19, 2016 11:01 PM

    Hi everyone, 

     

    Sorry for the late reply. I was stuck in a different project. I just went and did A record configuration as suggestion by Koen to make it work immediately. This shows the model I was working on have no limitations (to be directly connected - my assumption before).

     

    Thank You everyone for helping me out.