Wireless Access

Customer has Avaya 3549 POE switches.  I am new to Avaya switches and not sure if the ports I'm plugged into are configured properly, they were configured by a different contractor guy.  The Aruba 305 units are connected to standard access ports with a standard wifi network and a guest wifi network.  I can connect to the standard wifi network all day long and receive DHCP IP addresses from the DHCP server on the network.  The guest network is configured to use DHCP server on the AP 's themselves.  90% of the time I do not get a DHCP IP from the guest network, especially if I'm walking around trying to roam to a different area where a different AP is installed but with the same networks configured. I can see the client associated with the SSID, but I do not receive an IP address.

thanks in advance

- What version of Instant?

- How many APs in your cluster?

5 AP's so far, on the second floor here in the building.  They all have the latest 6.5.1.0-4.3.1.2_58595 build.  It's not the first time I did Aruba.  I don't think I need to configure the switch ports in trunk mode as NAT for the guest IP subnet is done on the AP's.  Getting IP address from the guest network is very spotty but always seems to work when I have just 1 AP.  Once I connect my device to that AP, it's fine, problem seems to occur when I roam to a different side of the building then the device times out getting an IP.

There are other updated versions of Instant code:  http://support.arubanetworks.com/LifetimeWarrantySoftware/tabid/121/DMXModule/661/EntryId/20375/Default.aspx

hi, is this supposed to fix the said problem?

By the way, broadcast filtering is disabled and enforce DHCP option is disabled in the network, no difference.

I cannot see your problem in any release notes.  Is your SSID VLAN configured as "Virtual Controller" assigned?

How are your access points powered and by what?

Broadcast filtering has no effect on DHCP.

Sorry about the missing details, the guest vlan is configured with, screen by screen:

1. vlan settings -> Guest

2. vlan -> virtual controller managed / custom with a selected scope.  See attached picture for the DHCP setting.  

3.  security ->  the only thing I've configured here is Enabled on encryption with WPA2 selected and a typed passphrase

4. access ->  I'm allowing all destinations except for the standard wifi network which consists of the production network

Actually, I think DHCP configuration part is quite confusing and I haven't fully undertood this even after reading the manual, it has just worked in the past.

Can you please paste in your access ACL?

here you go.  192.168.41.0 and 192.168.42.0 are production networks that should be separated off the guest network.

How are your devices powered?  APs need good connectivity between them and the VC to provide DHCP properly.

Provided by Avaya POE switch.  I can ping all AP's IP addresses just fine.

Are my setup all correct?

By the way, I have no problem getting IP assigned and stay connected to the wifi network in the production network.  So that tells me that there is no physical connectivity problem.  

I have come acrossed another thread from 2015 and I'm reading over it now, it seems to describe my problem.

https://community.arubanetworks.com/t5/Controllerless-Networks/Local-DHCP-Scope/td-p/225860/page/2

The resolution in that thread was a configuration, not a code issue.

Seems to be the same exact same problem I have.  The times that I do get an IP, it's from the virtual controller.  If I am standing by an AP that's not the VC, then connection fails without an IP address assigned.  Is my solution then creating a separate VLAN on the switches and trunk all AP's, create a scope on the internal DHCP server in the prod network to assign IP addresses?  It seems odd to me that only VC can assign IP to a guest network when the virtual controller managed option is chosen, and all the other AP's I connect to will not assign IP's, even though they all use the same config?

I just checked the other deployment I did in the past, using five IAP103 units on firmware v6.4.4.8 also powered via POE switches.  I am using virtual controller managed and "default" as vlan assignment option for the guest network.  And I have no problem getting an IP assigned via any AP, and the switch ports are not in trunking mode.  The other difference is that place uses Adtran switches.  

I am going to try using the "default" option for vlan assignment and see what happens.

I'd like to make things clear here regarding DHCP configuration, because it took me some time to figure out the DHCP configuration options in the pdf manual and no one on the dicussion forum anywhere has clarified how this is done within Aruba's virtual controller's DHCP interface.  After a few weeks of back and forth, I've figured out how this works properly.

Inside the virtual controller web interface, go to More, DHCP server.  If you'd like to use the default random VLAN number that gets assigned by Aruba, then you specify DHCP parameters at the very top where it says "Default DHCP scope".  This scope gets used/applied when you select "virtual controller managed" for client IP assignment and "default" for client VLAN assignment.  If you elect to use "custom" for client VLAN assignment, then you need to create a Local DHCP scope at the bottom of that DHCP server screen and select that scope.  If you'd like to use the "network assigned" ip address assignment option, you need to delete the locally created DHCP scope or blank out the default scope on top, or the network assigned option DOES NOT WORK at all and configuration reverts back everytime you choose that option. 

Hello ,

Thanks for your advices! It's helpful.

My IAPs are two 305 and one 315 with firmware 8.6.0.5_75979 released in Y2020. It's still the same situation after three years.

Guest wifi network with "Virtual Controller managed" Client IP assignment, and "Custom" Client VLAN assignment with my customized local DHCP scope. Wifi clients won't get DHCP ip successfully if they connect to non-VirtualController AP. Only AP plays as VC role could assign ip.

If I take your workaround to turn Client VLAN assignment from "custom" to "Default" with settings for "Virtual Controller Assigned Networks - Default DHCP Scope". Then wifi clients can connect to guest Wifi successfully after an IP is assigned.

For Aruba , please take into account this important DHCP feature (or bug). It has been for several but no improvement yet.