Wireless Access

So I had a RAP5 up and working fine, provisioned from our master which at the time was a 6000.

Last night I demoted the 6000 to be a local controller and promoted our 3600 to be the master.  Everything seemed fine with our APs, but since then my RAP5 is stuck in a constant upgrade-reboot-upgrade loop.

SInce it was having problems I held down the reset on the RAP and let it reboot to defaults.  It came up with the crazy old 3.x software load.  I give it the IP of the new master controller.  It connects fine, says it has to upgrade and then reboots.  After that it come up in the new 6.x WebUI, and the connectivity tabs reads

Retrieving IP info... check

Initializing TPM certs ... check

establishing connection to master IP ... check

Upgrading Image. This process may take a few minutes.  Please be patient...  spinny wheel

the it will reboot and cycle through that again and again

I checked on the master and I do see my external IP coming in on port 4500 with a 'show datapath session table'

so I know connectivity is good.  That and it worked fine until the promotion/demotion so nothing should have changed access wise.

The RAP5s MAC is in the RAP whitelist for both the master and the local controller.

If I look in the syslog I see 

Jan 11 13:08:50 a6000-0.blah.EDU authmgr[1808]: <522038> <INFO> <a6000-0 x.x.x.18> username=00:0b:86:66:a0:79 MAC=00:00:00:00:00:00 IP=y.y.y.y Authentication result=Authentication Successful method=VPN server=Internal
Jan 11 13:08:50 a6000-0.blah.EDU authmgr[1808]: <522008> <NOTI> <a6000-0 x.x.x.18> User Authentication Successful: username=00:0b:86:66:a0:79 MAC=00:00:00:00:00:00 IP=10.10.10.14 role=ap-role VLAN=1 AP=N/A SSID=N/A AAA profile=default auth method=VPN auth server=N/A

If I let the RAP5 sit, it will iterate through all the IPs in my RAP-pool (10.10.10.10 -> 20) and on the 11th time hang and not reboot.  Until then it will cycle like that.

Anyone seen a RAP cycle like this, or know what my next step should be.  I feel like its probably something simple I've missed, but comparing configs between the two controllers I'm not seeing it.

Jeff

If that RAP5 has 3.x in it's provisioning/backup partition (the one that loads when you factory reset it) then you can't connect it to a controller that's running 6.x.  It kind of sounds like that's your case?  If it is, you need to first provision that RAP5 to a controller running 5.x, then upgrade it's backup partition.  Then you can provision it to a 6.x controller.

(5.x Controller)# apflash ap-name <ap name> backup-partition

Sadly I just got done upgrading all our controllers to 6.1.2.5 from 5.0.4.0, so we don't have a 5.x controller to use at the moment.   I wasn't aware that there was an upgrade issue with the RAPs and 3.x.  

Thanks

Jeff

Yeah, you'll need to get that RAP on a 5.x controller to be able to use it again.  Perhaps your SE can hook you up?

I really hate to say this because I am just as guilty as the next person.

This issue was documented in the Release Notes.  Here is a snip from the 6.1.2.5 Release Notes.

Upgrading With RAP-5s and RAP-5WNs
If you have completed the first upgrade hop to the latest ArubaOS 5.0.4.x version, and your WLAN includes
RAP-5/RAP-5WN, do not proceed until completing the following process. Once complete, proceed to step 21
on page 57.

It goes on to describe how to check the backup partition and the steps required to upgrade it before moving forward with an upgrade.

I am currently running into the same problem with a RAP-5. I don't have any controllers on 5.x so I cannot upgrade the backup partition. Did you find a way around this? 

I'm guilty of this as well but was fortunate enough to have 2 M3 controllers available. I'm fixing one of my RAP-5WNs now by downgrading one of the controllers to 5.x (after breaking VRRP). The other provides wireless to a corporate motor coach and I'll fix that when it returns.

This doesn't affect RAP-2WGs, correct?

Unfortunately, yes.

I've checked multiple RAP-2WGs and they all have version 5.0.0.0 as their Provisioning/Backup image. I did not update these. So far, only the RAP-5WNs have given me issues with the provisioning image after updating ArubaOS.

Aruba no longer ships RAPs with an image below 5.x anymore, meaning that you are much less likely to see those in the field.

Forgive me for bumping this old thread, but I'm running into the same issue.

We've never used our RAP5, but have a situation where we need to deploy this week.

Assuming I can find a controller still running 5.x code, what are the steps to upgrading the RAP5?  Is it just as simple as pointing the RAP5 to the controller running 5.x code, or will I have to go through the entire process of creating a AP group, SSID, VAP and all that other stuff?

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@COLE1 wrote:

Forgive me for bumping this old thread, but I'm running into the same issue.

 

We've never used our RAP5, but have a situation where we need to deploy this week.

 

Assuming I can find a controller still running 5.x code, what are the steps to upgrading the RAP5?  Is it just as simple as pointing the RAP5 to the controller running 5.x code, or will I have to go through the entire process of creating a AP group, SSID, VAP and all that other stuff?

 

 

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You need to do this:  http://community.arubanetworks.com/t5/Command-of-the-Day/COTD-apflash-backup-partition-or-how-do-I-upgrade-my-RAP5/td-p/5829

Thanks Colin! 

Had to do a little more searching to find out how to "execute the "apflash" command to the backup partition:" but always good to learn something new.

Last played with RAPs well over a year ago (only RAP2, and with disabled eth1 port), and suddenly get an email late Sunday that we need to get the RAP5 up and working will all ports active....but on a new RAP profile.

So spent most of yesterday fumbling around with the new RAP profile (suddenly nobody can find our prior documentation).  Get home and plug the RAP5 in and can't get the provisioning page to load.  Switch cables, ports, new switch, etc and still nothing.  Begin to wonder if already having a RAP2 on the network is an issue, but a scan shows the RAP5 is getting an IP. 

Finally hit the reset button a few times and suddenly the provisioning page comes up, but then I get the constant reboot.

Walk in this morning and am told this has to be ready by the end of the day......so rummage through my box of controllers to find the one that hasn't been upgraded to 6.x code.   Now to go ahead and upgrade the backup partition on the rest of the RAPs and make sure my config is good.

Many thanks for the quick response.

Sorry.  Somehow the "instruction" portion of that post in the link got cut off....