Wireless Access

Hello everyone

I have been configuring this way 

Master controller

Local Controller

AP = aruba-master points to the master controller

Then on the LMS i tell it to terminate on the local controller

I have been doing it this way  because when i read the manual it says

"APs download their configurations from a master controller. However, an AP or AP group can tunnel client

traffic to a local controller. To specify the controller to which an AP or AP group tunnels client traffic, you

configure the LMS IP in the AP system profile on the master controller."

That paragraph is on adding local controllers on the user guide

Now the problem of having it this way is that if the master Fail for some reason, and for some reason the APs in the local controller reboot, then they wont be able to get back as the configuration is on the ram and not on the nvram.... i mean the LMS config which is on the ap system profile.

Now i have seem some controllers(not configured by myself) which got:

Statically provisioned on the AP(Let forget that we konww is not the best option) but well i have seem that they put the masterip address on the AP they put the Local controller, instead of the master, and serverip also the local controller AP

My question is

I should start putting for example in my deployments
Let say that the master is on USA and the local controler is on Panama

Should i put on the local DNS on USA aruba-master= The IP of USA controller

and on the local controller on the local DNS of panama aruba-master=the ip of the local controller of panama?

This would be the best practice for it?

I mean it will download the config from the local controller in panama and  i guess also if i upgrade the firmware he will get his new firmware from the local controller on panama, at least the APS of panama....

Even if the user guide says that it will get the configuration fromt he master when he means the master it could be the local?

Is there any disasvantage of configuring it like this? or we should all configure it always like this?

Anyways it might be a basic question but i dont care hehe  i prefer being 100% sure than 99% sure :)

You have the option of:

- loading two addresses into the dns server  for "aruba-master".  Depending on how your DNS server is configured, it will give out addresses "round robin-one at a time" or both at the same time and the AP will try the first address first and the second one second

- Enabling multicast in your network - If you multicast-enable your network at your routers, Aruba controllers will send multicast messages and by default APs will send multicast joins that live controllers will answer.  Only live controllers will answer and APs will connect to those controllers

In the event of a failure, the AP will find a live controller and you can decide where the AP ends up initially and secondarily by using the LMS and Backup LMS ip addresses.

I hope that makes sense.

Yes it make sense

But  the thing  is that we are talking of a master which is on another country with different networks and vlans

And a local controller also in a different country with different vlans and networks.

So if i fail over on the master controller for example an ap of the one that is on the local controller on other country... he will not find the same vlans or network so this will be useless.

I was  asking that because i did always did

Aruba master = Master controller

On the LMS i tell him well terminate on the local!  and that was it

But for his initial configuration he will always need to contact the master...

But then i though with a problem that had another user here, which happened to him which that the master controller was down for maintanience and at the same time the remote local controller had a power outage  and well all the aps rebooted... as his master AP wast the master on somewhere else, he was not able to download the config because as you said he didnt find where to download his configuration, so there was no way that he could know he needed to terminate on the local controller that is avaiable.

So in summery

1-In aps configuration you can safety put in the masterip and serverip(if you need to configure it manuallly) the IP of the local controller, and it will download his configuration from it, and it will download his firmware if it happens that you upgrade the controllers... he does not need by any means to contact the master controller to do this right?

2-In the situation im talking about in which, i ll have no benefit of having the master as backup controller of the local controller, for the local controller APS i can put aruba.master=ip of the master controller and everything will work correctly (upgrade download firwmares etc) unless the local controller fails.

3-In the scenario in which im on a campus and i got a master controller and a local controller in which i can actually use the master controller as a backup controller ill declare aruba-master with master ip address and also local ip addresss, and he will pick the firts one and if he does not find it he will use the second one.  And well for the termination ill put lms and backup lms depending on where i want it to terminate. 

is this right?

Cheers

Carlos

On top of static masterip, dns and multicast settings you have the option to use DHCP option to tell the local controller IP. Regarding the master as backup and VLAN the problem you may use named VLAN's (depending how your configuration looks like it might work)

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@NightShade1 wrote:

Yes it make sense

But  the thing  is that we are talking of a master which is on another country with different networks and vlans

And a local controller also in a different country with different vlans and networks.

 

So if i fail over on the master controller for example an ap of the one that is on the local controller on other country... he will not find the same vlans or network so this will be useless.

 

I was  asking that because i did always did

 

Aruba master = Master controller

On the LMS i tell him well terminate on the local!  and that was it

But for his initial configuration he will always need to contact the master...

 

But then i though with a problem that had another user here, which happened to him which that the master controller was down for maintanience and at the same time the remote local controller had a power outage  and well all the aps rebooted... as his master AP wast the master on somewhere else, he was not able to download the config because as you said he didnt find where to download his configuration, so there was no way that he could know he needed to terminate on the local controller that is avaiable.

 

So in summery

1-In aps configuration you can safety put in the masterip and serverip(if you need to configure it manuallly) the IP of the local controller, and it will download his configuration from it, and it will download his firmware if it happens that you upgrade the controllers... he does not need by any means to contact the master controller to do this right?

2-In the situation im talking about in which, i ll have no benefit of having the master as backup controller of the local controller, for the local controller APS i can put aruba.master=ip of the master controller and everything will work correctly (upgrade download firwmares etc) unless the local controller fails.

3-In the scenario in which im on a campus and i got a master controller and a local controller in which i can actually use the master controller as a backup controller ill declare aruba-master with master ip address and also local ip addresss, and he will pick the firts one and if he does not find it he will use the second one.  And well for the termination ill put lms and backup lms depending on where i want it to terminate. 

 

is this right?

 

Cheers

Carlos

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You are talking about two things here:

Would the master controller even be a good candidate to terminate those access points in a different country?  If not, then stop right there...  Do not allow access points to terminate on anything besides a controller in the same country.

If the master controller would be a good candidate as a backup for those access points, then use VLAN names so that the proper translation will be made between countries.