Cisco 8540 Wireless LAN Controller Deployment Guide
The Cisco 8540 Wireless LAN Controller is a high-performance, scalable wireless controller designed for large enterprise deployments. It supports up to 6,000 APs, 64,000 clients, and 40 Gbps throughput. The 8540 supports all AP modes of operation, including Local, FlexConnect, Monitor, Rogue Detector, Sniffer, Bridge, and Flex+Bridge. It also supports a variety of features, including high availability, TrustSec SXP, and Right to Use licensing.
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Cisco 8540 Wireless LAN Controller Deployment Guide
Cisco 8540 Wireless LAN Controller Deployment Guide
Introduction
Prerequisites
Product Overview
Cisco 8540 Controller Key Attributes
AP Platform Support
Platform Components
SFP Support
Image Specifications
Fault Tolerance Capability
Customer Replaceable Units
Link Aggregation (LAG)
Inter-Platform Mobility and Guest Anchor Support
Infrastructure Multicast
New Mobility and MC Support
Look and Feel of the Cisco 8540 Wireless LAN Controller
Licensing
2
Revised: November 12, 2015,
Cisco 8540 Wireless LAN Controller Deployment Guide
Introduction
This document introduces the Cisco 8540 Wireless LAN Controller (WLC), and provides general guidelines for its deployment. The purpose of this document is to:
• Provide an overview of the Cisco 8540 WLC, and its deployment within the Cisco unified architecture.
• Highlight key service provider features.
• Provide design recommendations and considerations specific to the Cisco 8540 controller.
Prerequisites
Requirements
There are no specific requirements for this document.
Components Used
This document is not restricted to specific software and hardware versions.
The information in this document is created from the devices in a specific lab environment. All of the devices used in this document started with a cleared (default) configuration. If your network is live, make sure that you understand the potential impact of any command.
Conventions
Refer to
Cisco Technical Tips Conventions
for more information on document conventions.
Product Overview
The existing Cisco 8510 series controller scales up to 6,000 APs, 64,000 clients, and 10 Gbps maximum throughput. The explosion of mobile clients in enterprise empowered by bring your own device (BYOD), the deployment of wireless in mission-critical applications, and the adoption of Wi-Fi in service provider networks enabling new business models require wireless networks to provide larger AP Scale, client scale and higher throughput.
The Cisco Unified Wireless Network Software Release 8.1 addresses these key challenges. Release 8.1 delivers the new Cisco 8540 wireless controller with support for 40 Gbps throughput, 6,000 APs, and 64,000 clients to ensure better performance and scale for business critical networks.
The following table captures some of the key hardware capabilities of this new platform.
Table 1: Hardware Capabilities of Cisco 8540 WLC
Hardware Capabilities
Chassis Height
Throughput
AP Support
Client Support
Data Ports
Storage
Storage Temperature
Operating Temperature
Operating Humidity
Power Options
8540
2 RU
40 Gbps
6,000
64,000
4x SFP+
Dual SSD with Hardware RAID
-40°C – 65°C
5 – 40°C
10 – 90% (non-condensing)
1200 W AC, 930 W DC
Redundant PSUs
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Cisco 8540 Controller Key Attributes
Some of the key attributes of the Cisco 8540 controller are:
• High AP scalability (6,000 APs in 2 RU )
• High client density (64,000 clients in 2 RU)
• High throughput of 40 Gbps with 2 RU
• Support for 6,000 APs, 6,000 AP groups, 2,000 FlexConnect groups, and up to 100 APs per FlexConnect group
• Support for 4095 VLANs
• Support for 50,000 RFIDs tracking, and the detection and containment of up to 24,000 rogue APs, and up to 32,000 rogue clients
• 25,000 RFID tags
• 3,20,000 AVC Flows
• PMK cache size of 64,000
• High availability with sub-second AP and client SSO
• TrustSec SXP Support
• Support of all AP modes of operation (Local, FlexConnect, Monitor, Rogue Detector, Sniffer, Bridge, and Flex+Bridge)
• Right to Use (RTU) licensing for ease of license enablement and ongoing licensing operations
The following table shows the Cisco enterprise campus controllers comparison at a glance:
Table 2: Cisco Enterprise Campus Controllers comparison
Attributes
Deployment type
Operational Modes
Maximum Scale
AP Count Range
Licensing
Connectivity
Power
8540 8510 7510
Enterprise Large campus + SP
Wi-Fi
Full Scale Branch
Enterprise Large campus + SP
Wi-Fi
Full Scale Branch
Central site controller for large number of distributed, controller-less branches
All AP modes
6,000 APs
64,000 clients
All AP modes
6,000 APs
64,000 clients
FlexConnect, Flex+Bridge
6,000 APs
64,000 clients
1 – 6,000
Right to Use (with EULA)
4 x 10 G ports
1200 W AC, 930 W DC
Dual redundant
Hot-swappable PSU
300 – 6,000
Right to Use (with EULA)
2 x 10 G ports
AC/DC dual redundant
300 – 6,000
Right to Use (with EULA)
2 x 10 G ports
AC/DC dual redundant
Attributes
Maximum Number of
FlexConnect Groups
8540
2,000
Maximum Number of APs per
FlexConnect Group
100
Maximum Number of Rogue
APs Management
24,000
Maximum Number of Rogue
Clients Management
32,000
Maximum Number of RFID 50,000
Maximum APs per RRM
Group
Maximum AP Groups
6,000
6,000
Maximum Interface Groups 512
Maximum Interfaces per
Interface Group
64
Maximum VLANs Supported 4095
Maximum WLANs Supported 512
Fast Secure Roaming
Clients/Max PMK Cache
64,000
Note
Feature support unless otherwise specified will be the same as in 8510.
AP Platform Support
The Cisco 8540 supports the following access point models:
• 1260, 3500, 600
• 1600, 2600, 3600
• 1700, 2700, 3700
• OEAP 600
• 702I, 702W
8510
2,000
100
32,000
24,000
50,000
6,000
6,000
512
64
4095
512
64,000
7510
2,000
100
32,000
24,000
50,000
6,000
6,000
512
64
4095
512
64,000
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• Cisco AP802 access point module
• 1530, 1552WU, 1550, 1570
• 1040, 1140, 1260 support extended to 8.1 with 8.0 parity
Platform Components
Cisco 8540 Front Panel View
Cisco 8540 wireless LAN controller supports several buttons, LED indicators, and a KVM connector on the front panel. It includes a power button and Locator LED button, along with the following LEDS: System status, PSU status, Fan status, Network LED, and
Temperature LED.
Power On Switch and LED Indicator
A Power Button push switch with integrated LED is located on the front panel.
Table 3: Power On Switch and LED Indicator
LED Indicator Color
Bi-color Yellow
(Amber)
Green
Function
Card Power Status
State
Off
Amber On
Green On
Decode
Power Off
Soft Off
Power On
Locator Switch and LED Indicator
A Unit Identify push switch with integrated LED is available on the front panel and rear panel . Each press on the button toggles between active and non-active states.
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System Status LED Indicator
The system status LED located on the front panel indicates the overall system health.
Table 4: System Status LED Indicator
LED Indicator Color
Bi-color Yellow
(Amber)
Green
Function
System Status
State Decode
Off
Green On
Amber On
Amber Blinking
Undefined
Card is in normal operating condition
System is in a degraded operational state
Critical fault state
Fan Status LED Indicator
The Fan Status LED located on front panel indicates the fan health.
Table 5: Fan Status LED Indicator
LED Indicator Color
Bi-color Yellow
(Amber)
Green
Function
Fan Status
State
Off
Green On
Amber On
Amber Blinking
Decode
Undefined
Fans are operating and no error condition has been detected
Fans are in a degraded operational state
• One of N fans has a fault
Critical fault state
• Two or more fans has a fault
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Note
Adaptive fan speed to control noise issues seen with 8540 FCS hardware is introduced in release version
8.1.131.0.
Temperature Status LED Indicator
The temperature status LED is located on the front panel and indicates whether or not the system is operating within acceptable temperature limits.
Table 6: Temperature Status LED Indicator
LED Indicator Color
Bi-color Yellow
(Amber)
Green
Function
Temperature Status
State
Off
Green On
Amber On
Amber Blinking
Decode
Undefined
System is operating at normal temperature
One or more temperature sensors reaches
UCR threshold
One or more temperature sensors reaches
UNR threshold
Power Supply Status LED Indicator
The power supply status LED is located on the front panel and indicates the proper functioning of the power supply.
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Table 7: Power Supply Status LED Indicator
LED Indicator Color
Bi-color Yellow
(Amber)
Green
Function
AC Power Supply Status
State
Off
Green On
Amber On
Amber Blinking
Decode
Undefined
AC power supplies are operating and no error condition has been detected
One or more power supplies are in a degraded operational state
One or more power supplies are in a critical fault state
Network Link LED Indicator
The network LED is located on the front panel and indicates if any of the on-board networking ports are connected and operating.
Table 8: Network Link LED Indicator
LED Indicator Color
Single Color
Green
Function
Network Link Status
State
Off
Green On
Green Blinking
Decode
Undefined
Link on any of the ports, but no activity
Activity on any of the ports
Front Panel KVM Break-out Connector
A single female connector provides access to video, two USB ports for keyboard and mouse, and an RS-232C console serial port.
An external breakout connector to industry standard interfaces is required. The following figure shows an example cable.
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The interfaces for the cable are:
1
Front panel KVM/Console connector
2
DB9 serial port connector
3
Dual Type-A USB 2.0 connectors
4
DB15 Video connector
Cisco 8540 WLC Rear Panel View
The rear panel has the following interfaces:
1
Two Type-A 3.0 USB ports
2
IMC port 10/100/1000 Base-T
To setup the CIMC interface:
• Connect the CIMC cable.
• To enable DHCP to set the IP, use the command imm dhcp enable.
• If DHCP is not available, use the command imm address <ip address> <net mask> <gateway ip>.
• To view the IP and details, use the command imm summary.
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Note
CIMC web interface is for advanced debugging for TAC and escalation use ONLY.
Changing of settings in the CIMC by customer can cause adverse impact on controller software and functionality.
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Serial COM connector — Standard RS-232 Serial COM port using RJ-45 connector
4
Ethernet service port (SP) — Management 10/100/1000 Base-T
5
Redundancy Port (RP)
LED Indicator Color
Bi-color Yellow
(Amber)
Green
Function
Management Interface Port Speed
State Decode
Off Link Speed = 10 MbpS
Amber On
Green On
Link Speed = 100 MbpS
Link Speed = 1 GbpS
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LED Indicator Color
Bi-color Yellow
(Amber)
Green
Function
Management Interface Port Status
State
Off
Green On
Blinking
Decode
No Link
Link
Traffic Present
6
VGA Connector — Rear panel has a standard VGA port using a female D-Sub-15 Connector
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ID Switch and LED
8
Four 1/10 G Management and Network ports
LED
Pwr OK
10 G
Port-n Link Status
Port-n Link Activity
Functional Definition
LED: (Amber) On indicates power is good
LED: (Amber) On indicates 10 G mode
LED: Off indicates 1 G mode
LED: (Green) On indicates link up status
LED: (Green) blinking indicates link activity
Switching Between 10 G and 1 G
• If there is nothing installed in port 1, the board will be configured for 10 G mode by default. Therefore, to switch to 1 G mode, an SFP module must be installed in port 1 and the system needs to be rebooted.
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• Conversely, if an SFP module is installed and the user wants to switch to 4 x 10 G mode, then an SFP+ module must be installed in port 1 and the WLC rebooted.
• Thus, Online Insertion and Removal (OIR) of SFP and SFP+ between 10 G and 1 G is not possible.
• OIR of 10 G to 10 G and 1 G and 1 G is possible.
Note
It is recommended to have all ports as either 10 G or 1 G. In case they are different, port 1 SFP determines the mode of operation and functionality on the other SFPs may not work.
SFP Support
Network ports for 8540 WLC support the following Cisco SFP/SFP+ modules:
• GLC-T
• SFP-10G-SR
• SFP-10G-LR
• SFP-10G-LRM
• SFP-H10GB-CU1M
• SFP-H10GB-CU2M
• SFP-H10GB-CU2-5M
• SFP-H10GB-CU3M
• SFP-H10GB-CU5M
• SFP-H10GB-ACU7M
• SFP-H10GB-ACU10M
• SFP-10G-AOC7M
• SFP-H10GB-CU1-5M
• SFP-10G-AOC3M
• SFP-10G-AOC1M
• SFP-10G-AOC2M
• SFP-10G-AOC5M
• SFP-10G-AOC10M
• GLC-LH*
• GLC-EX-SMD*
• GLC-SX-MMD*
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Note
The Cisco 8540 WLC requires GLC-T module on port 1
Image Specifications
Cisco 8540 WLC supports all the features of release 8.1.
Feature Not Supported on 8540 Controller Platform
The following features are not supported on the 8540 Controller platform:
• Local Authentication (where the controller acts as the authentication server)
• Internal DHCP server
• Wired Guest
Fault Tolerance Capability
The Cisco 8540 supports the stateless N+1 redundancy model . The N+1 HA architecture provides redundancy for controllers across geographically separate data centers with low cost of deployment. A single backup controller can be used to provide backup for multiple primary WLCs.
For more information on this model of redundancy, refer to
http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/wireless/technology/hi_avail/N1_High_Availability_Deployment_Guide/N1_HA_Overview.html
.
AP and Client SSO
High Availability Stateful Switchover (SSO) model provides a Box-to-Box redundancy with one controller in active state and another controller in hot standby state. The SSO model monitors the health of the active controller via a redundant (HA) port. Cisco 8540 wireless LAN controller has a failover RP Port.
The configuration on the active controller is synched to the standby controller using the redundant port. In HA, both controllers share the same set of configuration including the IP address of the management interface. The AP's CAPWAP state (for APs in RUN state) is also synched. As a result, APs do not go into Discovery state when the active controller fails. Also, a client's information is synced to the standby WLC when the client associates to the WLC or the client’s parameters change. Fully authenticated clients, that is, the ones in Run state, are synced to the standby. Thus, client re-association is avoided on switchover, making the failover seamless for the APs as well as for the clients, resulting in zero client service downtime and no SSID outage.
For more information on the SSO feature and the supported topologies, refer to the
High Availability deployment Guide
.
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Connecting Cisco 8540 SSO Pair to the Wired Network
It is recommended to connect to a VSS pair and spread the links in each port-channel between the two physical switches to prevent a WLC switchover upon a failure of one of the VSS switches.
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Customer Replaceable Units
Cisco 8540 wireless LAN controller has a minimal amount of separate orderable items, including all of the following:
• Power supply
• SSD Hard Disk Drive (HDD)
• HDD and power supply are hot-swappable on the Cisco 8540 WLC
Note
The power supply units are field replaceable.
Link Aggregation (LAG)
A single LAG across the 4 x 10 G interfaces is supported in software versions 8.1 and later. LACP and PAgP are not supported on the controller.
Inter-Platform Mobility and Guest Anchor Support
Guest anchor capability with:
• Cisco WLC 2504/5508 / 8510 / 7510 / WISM2 running as a foreign controller (EOIP Tunnel)
• Cisco 5520 / 8540 WLC running as a foreign controller (EOIP Tunnel)
• Cisco 5760 WLC running as a foreign controller with new mobility turned on (CAPWAP Tunnel)
Foreign controller to a guest anchor which is a:
• Cisco WLC 2504/5508 / 8510 / 7510 / WISM2 (EOIP Tunnel)
• Cisco 5520 / 8540 WLC (EOIP Tunnel)
• Cisco 5760 WLC with new mobility turned on (CAPWAP Tunnel)
CAPWAP has native management plane encryption and optional data payload encryption.
Infrastructure Multicast
Multicast support is enabled in the Cisco 8540 controller with the following restrictions:
• If all APs on the 8540 controller are configured in Local mode, Multicast-Multicast will be the default mode and all features are supported (for example, VideoStream).
If the APs are configured as a mix of Local mode and FlexConnect mode:
• If IPv6 is required on the FlexConnect APs:
• Disable Global Multicast Mode and change to Multicast-Unicast mode.
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• IPv6 / GARP will work on FlexConnect and Local mode APs, but Multicast data and the VideoStream feature will be disabled.
• IPv6 / GARP is not required on FlexConnect APs:
• Change the mode to Multicast-Multicast and enable Global Multicast Mode and IGMP / MLD snooping.
• IPv6, GARP, Multicast Data, and VideoStream are supported on local mode APs.
New Mobility and MC Support
Cisco 8540 supports the new mobility functionality to be compatible with inter-platform IRCM and guest anchor support. This platform will not function as an MC.
Look and Feel of the Cisco 8540 Wireless LAN Controller
The Cisco 8540 controller enables console redirect by default with baud rate 9600, simulating a VT100 terminal with no flow control.
The 8540 controller has the same boot sequence as existing controller platforms.
Boot Up and Initial Configuration
• Initial Boot Sequence
• Boot Options
• Loading the OS and Boot Loader
• Loading Controller Services
Initial Controller Configuration
Configuration Wizard — As with all other controller platforms, initial boot up requires configuration using the Wizard menu.
WLAN Express Setup — As with all other controller platforms, 8540 WLC also supports the Express WLAN Setup over wired
Ethernet connection.
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19
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Monitoring and Best Practices
This platform supports the Monitoring Dashboard and the Upgrade audit workflow view with release 8.1.
Management Web UI
The management web interface has the same look and feel as existing Cisco wireless LAN controllers.
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Licensing
8540 Wireless LAN Controller supports Right to Use (RTU) licensing model similar to the Cisco Flex 7500 and Cisco 8500 series controllers. This is an Honor-based licensing scheme that allows AP licenses to be enabled on supported controllers with End User
License Agreement (EULA) acceptance. The RTU license scheme simplifies addition, deletion, or the transfer of AP adder licenses in the field by eliminating the need for an additional step, additional tools, or access to Cisco.com for PAK license or return materials authorization (RMA) transfers.
Evaluation licenses are valid for 90 days. Notifications will be generated to inform you to buy a permanent license starting 15 days prior to the evaluation license expiration.
If you have more APs connected than those purchased, the licensing status for the controller tracked within the Cisco Prime Infrastructure will turn red.
For more information on the RTU License model, refer to the
Cisco Right to Use Licensing (RTU)
document.
License Types
These are the three license types:
• Permanent licenses—The AP count is programmed into NVM while manufacturing; this is also referred to as Base AP count licenses. These licenses are transferable.
• Adder access point count licenses—Can be activated through the acceptance of the EULA. These licenses are transferable.
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• Evaluation licenses—Used for demo and/or trial periods, are valid for 90 days, and default to the full capacity of the controller.
The evaluation license can be activated at any time using a CLI command.
Licensing Model Features
• Two Base Bundle SKUs: AIR-CT8540-K9 and AIR-CT8540-1K-K9
• Portability of licenses between 5520 and 8540 wireless LAN controllers
• No separate HA-SKU UDI
Table 9: 8540 – Primary SKUs / PIDs
SKU / PID
AIR-CT8540-K9
AIR-CT8540-1K-K9
LIC-CT8540-UPG
LIC-CT8540-1A
Description
Cisco 8540 wireless controller w/rack mounting kit
Comments
Base and HA SKU
Cisco 8540 wireless controller supporting 1000 APs w/rack kit
1000 AP Bundle SKU
Top level SKU for 8540 AP adder licenses —
Cisco 8540 wireless controller 1 AP adder license —
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Key Features
- High AP Scalability (6,000 APs in 2 RU)
- High Client Density (64,000 clients in 2 RU)
- High Throughput (40 Gbps with 2 RU)
- Support for 6,000 APs, 6,000 AP Groups, 2,000 FlexConnect Groups
- Support for 4095 VLANs
- High Availability with Sub-Second AP and Client SSO
- TrustSec SXP Support
- Right to Use (RTU) Licensing