Release Notes for Cisco Embedded Wireless Controller on Catalyst Access Points, Cisco IOS XE Bengaluru 17.5.x


Note

The documentation set for this product strives to use bias-free language. For purposes of this documentation set, bias-free is defined as language that does not imply discrimination based on age, disability, gender, racial identity, ethnic identity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, and intersectionality. Exceptions may be present in the documentation due to language that is hardcoded in the user interfaces of the product software, language used based on standards documentation, or language that is used by a referenced third-party product.


Introduction to Cisco Embedded Wireless Controller on Catalyst Access Points

The Cisco Embedded Wireless Controller on Catalyst Access Points is a version of the Cisco IOS XE-based controller software on Catalyst access points. In this solution, a Catalyst access point (AP) that is running the Cisco Embedded Wireless Controller on Catalyst Access Points software, is designated as the primary AP. Other APs, referred to as subordinate APs, associate to this primary AP.

The Cisco Embedded Wireless Controller on Catalyst Access Points provides enterprise-level WLAN features while maintaining operational simplicity and affordability. This solution is targeted at small and medium-sized business (SMB) customers or distributed enterprises, and can be run at single site deployments.

  • The controllers come with high availability (HA) and seamless software updates. This keeps your services on always, both during planned and unplanned events.

  • The deployment can be managed using a mobile application, Cisco Digital Network Architecture (DNA) Center, Netconf/Restconf, web-based GUI, or CLI.

What's New in Cisco Embedded Wireless Controller on Catalyst Access Points, Cisco IOS XE Bengaluru 17.5.x

Table 1. New and Modified Software Features

Feature Name

Description and Documentation Link

Enable or Disable 11ax Features per SSID

From this release onwards, a 11ax configuration knob, per VAP, is introduced under the WLAN profile. When 11ax is enabled per radio, the 11ac clients can scan or connect to the SSID, if the beacon has 11ax information elements.

For more information, see the 802.11ax Per Virtual Access Point chapter.

Track AP CPU Usage for AP Health

From this release, you can track the CPU utilization and the memory usage of an AP, and monitor the health of the AP by generating real-time AP statistics.

The following commands were introduced:

  • statistics ap-system-monitoring enable

  • statistics ap-system-monitoring sampling-interval

  • statistics ap-system-monitoring stats-interval

  • statistics ap-system-monitoring alarm-enable

  • statistics ap-system-monitoring alarm-hold-time

  • statistics ap-system-monitoring alarm-retransmit-time

  • statistics ap-system-monitoring cpu-threshold

  • statistics ap-system-monitoring mem-threshold

  • trapflags ap ap-stats

For more information, see the Access Points Real-Time Statistics chapter.

Support for both MIC and LSC APs to Join the Same Controller

From this release, the new authorization policy configuration allows MIC access points (APs) to join the LSC-deployed controller, so that the LSC and MIC APs can co-exist in the controller, at the same time.

The following commands were introduced:

  • ap auth-list ap-cert-policy allow-mic-ap trustpoint

  • ap auth-list ap-cert-policy {mac-address H.H.H | serial-number serial-number-ap } policy-type mic

For more information, see the Locally Significant Certificates chapter.

Intermediate CA Support for AP Authentication

This feature is an extension support to the existing Locally Significant Certificates (LSC) feature.

If your Locally Significant Certificate has been issued by an Intermediate CA, you must import the complete chain of CA certificates into the Trustpool. Otherwise, you will not be able to provision the APs without the complete chain being present on the controller. This is not required if the certificate has been issued by a Root CA.

The following commands were introduced:

  • crypto pki trustpoint

  • crypto pki trust pool import terminal

  • crypto pki trustpool clean

For more information, see the Locally Significant Certificates chapter.

Table 2. New and Modified GUI Features

Feature Name

GUI Path

AP Real-Time Statistics
  • Configuration > AP Join > Add Window > AP Tab > AP Statistics Tab

Enable or Disable 11ax Features per SSID

  • Configuration > Tags & Profiles > WLANs

Intermediate CA Support for AP Authentication

  • Configuration > Security > PKI Management

Support for both MIC and LSC APs to Join the Same Controller
  • Configuration >Wireless > Access Points

Behavior Changes

  • From this release, the list of ASCII characters supported for the SSID, AP name, tags, and profiles are modified as follows:

    • SSID: ASCII characters from 32 to 126, with leading and trailing spaces.

    • AP Name: ASCII characters from 33 to 126, without leading and trailing spaces.

    • Tags and Profiles: ASCII characters from 32 to 126, without leading and trailing spaces.

    To see the list of ASCII characters, go to the following URL: ASCII Character Set and Hexadecimal Values

  • If the RP and RMI links are down, the HA setup breaks into two active controllers. This leads to IP conflict in the network. The HA setup forms again when the RP link comes up. Depending on the state of the external switch at this time, the ARP table may or may not be updated to point to the Active controller. That is, the switch may fail to process the GARP packets from the controller. As a best practice, it is recommended to keep the ARP cache timeout to a lower value for faster recovery from multiple fault scenarios. You need to select a value that does not impact the network traffic, for instance, 30 minutes.

  • Standby detects the presence of the Active over the RMI link and avoids switchover when the RP link goes down. In such a case, the standby goes to recovery mode. This mode is represented through suffix rp-rec-mode in the hostname. The standby in recovery mode reloads when the RP link comes up. Single faults are gracefully handled in the system.

  • Spectrum Intelligence is supported on Cisco Catalyst 9105AX Series Access Points.

Supported Cisco Access Point Platforms

The following Cisco access points are supported in the Cisco Embedded Wireless Controller on Catalyst Access Points network. Note that the APs listed as primary APs can also function as subordinate APs.

Table 3. Cisco APs Supported in Cisco Embedded Wireless Controller on Catalyst Access Points

Primary AP

Subordinate AP

Cisco Catalyst 9115 Series

Cisco Catalyst 9117 Series

Cisco Catalyst 9120 Series

Cisco Catalyst 9130 Series

Cisco Catalyst 9105AXI

Cisco Aironet 1540 Series

Cisco Aironet 1560 Series

Cisco Aironet 1815i

Cisco Aironet 1815w

Cisco Aironet 1830 Series

Cisco Aironet 1840 Series

Cisco Aironet 1850 Series

Cisco Aironet 2800 Series

Cisco Aironet 3800 Series

Cisco Aironet 4800 Series

Cisco Catalyst 9115 Series

Cisco Catalyst 9117 Series

Cisco Catalyst 9120 Series

Cisco Catalyst 9130 Series

Cisco Catalyst 9105AXW

Cisco Catalyst 9105AXI

Cisco Catalyst Industrial Wireless 6300 Heavy Duty Series Access Points

Cisco 6300 Series Embedded Services Access Points

Table 4. Image Types and Supported APs in Cisco Embedded Wireless Controller on Catalyst Access Points

Image Type

Supported APs

ap1g4

Cisco Aironet 1810 Series

Cisco Aironet 1830 Series

Cisco Aironet 1850 Series

ap1g5

Cisco Aironet 1815i

Cisco Aironet 1815w

Cisco Aironet 1540 Series

Cisco Aironet 1850 Series

ap1g6

Cisco Catalyst 9117 Series

ap1g6a

Cisco Catalyst 9130 Series

ap1g7

Cisco Catalyst 9115 Series

Cisco Catalyst 9120 Series

ap1g8

Cisco Catalyst 9105 Series

ap3g3

Cisco Aironet 2800 Series

Cisco Aironet 3800 Series

Cisco Aironet 4800 Series

Cisco Aironet 1560 Series

Cisco Catalyst Industrial Wireless 6300 Heavy Duty Series Access Points

Cisco 6300 Series Embedded Services Access Points

Maximum APs and Clients Supported

Table 5. Scale Supported in Cisco EWC Network

Primary AP Model

Maximum APs Supported

Maximum Clients Supported

Cisco Catalyst 9105 AWI

50

1000

Cisco Catalyst 9115 Series

50

1000

Cisco Catalyst 9117 Series

50

1000

Cisco Catalyst 9120 Series

100

2000

Cisco Catalyst 9130 Series

100

2000


Note

If 25 to 100 APs have joined the EWC network, the maximum clients on the EWC internal AP is limited to 20.


Compatibility Matrix

The following table provides software compatibility information:

Table 6. Compatibility Information

Cisco Embedded Wireless Controller on Catalyst Access Points

Cisco ISE

Cisco CMX

Cisco DNA Center

Bengaluru 17.5.x

3.0

2.7

2.6

2.4

2.3

10.6.3

10.6.2

10.6

10.5.1

2.2.2

2.2.1

2.1.260

Supported Browsers and Operating Systems for Web UI


Note

The following list of Supported Browsers and Operating Systems is not comprehensive at the time of writing this document and the behavior of various browser for accessing the GUI of the EWC is as listed below.


Table 7. Supported Browsers and Operating Systems

Browser

Version

Operating System

Status

Workaround

Google Chrome

77.0.3865.120

macOS Mojave Version 10.14.6

Works

Proceed through the browser warning.

Safari

13.0.2 (14608.2.40.1.3)

macOS Mojave Version 10.14.6

Works

Proceed through the browser warning.

Mozilla Firefox

69.0.1

macOS Mojave Version 10.14.6

Works only if exception is added.

Set the exception.

Mozilla Firefox

69.0.3

macOS Mojave Version 10.14.6

Works only if exception is added.

Set the exception.

Google Chrome

77.0.3865.90

Windows 10 Version 1903 (OS Build 18362.267)

Works

Proceed through the browser warning.

Microsoft Edge

44.18362.267.0

Windows 10 Version 1903 (OS Build 18362.267)

Works

Proceed through the browser warning.

Mozilla Firefox

68.0.2

Windows 10 Version 1903 (OS Build 18362.267)

Works

Proceed through the browser warning.

Mozilla Firefox

69.0.3

Windows 10 Version 1903 (OS Build 18362.267)

Works only if exception is added.

Set the exception.

Google Chrome

78.0.3904.108

macOS Catalina 10.15.1

Does not work

NA

Upgrading the Controller Software

This section covers the various aspects of upgrading the controller software.


Note

Before converting from CAPWAP to embedded wireless controller (EWC), ensure that you upgrade the corresponding AP with the CAPWAP image in Cisco AireOS Release 8.10.105.0. If this upgrade is not performed, the conversion will fail.


Finding the Software Version

The following table lists the Cisco IOS XE 17.5.x software for Cisco Embedded Wireless Controller on Catalyst Access Points.

Choose the appropriate AP software based on the following:

  • Cisco Embedded Wireless Controller on Catalyst Access Points software to be used for converting the AP from an unified wireless network CAPWAP lightweight AP to a Cisco Embedded Wireless Controller on Catalyst Access Points-capable AP (primary AP)

  • AP software image bundle to be used either for upgrading the Cisco Embedded Wireless Controller on Catalyst Access Points software on the primary AP or for updating the software on the subordinate APs or both

Prior to ordering Cisco APs, see the corresponding ordering guide for your Catalyst or Aironet access point.

Table 8. Cisco Embedded Wireless Controller on Catalyst Access Points Software

Primary AP

AP Software for Conversion from CAPWAP to Cisco EWC

AP Software Image Bundle for Upgrade

AP Software in the Bundle

Cisco Catalyst 9115 Series

C9800-AP-universalk9.17.05.01.zip

C9800-AP-universalk9.17.05.01.zip

ap1g7

Cisco Catalyst 9117 Series

C9800-AP-universalk9.17.05.01.zip

C9800-AP-universalk9.17.05.01.zip

ap1g6

Cisco Catalyst 9120 Series

C9800-AP-universalk9.17.05.01.zip

C9800-AP-universalk9.17.05.01.zip

ap1g7

Cisco Catalyst 9130 Series

C9800-AP-universalk9.17.05.01.zip

C9800-AP-universalk9.17.05.01.zip

ap1g6a

Guidelines and Restrictions

Internet Group Management Protocol (IGMP)v3 is not supported on Cisco Aironet Wave 2 APs.

Embedded Wireless Controller SNMP configuration is supported in DNAC.

High memory usage on AP running Embedded Wireless Controller. Enabling crash kernel on the AP consumes additional memory on the AP. Hence, if crash kernel is enabled, the overall memory usage of the device will increase and will impact the scale numbers. On Cisco Catalyst 9130 Series Access Points, the memory consumption is a high of 128 MB.

Interoperability with Clients

This section describes the interoperability of the controller software with client devices.

The following table describes the configurations used for testing client devices.

Table 9. Test Configuration for Interoperability

Hardware or Software Parameter

Hardware or Software Type

Release

Cisco IOS XE Bengaluru 17.5.1

Access Points

  • Cisco Aironet Series Access Points

    • 1540

    • 1560

    • 1815i

    • 1815w

    • 1830

    • 1840

    • 1850

    • 2800

    • 3800

    • 4800

  • Cisco Catalyst 9115AX Access Points

  • Cisco Catalyst 9117AX Access Points

  • Cisco Catalyst 9120AX Access Points

  • Cisco Catalyst 9130AX Access Points

Radio

  • 802.11ax

  • 802.11ac

  • 802.11a

  • 802.11g

  • 802.11n (2.4 GHz or 5 GHz)

Security

Open, PSK (WPA2-AES), 802.1X (WPA2-AES) (EAP-FAST, EAP-TLS), WPA3.

Cisco ISE

See Compatibility Matrix.

Types of tests

Connectivity, traffic (ICMP), and roaming between two APs

The following table lists the client types on which the tests were conducted. Client types included laptops, hand-held devices, phones, and printers.

Table 10. Client Types

Client Type and Name

Driver / Software Version

Wi-Fi 6 Devices (Mobile Phone and Laptop)

Apple iPhone 11 iOS 14.1

Apple iPhone SE 2020

iOS 14.1
Dell Intel AX1650w Windows 10 ( 21.90.2.1)
DELL LATITUDE 5491 (Intel AX200) Windows 10 Pro (21.40.2)
Samsung S20 Android 10
Samsung S10 (SM-G973U1) Android 9.0 (One UI 1.1)
Samsung S10e (SM-G970U1) Android 9.0 (One UI 1.1)
Samsung Galaxy S10+ Android 9.0

Samsung Galaxy Fold 2

Android 10

Samsung Galaxy Flip Z

Android 10

Samsung Note 20

Android 10

Laptops

Acer Aspire E 15 E5-573-3870 (Qualcomm Atheros QCA9377) Windows 10 Pro (12.0.0.832)
Apple Macbook Air 11 inch OS Sierra 10.12.6
Apple Macbook Air 13 inch OS Catalina 10.15.4
Apple Macbook Air 13 inch OS High Sierra 10.13.4
Macbook Pro Retina OS Mojave 10.14.3
Macbook Pro Retina 13 inch early 2015 OS Mojave 10.14.3

Dell Inspiron 2020 Chromebook

Chrome OS 75.0.3770.129

Google Pixelbook Go

Chrome OS 84.0.4147.136

HP chromebook 11a

Chrome OS 76.0.3809.136

Samsung Chromebook 4+

Chrome OS 77.0.3865.105

DELL Latitude 3480  (Qualcomm DELL wireless 1820) Win 10 Pro (12.0.0.242)
DELL Inspiron 15-7569 (Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 3165) Windows 10 Home (18.32.0.5)
DELL Latitude E5540 (Intel Dual Band Wireless AC7260) Windows 7 Professional (21.10.1)
DELL XPS 12 v9250 (Intel Dual Band Wireless AC 8260 ) Windows 10 (19.50.1.6)
DELL Latitude 5491 (Intel AX200) Windows 10 Pro (21.40.2)
DELL XPS Latitude12 9250 (Intel Dual Band Wireless AC 8260) Windows 10 Home (21.40.0)

Lenovo Yoga C630 Snapdragon 850 (Qualcomm AC 2x2 Svc)

Windows 10(1.0.10440.0)

Lenovo Thinkpad Yoga 460 (Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 9260) Windows 10 Pro ( 21.40.0)
Note 
For clients using Intel wireless cards, we recommend you to update to the latest Intel wireless drivers if advertised SSIDs are not visible.

Tablets

Apple iPad Pro iOS 13.5
Apple iPad Air2 MGLW2LL/A iOS 12.4.1
Apple iPad Mini 4 9.0.1 MK872LL/A iOS 11.4.1
Apple iPad Mini 2 ME279LL/A iOS 12.0
Microsoft Surface Pro 3 – 11ac Qualcomm Atheros QCA61x4A
Microsoft Surface Pro 3 – 11ax Intel AX201 chipset. Driver v21.40.1.3
Microsoft Surface Pro 7 – 11ax Intel Wi-Fi chip (HarrisonPeak AX201) (11ax, WPA3)
Microsoft Surface Pro X – 11ac & WPA3 WCN3998 Wi-Fi Chip (11ac, WPA3)

Mobile Phones

Apple iPhone 5 iOS 12.4.1
Apple iPhone 6s iOS 13.5
Apple iPhone 8 iOS 13.5
Apple iPhone X MQA52LL/A iOS 13.5
Apple iPhone 11 iOS 14.1
Apple iPhone SE MLY12LL/A iOS 11.3
ASCOM SH1 Myco2 Build 2.1
ASCOM SH1 Myco2 Build 4.5
ASCOM Myco 3 v1.2.3 Android 8.1
Drager Delta VG9.0.2
Drager M300.3 VG2.4
Drager M300.4 VG2.4
Drager M540 DG6.0.2 (1.2.6)
Google Pixel 2 Android 10
Google Pixel 3 Android 11

Google Pixel 3a

Android 11

Google Pixel 4 Android 11
Huawei Mate 20 pro Android 9.0
Huawei P20 Pro Android 9.0

Huawei P40

Android 10

LG v40 ThinQ Android 9.0

One Plus 8

Android 10

Oppo Find X2

Android 10

Redmi K20 Pro

Android 10

Samsung Galaxy S7 Andriod 6.0.1
Samsung Galaxy S7 SM - G930F Android 8.0
Samsung Galaxy S8 Android 8.0
Samsung Galaxy S9+ - G965U1 Android 9.0
Samsung Galaxy SM - G950U Android 7.0

Sony Experia 1 ii

Android 10

Sony Experia xz3 Android 9.0

Xiaomi Mi10

Android 10

Spectralink 8744 Android 5.1.1
Spectralink Versity Phones 9540 Android 8.1
Vocera Badges B3000n 4.3.2.5
Vocera Smart Badges V5000 5.0.4.30
Zebra MC40 Android 5.0
Zebra MC40N0 Android Ver: 4.1.1
Zebra MC92N0 Android Ver:  4.4.4
Zebra TC51 Android 7.1.2
Zebra TC52 Android 8.1.0
Zebra TC55 Android 8.1.0
Zebra TC57 Android 8.1.0
Zebra TC70 Android 6.1
Zebra TC75 Android 6.1.1
Printers
Zebra QLn320 Printer LINK OS 6.3
Zebra ZT230 Printer LINK OS 6.3
Zebra ZQ310 Printer LINK OS 6.3
Zebra ZD410 Printer LINK OS 6.3
Zebra ZT410 Printer LINK OS 6.3
Zebra ZQ610 Printer LINK OS 6.3
Zebra ZQ620 Printer LINK OS 6.3

Wireless Module

Intel 11ax 200

Driver v22.20.0

Intel AC 9260

Driver v21.40.0

Intel Dual Band Wireless AC 8260

Driver v19.50.1.6

Caveats

Caveats describe unexpected behavior in Cisco IOS releases. Caveats that are listed as Open in a prior release are carried forward to the next release as either Open or Resolved.


Note

All incremental releases will cover fixes from the current release.


Cisco Bug Search Tool

The Cisco Bug Search Tool (BST) allows partners and customers to search for software bugs based on product, release, and keyword, and aggregates key data such as bug details, product, and version. The BST is designed to improve the effectiveness in network risk management and device troubleshooting. The tool has a provision to filter bugs based on credentials to provide external and internal bug views for the search input.

To view the details of a caveat, click the corresponding identifier.

Open Caveats for Cisco IOS XE Bengaluru 17.5.1

Caveat ID

Description

CSCvx76433

EWC experiences CPUHOG Tracebacks causing downtime (Both Active and Standby went down).

Resolved Caveats for Cisco IOS XE Bengaluru 17.5.1

Caveat ID

Description

CSCvw37272

NMSP process held down while upgrading EWC High Availability via install mode.

Troubleshooting

For the most up-to-date, detailed troubleshooting information, visit the Cisco TAC website at:

https://www.cisco.com/en/US/support/index.html

Go to Product Support and select your product from the list, or enter the name of your product. Look under Troubleshoot and Alerts to find information about the problem that you are experiencing.

Related Documentation

Information about Cisco IOS XE 16 is available at:

https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/ios-nx-os-software/ios-xe/index.html

All the support documentation for Cisco Catalyst 9100 Access Points are available at: https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/support/wireless/catalyst-9100ax-access-points/tsd-products-support-series-home.html

Cisco Validated Designs documents are available at:

https://www.cisco.com/go/designzone

Cisco Embedded Wireless Controller on Catalyst Access Points

For support information, see the following documents:

Installation guides for Catalyst Access Points are available at:

https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/support/wireless/catalyst-9100ax-access-points/products-installation-guides-list.html

For all Cisco Wireless Controller software-related documentation, see:

https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/support/wireless/catalyst-9800-series-wireless-controllers/tsd-products-support-series-home.html

Wireless Products Comparison

Cisco Connected Mobile Experiences

Cisco Connected Mobile Experiences Documentation

Cisco DNA Center

Cisco DNA Center Documentation

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