About the Release Notes

We recommend that you use this software release only in networks deployed with Cisco Catalyst 9100 Series Access Points.

This release notes document describes what is new or changed in this release, instructions to upgrade to this release, and open and resolved caveats for this release. Unless otherwise noted, in this document, Cisco Wireless Controllers are referred to as controllers, and Cisco lightweight access points are referred to as access points or APs.

Supported Cisco Wireless Controller Platforms

The following Cisco Wireless Controller platforms are supported in this release:

  • Cisco 3504 Wireless Controller

  • Cisco 5520 Wireless Controller

  • Cisco 8540 Wireless Controller

  • Cisco Virtual Wireless Controller (vWLC) on the following platforms:

    • VMware vSphere Hypervisor (ESXi) Version 5.x and 6.x

    • Hyper-V on Microsoft Servers 2012 and later versions (Support introduced in Release 8.4)

    • Kernel-based virtual machine (KVM) (Support introduced in Release 8.1. After KVM is deployed, we recommend that you do not downgrade to a Cisco Wireless release that is earlier than Release 8.1.)

  • Cisco Wireless Controllers for High Availability for Cisco 3504 WLC, Cisco 5520 WLC, and Cisco 8540 WLC.

  • Cisco Mobility Express Solution

Supported Cisco Access Point Platforms

The following Cisco AP platforms are supported in this release:

  • Cisco Catalyst 9120 Access Points

    • C9120AXI: VID 06 and earlier

  • Cisco Catalyst 9117 Access Points

  • Cisco Catalyst 9115 Access Points

  • Cisco Aironet 700 Series Access Points

  • Cisco Aironet 700W Series Access Points

  • Cisco AP803 Integrated Access Point

  • Integrated Access Point on Cisco 1100, 1101, and 1109 Integrated Services Routers

  • Cisco Aironet 1700 Series Access Points

  • Cisco Aironet 1800 Series Access Points

  • Cisco Aironet 1810 Series OfficeExtend Access Points

  • Cisco Aironet 1810W Series Access Points

  • Cisco Aironet 1815 Series Access Points

  • Cisco Aironet 1830 Series Access Points

  • Cisco Aironet 1850 Series Access Points

  • Cisco Aironet 2700 Series Access Points

  • Cisco Aironet 2800 Series Access Points

  • Cisco Aironet 3700 Series Access Points

  • Cisco Aironet 3800 Series Access Points

  • Cisco Aironet 4800 Series Access Points

  • Cisco ASA 5506W-AP702

  • Cisco Aironet 1530 Series Access Points

  • Cisco Aironet 1540 Series Access Points

  • Cisco Aironet 1560 Series Access Points

  • Cisco Aironet 1570 Series Access Points

  • Cisco Industrial Wireless 3700 Series Access Points


Note


For information about Cisco Wireless software releases that support specific Cisco access point modules, see the "Software Release Support for Specific Access Point Modules" section in the Cisco Wireless Solutions Software Compatibility Matrix document.

What's New in Release 8.9.111.0

This section provides a brief introduction to the new features and enhancements that are introduced in this release.


Note

For complete listing of all the documentation published for Cisco Wireless Release 8.9, see the Documentation Roadmap:

https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/wireless/doc-roadmap/doc-roadmap-release-89.html


Cisco Catalyst 9120 Access Points

Cisco Catalyst 9120 Access Points provide a seamless wireless experience anywhere and goes beyond the Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) standard. The access points provide integrated security, resiliency, and operational flexibility as well as increased network intelligence.

In the Cisco’s intent-based networks of all sizes, the Cisco Catalyst 9120 APs scale to the growing demands of IoT devices while fully supporting the latest innovations and new technologies.


Note

The following C9120 model VIDs are supported in this release:
  • C9120AXI: VID06 and earlier


For more information about Cisco Catalyst 9120 APs, see

https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/collateral/wireless/catalyst-9120ax-series-access-points/datasheet-c78-742115.html

Software Release Types and Recommendations

Table 1. Release Types

Release Type

Description

Benefit

Maintenance Deployment (MD)

Software releases that provide bug-fix support and ongoing software maintenance. These releases are categorized as Maintenance Deployment (MD).

These releases are long-living releases with ongoing software maintenance.

Provides you with a software release that offers stability and long support duration with periodic maintenance releases (MRs).

Early Deployment (ED)

Software releases that provide new features and new hardware platform support in addition to bug fixes. These releases are categorized as Early Deployment (ED).

These releases are short-lived releases.

Allows you to deploy the latest features and new hardware platforms or modules.

For detailed release recommendations, see the Guidelines for Cisco Wireless Software Release Migration Bulletin at:

http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/collateral/wireless/8500-series-wireless-controllers/bulletin-c25-730741.html.

Table 2. Upgrade Path to Cisco Wireless Release 8.9.110.0

Current Software Release

Upgrade Path to Release 8.9.111.0

8.6.x

You can upgrade directly to Release 8.9.111.0.

8.7.x

You can upgrade directly to Release 8.9.111.0.

8.8.x

You can upgrade directly to Release 8.9.111.0.

Upgrading Cisco Wireless Release

This section describes the guidelines and limitations that you must be aware of when you are upgrading the Cisco Wireless release and the procedure to upgrade.

Guidelines and Limitations

  • Before downgrading or upgrading the Cisco Controller to another release check for APs or AP modes support. Ensure that only supported APs are connected and also the APs are moved to supported modes on the release that the controller is upgraded or downgraded to.

  • On executing the show tech-support command on a Cisco 9100 AP, if the displayed result is empty, as a workaround, logout and relogin to the same access point using SSH and run the command. For more information, see CSCvo28881.

  • Legacy clients that require RC4 or 3DES encryption type are not supported in Local EAP authentication.

  • If you downgrade to Release 8.0.140.0 or 8.0.15x.0, and later upgrade to a later release and and also have the multiple country code feature configured, then the configuration file could get corrupted. When you try to upgrade to a later release, special characters are added in the country list causing issues when loading the configuation. For more information, see CSCve41740.


    Note

    Upgrade and downgrade between other releases does not result in this issue.
  • After downloading the new software to the Cisco APs, it is possible that a Cisco AP may get stuck in an upgrading image state. In such a scenario, it might be necessary to forcefully reboot the controller to download a new controller software image or to reboot the controller after the download of the new controller software image. You can forcefully reboot the controller by entering the reset system forced command.

  • It is not possible to download some of the older configurations from the controller because of the Multicast and IP address validations. See the "Restrictions on Configuring Multicast Mode" section in the Cisco Wireless Controller Configuration Guide for detailed information about platform support for global multicast and multicast mode.

  • If you are downgrading from Release 8.9 to an earlier release, any local policy to WLAN ID mapping wherein the local policy ID is greater than 255 is lost after the downgrade. If necessary, you can modify the policy mapping so that a local policy whose ID is greater than 255 is not used.

    You can check for the local policy ID in either of the following ways:

    • CLI: Enter the show policy summary command.

    • GUI: Navigate to Security > Local Policies. On the Policy List page, the policy ID is displayed along with the policy name.

  • When a client sends an HTTP request, the controller intercepts it for redirection to the login page. If the HTTP GET request that is intercepted by the controller is longer than 2000 bytes, the controller drops the packet. Track the Caveat ID CSCuy81133 for a possible enhancement to address this restriction.

  • When downgrading from one release to an earlier release, you might lose the configuration from your current release. The workaround is to reload the previous controller configuration files that are saved in the backup server, or to reconfigure the controller.

  • When you upgrade a controller to an intermediate release, wait until all the APs that are associated with the controller are upgraded to the intermediate release before you install the latest controller software. In large networks, it can take some time to download the software on each AP.

  • You can upgrade to a new release of the controller software or downgrade to an earlier release even if FIPS is enabled.

  • When you upgrade to the latest software release, the software on the APs associated with the controller is also automatically upgraded. When an AP is loading software, each of its LEDs blinks in succession.

  • Controllers support standard SNMP MIB files. MIBs can be downloaded from the software download page on Cisco.com.

  • The controller software that is factory-installed on your controller and is automatically downloaded to the APs after a release upgrade and whenever an AP joins a controller. We recommend that you install the latest software version available for maximum operational benefit.

  • Ensure that you have a TFTP, HTTP, FTP, or SFTP server available for the software upgrade. Follow these guidelines when setting up a server:

    • Ensure that your TFTP server supports files that are larger than the size of controller software image. Some TFTP servers that support files of this size are tftpd32 and the TFTP server within Cisco Prime Infrastructure. If you attempt to download the controller software image and your TFTP server does not support files of this size, the following error message appears:

      TFTP failure while storing in flash

    • If you are upgrading through the distribution system network port, the TFTP or FTP server can be on the same subnet or a different subnet because the distribution system port is routable.

  • The controller Bootloader stores a copy of the active primary image and the backup image. If the primary image becomes corrupted, you can use the Bootloader to boot with the backup image.

    With the backup image stored before rebooting, from the Boot Options menu, choose Option 2: Run Backup Image to boot from the backup image. Then, upgrade with a known working image and reboot controller.

  • You can control the addresses that are sent in the Control and Provisioning of Wireless Access Points (CAPWAP) discovery responses when NAT is enabled on the Management Interface, using the following command:

    config network ap-discovery nat-ip-only {enable | disable}

    The following are the details of the command:

    enable —Enables use of NAT IP only in a discovery response. This is the default. Use this command if all the APs are outside the NAT gateway.

    disable —Enables use of both NAT IP and non-NAT IP in a discovery response. Use this command if APs are on the inside and outside the NAT gateway, for example, Local Mode and OfficeExtend APs are on the same controller.


    Note

    To avoid stranding of APs, you must disable the AP link latency (if enabled) before you use the disable option in the config network ap-discovery nat-ip-only command. To disable AP link latency, use the config ap link-latency disable all command.
  • Do not power down the controller or any AP during the upgrade process. If you do this, the software image might get corrupted. Upgrading the controller with a large number of APs can take as long as 30 minutes, depending on the size of your network. However, with the increased number of concurrent AP upgrades supported, the upgrade time should be significantly reduced. The APs must remain powered, and controller must not be reset during this time.

  • After you perform the following functions on the controller, reboot it for the changes to take effect:

    • Enable or disable LAG.

    • Enable a feature that is dependent on certificates (such as HTTPS and web authentication).

    • Add a new license or modify an existing license.


      Note

      Reboot is not required if you are using Right-to-Use licenses.
    • Increase the priority of a license.

    • Enable HA.

    • Install the SSL certificate.

    • Configure the database size.

    • Install the vendor-device certificate.

    • Download the CA certificate.

    • Upload the configuration file.

    • Install the Web Authentication certificate.

    • Make changes to the management interface or the virtual interface.

Upgrading Cisco Wireless Software (GUI)

Procedure


Step 1

Upload your controller configuration files to a server to back up the configuration files.

Note 

We highly recommend that you back up your controller configuration files prior to upgrading the controller software.

Step 2

Follow these steps to obtain controller software:

  1. Browse to the Software Download portal at: https://software.cisco.com/download/home.

  2. Search for the controller model.

  3. Click Wireless LAN Controller Software.

  4. The software releases are labeled as described here to help you determine which release to download. Click a controller software release number:

    • Early Deployment (ED)—These software releases provide new features and new hardware platform support as well as bug fixes.

    • Maintenance Deployment (MD)—These software releases provide bug fixes and ongoing software maintenance.

    • Deferred (DF)—These software releases have been deferred. We recommend that you migrate to an upgraded release.

  5. Click the filename <filename.aes>.

  6. Click Download.

  7. Read the Cisco End User Software License Agreement and click Agree.

  8. Save the file to your hard drive.

  9. Repeat steps a through h to download the remaining file.

Step 3

Copy the controller software file <filename.aes> to the default directory on your TFTP, FTP, SFTP, or USB server.

Step 4

(Optional) Disable the controller 802.11 networks.

Note 

For busy networks, controllers on high utilization, and small controller platforms, we recommend that you disable the 802.11 networks as a precautionary measure.

Step 5

Choose Commands > Download File to open the Download File to Controller page.

Step 6

From the File Type drop-down list, choose Code.

Step 7

From the Transfer Mode drop-down list, choose TFTP, FTP, SFTP, HTTP, or USB.

Step 8

Enter the corresponding server details as prompted.

Note 

Server details are not required if you choose HTTP as the transfer mode.

Step 9

Click Download to download the software to the controller.

A message indicating the status of the download is displayed.

Note 

Ensure that you choose the File Type as Code for both the images.

Step 10

After the download is complete, click Reboot.

Step 11

If you are prompted to save your changes, click Save and Reboot.

Step 12

Click OK to confirm your decision to reboot the controller.

Step 13

If you have disabled the 802.11 networks, reenable them.

Step 14

(Optional) To verify that the controller software is installed on your controller, on the controller GUI, click Monitor and view the Software Version field under Controller Summary.


CIMC Utility Upgrade for 5520 and 8540 Controllers

The AIR-CT5520-K9 and AIR-CT8540-K9 controller models are based on Cisco UCS server C series, C220 and C240 M4 respectively. These controller models have CIMC utility that can edit or monitor low-level physical parts such as power, memory, disks, fan, temperature, and provide remote console access to the controllers.

We recommend that you upgrade the CIMC utility to Version 3.0(4d) that has been certified to be used with these controllers. Controllers that have older versions of CIMC installed are susceptible to rebooting without being able to access FlexFlash, with the result that the manufacturing certificates are unavailable, and thus SSH and HTTPS connections will fail, and access points will be unable to join. See: CSCvo33873.

The CIMC 3.0(4d) images are available at the following locations:

Table 3. CIMC Utility Software Image Information

Controller

Link to Download the CIMC Utility Software Image

Cisco 5520 Wireless Controller

https://software.cisco.com/download/home/286281345/type/283850974/release/3.0%25284d%2529

Cisco 8540 Wireless Controller

https://software.cisco.com/download/home/286281356/type/283850974/release/3.0%25284d%2529

For information about upgrading the CIMC utility, see the "Updating the Firmware on Cisco UCS C-Series Servers" chapter in the Cisco Host Upgrade Utility 3.0 User Guide:

https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/unified_computing/ucs/c/sw/lomug/2-0-x/3_0/b_huu_3_0_1/b_huu_2_0_13_chapter_011.html

Updating Firmware Using the Update All Option

This section mentions specific details when using CIMC utility with Cisco 5520 or 8540 controllers. For general information about the software and UCS chassis, see Release Notes for Cisco UCS C-Series Software, Release 3.0(4) at:

https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/unified_computing/ucs/release/notes/b_UCS_C-Series_Release_Notes_3_0_4.html

Table 4. Open Caveats for Release 3.0(4d)

Caveat ID

Description

CSCvj80941

After upgrading CIMC to 3.04d, only after power reset, UCS-based controller is coming up.

CSCvj80915

Not able to logon to the CIMC GUI with the username and password that are configured from the controller.

Table 5. Resolved Caveats for Release 3.0(4d)

Caveat ID

Description

CSCvd86049

Symptom: The system will stop working or reboot during OS operation with PROCHOT, MEMHOT, and DMI Timeout-related events reported in the System Event Log (SEL).

Conditions: C220-M4 or C240-M4

Workaround: No workaround is available.

This bug fix changes the default BIOS option for ASPM (Active State Power Management) from 'L1 only' to 'Disabled', and the ASPM setting can no longer be modified. This change was made to help increase system stability and eliminate some system crash scenarios.

CSCvf78458

Symptom: The system will stop working or reboot during OS operation with PROCHOT, MEMHOT, and DMI Timeout-related events reported in the System Event Log (SEL).

Conditions: C220-M4 or C240-M4

Workaround: No workaround is available.

This bug fix changes the BIOS option "Package C-State limit" default value from C6 Retention to C0/C1 to help increase system stability and eliminate some crash scenarios.

Once upgraded, reset the BIOS settings to default or manually change Package C-State limit to C0/C1.

Interoperability with Other Clients

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

The following table describes the configuration that is used for testing the client devices.

Table 6. Test Bed Configuration for Interoperability

Hardware or Software Parameter

Hardware or Software Configuration Type

Release

8.9.x

Cisco Wireless Controller

Cisco 5520 Wireless Controller

Access Points

C9115AXE-B, C9117AXI-B, C9120AXI-B

Radio

802.11ax (2.4 GHz or 5 GHz), 802.11ac, 802.11a, 802.11g, 802.11n (2.4 GHz or 5 GHz)

Security

Open, PSK (WPA-TKIP-WPA2-AES), 802.1X (WPA-TKIP-WPA2-AES)(EAP-FAST)

RADIUS

Cisco ACS 5.3, Cisco ISE 2.2, Cisco ISE 2.3

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, handheld devices, phones, and printers.

Table 7. Client Types

Client Type and Name

Driver / Software Version

Laptops

ACER Aspire E 15 Windows 8.1
Acer Aspire E 15 E5-573-3870 Windows 10 Pro
Apple Macbook Air OS Sierra v10.12.2
Apple Macbook Air 11 inch OS Sierra 10.12.6
Apple Macbook Air 11 inch mid 2013 OS Sierra 10.12.3
Apple Macbook Air 11 inch Mid 2013 OS X Yosemite 10.10.5
Apple Macbook Air 13inch (mid 2011) OS Sierra 10.12.4
Apple Macbook Pro OS X v10.8.5 mid 2009 OS X 10.8.5
Apple Macbook Pro Retina 13 inch early 2015 OS Sierra 10.12.6
Apple Macbook Pro Retina 13 inch late 2013 OS Sierra 10.12.4
DELL Inspiron 13-5368 Signature Edi Win 10 Home 18.40.0.12
DELL Inspiron 15-7569 Windows 10 Home 18.32.0.5
DELL Latitude 3480 Win 10 Pro 12.0.0.307
DELL Latitude E5430 Windows 7 Professional 15.1.1.1
DELL Latitude E5430 Windows 7 Professional 15.17.0.1
DELL Latitude E6430 Dekra TB Windows 7 Professional 6.30.223.60
DELL latitude E6840 Windows 7 Professional 6.30.223.215
DELL Latitude E7450 Windows 7 Professional 6.30.223.245
DELL Latitude Intel Centino N 6205 Win 8.1 Pro 15.18.0.1
DELL XPS 12 9250 Windows 10 Home 18.40.0.9
DELL XPS 12 v9250 Windows 10 19.50.1.6
FUJITSU Lifebook E556 Intel 8260 Windows 10 Pro 19.20.0.6
HP Chromebook Chrome OS Chrome OS 55.028883.103
Lenovo Thinkpad Yoga 460 Windows 10 Pro 20.20.2.2
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

Amazon Kindle Ver 6.2.2
Apple iPad 2 MC979LL/A iOS 9.3.1
Apple iPad Air2 MGLW2LL/A iOS 11.4.1
Apple iPad Air 2 MGLW2LL/A iOS 10.2.1
Apple iPad Air MD785LL/A iOS 11.4.1
Apple iPad MD328LL/A iOS 9.3.5
Apple iPad MD78LL/A iOS 11.4.1
Apple iPad MGL12LL/A iOS 9.1
Apple iPad mini 2 ME279LL/A iOS 11.4.1
Apple iPad mini 2 ME279LL/A iOS 12.0
Apple iPad mini 4 9.0.1 MK872LL/A iOS 11.4.1
Apple iPad MK6L2LL/A iOS 10.2
ET50PE Enterprise Tablet Ver5.1.1
Google Nexus 9 Tab Android 6.0.1
Motorola ET1 ENTERPRISE TABLET ANDROID VERSION: 2.3.4
Samsung Galaxy Tab A  SM T350 Android 5.0.2
Samsung Galaxy Tab GT N5110 Android 4.4.2
Samsung Galaxy Tab SM-P 350 Android 6.0.1
Samsung Galaxy TAB SM-P600 Android 4.4.2
Samsung Tab Pro Samsung Android 4.4.2
Samsung Tab Pro SM-T320  Android 4.4.2
Samsung Tab SM-T520 Android 4.4.2
Toshiba TAB AT100 Android 4.0.4

Mobile Phones

Apple iPhone 5 iOS 10.3.12
Apple iPhone 5c iOS 10.3.3
Apple iPhone 7 MN8J2LL/A iOS 11.2.5
Apple iPhone 8 plus iOS 12.0.1
Apple iPhone 8 Plus MQ8D2LL/A iOS 12.0.1
Apple iPhone MD237LL/A iOS 9.3.5
Apple iPhone SE MLY12LL/A iOS 11.3
Apple iPhone X MQA52LL/A iOS 12
ASCOM Myco2 Build 2.1, Android Version 4.4.2
ASCOM Myco2 Build 4.5, Android Version 4.4.2
ASCOM Myco2 Platform Version 10.1.0
ASUS Nexus 7 Android 6.0
AT100 Android 4.0.4
Cisco CP 7925G-EX 1.4.8.4.LOADS
Cisco CP 7926G 1.4.8.4.LOADS
Cisco CP 7926G 1.4.5.3.LOADS
Cisco CP 8821 rootfs8821.11-0-3ES2-1
Google Pixel Android 8.1.0
HTC One 6.0 Android 5.0.2
HTC PI39100 Android 7.5
Huawei MATE9 Pro LON-L29 Android 7.0
Huawei MediaPad. X1 7.0 Android 4.4.2
Huawei P7-L10 Android 4.4.2
LG D855 Android 5.0
Motorola ET1 Enterprise Tablet Android 2.3.4
Motorola ET50PE Enterprise Tablet Android 5.1.1
Motorola MC75A OEM ver 02.37.0001
Motorola MC9090 Windows Mobile 6.1
Motorola MC9090G OEM Ver 1.35
Moto X 2nd gen Android 5.0
Nokia Lumia 1520 0268 Windows 10
Nokia Lumia 925.5 Windows 8.1
One Plus One Android 4.3
Samsung Galaxy Mega GT-i9200 Android 4.4
Samsung Galaxy Note 3 - SM-N9005 Android 5.0
Samsung Galaxy Note4 edge Android 6.0.1
Samsung Galaxy S10.P.1.4 Android 9
Samsung Galaxy S4 Android 4.2.2
Samsung Galaxy S4 Android 4.2.2
Samsung Galaxy S4 Android 5.0.1
Samsung Galaxy S4 GT 19500 Android 5.0.1
Samsung Galaxy S6 Android 7.0
Samsung Galaxy S6 Android 6.0.1
Samsung Galaxy S7 Android 6.0.1
Samsung Galaxy S8 Android 7.0
Samsung S7 SM-G930F Android 7.0
Samsung SM-P600 Android 4.4.2
Samsung SM-T520 Android 4.4.2
Spectralink 8440 Android 5.0.0.1079
Spectralink 8742 Android 5.1.1
Spectralink 8742 Android 5.1.1
Spectralink 8744 Android 5.1.1
Spectralink 9553 Android 8.10.0
Symbol MC40 Android Ver 4.4.4
Symbol MC40N0 EZ Android ver: 4.1.1
Symbol MC55A Windows 6.5
Symbol MC 7090 OEM Ver 03.33.0000
Symbol MC92N0 Android Ver 4.4.4
TC510K Android 6.0.1
TC8000 Android 4.4.3
Zebra TC510K Android Ver: 6.0.1
Zebra TC520K Android Ver: 8.1.0
Zebra TC57 Android Ver: 8.1.0
Zebra TC700H Android Ver:4.4.3
Zebra TC75 Android Ver: 4.4.3
Zebra TC8000 Android Ver: 4.4.3
Zebra TC8000 Android Ver: 5.1.1
Zebra WT6000 Android Ver 5.1.1
Drager M300
Drager Delta
Printers
Zebra QLn320 Printer Ver: V 68.20.15ZP41800
Zebra ZQ620 Printer V85.20.15

Key Features Not Supported in Controller Platforms

This section lists the features that are not supported on various controller platforms:


Note

In a converged access environment that has controllers running AireOS code, High Availability Client SSO and native IPv6 are not supported.


Key Features Not Supported in Cisco 3504 WLC

  • Cisco WLAN Express Setup Over-the-Air Provisioning

  • Mobility controller functionality in converged access mode

  • VPN Termination (such as IPsec and L2TP)

Key Features Not Supported in Cisco 5520 and 8540 WLCs

  • Internal DHCP Server

  • Mobility controller functionality in converged access mode

  • VPN termination (such as IPsec and L2TP)

  • Fragmented pings on any interface

Key Features Not Supported in Cisco Virtual WLC

  • Cisco Umbrella

  • Software-defined access

  • Domain-based ACLs

  • Internal DHCP server

  • Cisco TrustSec

  • Access points in local mode

  • Mobility or Guest Anchor role

  • Wired Guest

  • Multicast


    Note

    FlexConnect locally switched multicast traffic is bridged transparently for both wired and wireless on the same VLAN. FlexConnect APs do not limit traffic based on IGMP or MLD snooping.


  • FlexConnect central switching in large-scale deployments


    Note

    • FlexConnect central switching is supported in only small-scale deployments, wherein the total traffic on controller ports is not more than 500 Mbps.

    • FlexConnect local switching is supported.


  • Central switching on Microsoft Hyper-V deployments

  • AP and Client SSO in High Availability

  • PMIPv6

  • Datagram Transport Layer Security (DTLS)

  • EoGRE (Supported only in local switching mode)

  • Workgroup bridges

  • Client downstream rate limiting for central switching

  • SHA2 certificates

  • Controller integration with Lync SDN API

  • Cisco OfficeExtend Access Points

Key Features Not Supported in Access Point Platforms

This section lists the features that are not supported on various Cisco Aironet AP platforms:

Key Features Not Supported in Cisco Catalyst 9120 APs

Table 8. Key Features Not Supported in Cisco Catalyst 9120 Series APs

Operational Modes

  • Downlink High Efficiency MU-MIMO

  • Uplink MU-MIMO

  • Downlink OFDMA

  • Uplink OFDMA

  • BSS coloring

  • Workgroup Bridge (WGB) mode

  • Mesh mode

  • Mobility Express

  • Web Security Appliance (WSA) Sensor

  • Target Wake Time (TWT)

Key Features Not Supported in Cisco Catalyst 9117 APs

Table 9. Key Features Not Supported in Cisco Catalyst 9117 APs

Operational Modes

  • Downlink High Efficiency MU-MIMO

  • Uplink MU-MIMO

  • Downlink OFDMA

  • Uplink OFDMA

  • BSS coloring

  • Mobility Express

  • Target Wake Time (TWT)

Key Features Not Supported in Cisco Catalyst 9115 APs

Table 10. Key Features Not Supported in Cisco Catalyst 9115 Series APs

Operational Modes

  • Downlink High Efficiency MU-MIMO

  • Uplink MU-MIMO

  • Downlink OFDMA

  • Uplink OFDMA

  • BSS coloring

  • Mobility Express

  • RF channel width 80+80 MHz

Key Features Not Supported in Cisco Aironet 1800i, 1810 OEAP, 1810W, 1815, 1830, 1850, 2800, 3800, and 4800 Series APs

For detailed information about feature support on Cisco Aironet Wave 2 APs, see:

https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/wireless/controller/technotes/8-7/b_feature_matrix_for_802_11ac_wave2_access_points.html.

Table 11. Key Features Not Supported in Cisco Aironet 1800i, 1810 OEAP, 1810W, 1815, 1830, 1850, 2800, 3800, and 4800 Series APs

Operational Modes

  • Autonomous Bridge and Workgroup Bridge (WGB) mode

  • Mesh mode

  • LAG behind NAT or PAT environment

Protocols

  • Full Cisco Compatible Extensions (CCX) support

  • Rogue Location Discovery Protocol (RLDP)

  • Telnet

  • Internet Group Management Protocol (IGMP)v3

Security

  • CKIP, CMIC, and LEAP with Dynamic WEP

  • Static WEP for CKIP

  • WPA2 + TKIP

    Note 
    WPA +TKIP and TKIP + AES protocols are supported.

Quality of Service

Cisco Air Time Fairness (ATF)

FlexConnect Features

  • Split Tunneling

  • PPPoE

  • Multicast to Unicast (MC2UC)

    Note 

    VideoStream is supported

  • Traffic Specification (TSpec)

    • Cisco Compatible eXtensions (CCX)

    • Call Admission Control (CAC)

  • VSA/Realm Match Authentication

  • SIP snooping with FlexConnect in local switching mode


Note

For Cisco Aironet 1850 Series AP technical specifications with details on currently supported features, see the Cisco Aironet 1850 Series Access Points Data Sheet.


Key Features Not Supported in Cisco Aironet 1800i, 1810 OEAP, and 1810W Series APs

Table 12. Key Features Not Supported in Cisco Aironet 1800i, 1810 OEAP and 1810W Series APs

Operational Modes

Mobility Express

FlexConnect Features

Local AP authentication

Location Services

Data RSSI (Fast Locate)

Key Features Not Supported in Cisco Aironet 1830, 1850, and 1815 Series APs

Table 13. Key Features Not Supported in Cisco Aironet 1830, 1850, and 1815 Series APs

Operational Modes

Mobility Express is not supported in Cisco 1815t APs.

FlexConnect Features

Local AP Authentication

Location Services

Data RSSI (Fast Locate)

Key Features Not Supported in Mesh Networks

  • Load-based call admission control (CAC). Mesh networks support only bandwidth-based CAC or static CAC

  • High availability (Fast heartbeat and primary discovery join timer)

  • AP acting as supplicant with EAP-FASTv1 and 802.1X authentication

  • AP join priority (Mesh APs have a fixed priority)

  • Location-based services

Key Features Not Supported in Cisco Aironet 1540 Mesh APs

  • Dynamic Mesh backhaul data rate.


    Note

    We recommend that you keep the Bridge data rate of the AP as auto.


  • Background scanning

  • Noise-tolerant fast convergence

Key Features Not Supported on Cisco Aironet 1560 APs

  • MAC Authentication FlexConnect Local Authentication

  • Noise-tolerant fast convergence

  • Static WEP

Caveats

Open Caveats

Table 14. Open Caveats

Caveat ID Number

Description

CSCvb70551

Cisco Wave 2 APs reboot due to kernel panic-not syncing: Out of Memory

CSCvj48316

AP3700: process "QoS stats process" causes unexpected reloads

CSCvj61869

20-30 Mbps downlink speed on 702w AP with WPA2+802.1x SSID

CSCvm63975

Cisco controller loses config if specific countries are enabled together

CSCvm65411

Cisco 2700 AP radio resets with FC71 code

CSCvm68341

Cisco controller is sending duplicate interim accounting packets to ISE

CSCvm81901

Cisco 3800 AP does not acknowledge the client frames

CSCvm93785

Cisco 2800, 3800 AP reloads unexpectedly on Click: Client update cache from write handler

CSCvn03560

Decrypt errors seen on Cisco 702 AP

CSCvn15777

Cisco 5508 controller reloads unexpectedly with high CPU util on emWeb process

CSCvn17267

702AP: WGB disconnects from root AP 'parent lost: Too many retries' RTS when root AP is offchanl

CSCvn27144

Unable to restore 802.11ac MCS parameter

CSCvn37957

Cisco controller FTIE not saved sending Association Response FT 802.11r

CSCvn56211

Cisco 702W AP radio resets, tracebacks and other radio buffer errors

CSCvn62176

Cisco 3802 series APs unable to associate clients when using UNII-1 Channels

CSCvn69015

Cisco Wave 2 APs in local mode forwards layer 2 multicast control traffic from their wired interface

CSCvn99809

Handling PAK scheduler during AID plumbing

CSCvo28881

AP9115, 9117: show tech-support is empty with only section heading.

CSCvo50532

Cisco 1572 AP reporting "nokey" errors

CSCvo55603

Cisco 4800 series access points not requesting UPoE power when connected to Cisco 94xx switch.

CSCvo71753

AP side: Multicast Traffic stops working when enabling Inline Tagging on CTS

CSCvo74306

Cisco 1815W APs: Per-user BW contract not working with web policy

CSCvo87937

"FW crashed" reload on 2800/3800/4800/1560 AP, with ATF + MU-MIMO

CSCvp00688

EFT <TUD> : Cisco 2800, 3800 AP radio reloads unexpectedly

CSCvp03798

Wave1 APs: FlexConnect local EoGRE reloads unexpectedly due to Memory fragmentation "Net Background"

CSCvp11765

Wireless client fail to associate to Cisco 1830 APs until reboot

CSCvp18422

Cisco controller running 8.5.135.0 reloads unexpectedly with taskname spamApTask6

CSCvp21915

RSN IE length mismatch between assoc and EAPOL-M2 frame

CSCvp58062

Cisco 1815 AP Radio core dump due to beacon stuck FW hang

CSCvp88088

AP9117: FW crash @whal_recv_recovery.c:834 (RX_BACKPRESSURE_MONITOR_BUF_EMPTY) (SF 04035754)

Resolved Caveats

Table 15. Resolved Caveats

Caveat ID Number

Description

CSCvj69298

Data Plane reloads unexpectedly due to RPE/Double bit errors

CSCvk70379

8.5_ Stale clients exist in Cisco controller

CSCvk79765

apstatEngineMsgQ MSGQ_RUNNING_HIGH or MSGQ_SEND_FAILED Queue Utilization Issues

CSCvm65360

Cisco controller redirects to internal webauth login page after successful external webauth login

CSCvm90337

Cisco 18xx APs unexpectedly reload due to 'radio failure(radio recovery failed)'

CSCvm91854

Cisco 8540 controller becomes inaccessible with systemDb corruption

CSCvn74948

Cisco APs reloads unexpectedly with watchdog process sxpd

CSCvn87656

Cisco Wave 2 APs reloads unexpectedly in the context of QCA driver @ click_packet_type_event_hook

CSCvn98214

Cisco 1830 AP: core-radio1FW found during WGB association, WGB did not join

CSCvn98598

FT 802.1X clients cannot authenticate after ME primary AP / N+1 controller failover

CSCvo26556

WLC reloads unexpectedly on the command "config network ssh host-key use-device-certificate-key"

CSCvo28124

Local switching WLANs is changed to central switching in some scenarios

CSCvo48363

Cisco controller reloads unexpectedly when viewing multicast MGID in GUI

CSCvo48759

AP deauths associated clients with reason code 7, Class 3 frame received from nonassociated STA

CSCvo90764

AP4800: AP recurrent unexpected reloads found in multiple places

CSCvo98569

Cisco Wave 1 AP: EoGRE upstream/downstream packet drops observed for flex local EoGRE

CSCvp07442

Cisco controller reloads unexpectedly on task 'tplusTransportThread'

CSCvp07829

On Toggling the CDP state of the 4800 AP, The AP turns off and shows as Ieee PD on the switch.

CSCvp26465

AireOS HA: The mobility hash keys are not getting synced UP in AireOS

CSCvp36496

The beamforming configuration gets back to the default after AP reload and rejoined to controller

CSCvp41629

Regulatory domains of 802.11bg changes to -A after slot 0 switches 5 GHz

CSCvp52994

WLC fails to learn AAA VLAN, fails to send Central Switched VLAN on second Add mobile

CSCvp57188

Cisco 4800 AP memory leak in kmalloc-512 and kmalloc-1024 in 8.8.X.X code