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This chapter describes how to synchronize Cisco WLCs and the Prime Infrastructure with Cisco Mobility Services Engines.
Note | The Mobility Services Engines, Synchronize Services, Synchronization History, High Availability, Context Aware Notifications, and MSAP pages on the Services tab are available in Release 7.3.101.0. |
This section describes how to synchronize the Prime Infrastructure and Mobility Services Engines manually and automatically.
Note | The Services > Synchronize Services page is available only in the virtual domain in Release 7.3.101.0 and later. |
After adding a MSE to the Prime Infrastructure, you can synchronize network designs (campus, building, floor, and outdoor maps), controllers (name and IP address), specific Catalyst 3000 series and 4000 series switches, and event groups with the MSE.
Network Design—A logical mapping of the physical placement of access points throughout facilities. A hierarchy of a single campus, the buildings that comprise that campus, and the floors of each building constitute a single network design.
Cisco WLC—A selected Cisco WLC that is associated and regularly exchanges location information with a MSE. Regular synchronization ensures location accuracy.
Wired Switches—Wired Catalyst switches that provide an interface to wired clients on the network. Regular synchronization ensures that location tracking of wired clients in the network is accurate.
The MSE can be synchronized with Catalyst stackable switches (3750, 3750-E, 3560, 2960, IE-3000 switches), switch blades (3110, 3120, 3130, 3040, 3030, 3020), and switch ports.
The MSE can also be synchronized with the following Catalyst 4000 series switches: WS-C4948, WS-C4948-10GE, ME-4924-10GE, WS-4928-10GE, WS-C4900M, WS-X4515, WS-X4516, WS-X4013+, WS-X4013+TS, WS-X4516-10GE, WS-X4013+10GE, WS-X45-SUP6-E, and WS-X45-SUP6-LE.
Event Groups—A group of predefined events that define triggers that generate an event. Regular synchronization ensures that the latest defined events are tracked. Event groups can also be created by third-party applications. For more information on third-party application created event groups, see the Configuring Automatic Database Synchronization and Out-of-Sync Alerts.
Third Party Elements—When you synchronize elements with MSE, there might be event groups on the MSE that have been created by third-party applications. You can either delete the unused elements or mark them as third-party elements.
Service Advertisements—Mobile Conceirge Service provides service advertisements on mobile devices. This shows the service advertisement that is synchronized with the MSE.
Be sure to verify software compatibility between the Cisco WLC, Prime Infrastructure, and the Mobility Services Engine before synchronizing. See the latest Mobility Services Engine release notes at the following URL: http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps9742/tsd_products_support_series_home.html
Communication between the MSE, Prime Infrastructure, and the Cisco WLC is in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). Configuring NTP on each system provides devices with UTC time. The MSE and its associated controllers must be mapped to the same NTP server and the same Prime Infrastructure server. An NTP server is required to automatically synchronize time between the controller, Prime Infrastructure, and the MSE. However, the timezone for MSE and controller should still be set to UTC. This is because wIPS alarms require MSE and controller time to be set to UTC.
When you synchronize elements with MSE, there might be event groups on the MSE that have been created by third-party applications. You can either delete the unused elements or mark them as third-party elements.
To delete the elements or mark them as third-party elements, follow these steps:
This section describes how to synchronize a Cisco WLCs, assign an MSE to any Cisco WLCs and also to unassign a network design, Cisco WLCs, wired switch, or event group from a Mobility Services Engine.
To synchronize network designs, a Cisco WLC, a Catalyst switch, or event group with the Mobility Services Engine, follow these steps:
Step 1 | Choose
Services
> Synchronize Services.
The left sidebar menu contains the following options: Network Designs, Controllers, Event Groups, Wired Switches, Third Party Elements, and Service Advertisements. | ||
Step 2 | From the left sidebar menu, choose the appropriate menu options. | ||
Step 3 | To assign a network design to a MSE, in the Synchronize Services page, choose Network Designs from the left sidebar menu. | ||
Step 4 | Select all the maps to be synchronized with the MSE by selecting the corresponding Name check box. | ||
Step 5 | Click Change MSE Assignment. | ||
Step 6 | Select the MSE to which the maps are to be synchronized. | ||
Step 7 | Click either of the following
in the MSE Assignment dialog box:
| ||
Step 8 | Click
Synchronize to update the
MSE(s) database(s).
When items are synchronized, a green two-arrow icon appears in the Sync. Status column for each synchronized entry. You can use the same procedure to assign wired switches or event groups to a MSE. To assign a Cisco WLC to a MSE, see the Synchronizing Controllers with a Mobility Services Engine, page 3-3 for more information.
|
To assign a Mobility Services Engine with any Cisco WLC on a per-service basis (CAS or wIPS), follow these steps:
To unassign a network design, controller, wired switch, or event group from a Mobility Services Engine, follow these steps:
Step 1 | Choose Services > Synchronize Services. |
Step 2 | From the left sidebar menu, choose the appropriate menu options. |
Step 3 | Select one or
more elements by selecting the
Name check
box, and click
Change MSE
Assignment.
The Choose MSEs dialog box appears. |
Step 4 | On the respective tabs, choose one or more elements, and click Change MSE Assignment. |
Step 5 | Unselect the MSE if you do not want the elements to be associated with that MSE by selecting either the CAS or MSAP check box. |
Step 6 | Click Synchronize. |
Step 7 | Click Cancel to discard the changes to MSE assignment and to return to the Controllers page. |
Manual synchronization of the Prime Infrastructure and Mobility Services Engine databases is immediate. However, future deployment changes (such as changes to maps and access point positions) can yield incorrect location calculations and asset tracking until resynchronization.
To prevent out-of-sync conditions, use the Prime Infrastructure to carry out synchronization. This policy ensures that synchronization between the Prime Infrastructure and MSE databases is triggered periodically and any related alarms are cleared.
Any change made to one or more of any synchronized component is automatically synchronized with the MSE. For example, if a floor with access points is synchronized with a particular MSE and then one access point is moved to a new location on the same floor or another floor that is also synchronized with the MSE, then the changed location of the access point is automatically communicated.
To further ensure that the Prime Infrastructure and MSE are in sync, smart synchronization happens in the background.
Step 1 | Choose Administration > Background Tasks. | ||||
Step 2 | Select the
Mobility Service
Synchronization
check box and click the
Mobility
Service Synchronization link.
The Mobility Services Synchronization page appears. | ||||
Step 3 | To set the Mobility Services Engine to send out-of-sync alerts, select the Out of Sync Alerts Enabled check box. | ||||
Step 4 | To enable smart
synchronization, select the Smart Synchronization
Enabled
check box.
| ||||
Step 5 | Enter the time interval, in minutes, that the smart synchronization is to be performed. | ||||
Step 6 | Click
Save.
For Smart controller assignment and selection scenarios, see the Smart Controller Assignment and Selection Scenarios. |
If a floor having at least one access point from a controller is chosen to be synchronized with the Mobility Services Engine in the Network Designs menu of the Synchronize Services page, then the controller to which that access point is connected is automatically selected to be assigned to the Mobility Services Engine for CAS service.
When at least one access point from a controller is placed on a floor that is synchronized with the Mobility Services Engine, the controller to which the access point is connected is automatically assigned to the same MSE for the CAS service.
An access point is added to a floor and assigned to a MSE. If that access point is moved from controller A to controller B, then controller B is automatically synchronized to the MSE.
If all access points placed on a floor that is synchronized to the MSE are deleted, then that controller is automatically removed from the MSE assignment or unsynchronized.
Out-of-sync alarms are of the minor severity (yellow), and are raised in response to the following conditions:
Elements are modified in the Prime Infrastructure (the auto-sync policy pushes these elements).
Elements other than Cisco WLCs exist in the Mobility Services Engine database but not in the Prime Infrastructure.
Elements are not assigned to any MSE (the auto-sync policy does not apply).
Out-of-sync alarms are cleared when the following occurs:
Note | When you delete a MSE, the out-of-sync alarms for that system are also deleted. In addition, if you delete the last available MSE, the alarm for the following event: “elements not assigned to any server” is deleted. |
User manually clears the alarms (although the alarms may reappear in the future when the scheduled task is next executed)
You can use the Synchronize Services feature in the Prime Infrastructure to view the status of network design, controller, switch, and event group synchronization with a Mobility Services Engine.
Step 1 | Choose Services > Synchronize Services. |
Step 2 | From the left sidebar menu,
choose
Network Designs,
Controllers,
Wired Switches,
Third Party
Elements, or
Service Advertisements.
For each of the elements, the Sync. Status column shows the synchronization status. A green two-arrow icon indicates that its corresponding element is synchronized with the specified server such as a Mobility Services Engine. A gray two-arrow icon with a red circle indicates that its corresponding item is not synchronized with a provided server. The Message column shows the reason for failure if the elements are out of sync. You can also view the synchronization status at Monitor > Maps > System Campus > Building > Floor. where Building is the building within the campus and Floor is a specific floor in that campus building. The MSE Assignment option on the left sidebar menu shows which Mobility Services Engine the floor is currently assigned to. You can also change the Mobility Services Engine assignment in this page. |
You can view the synchronization history for the last 30 days for a Mobility Services Engine. This is especially useful when automatic synchronization is enabled as alarms are automatically cleared. Synchronization history provides a summary of those cleared alarms.
To view synchronization history, choose Services > Synchronization History. The Synchronization History page appears. The following table lists the Synchronization History Page parameters.
Text Boxes |
Description |
---|---|
Timestamp |
The date and time at which the synchronization has happened. |
Server |
The Mobility Services Engine server. |
Element Name |
The name of the element that was synchronized. |
Type |
The type of the element that was synchronized. |
Sync Operation |
The sync operation that was performed. It can either be an Update, Add, or Delete. |
Generated By |
The method of synchronization. It can either be Manual or Automatic. |
Status |
The status of the synchronization. It can be either Success or Failed. |
Message |
Any additional message about the synchronization. |