Converting Non-IOS Access Points to IOS, 2.7 - Conversion FAQs and Troubleshooting [CiscoWorks Wireless LAN Solution Engine (WLSE)]

Table Of Contents

FAQs and Troubleshooting

Conversion FAQs

Conversion Troubleshooting

FAQs and Troubleshooting

This chapter consists of the following sections:

•Conversion FAQs

•Conversion Troubleshooting

Note For additional FAQ and troubleshooting information on firmware jobs, see the Firmware chapter in the FAQ and Troubleshooting Guide for the CiscoWorks Wireless LAN Solution Engine, Release 2.7. You can access this guide by clicking Troubleshooting in the WLSE online help or at the following URL on Cisco.com:
cisco.com/univercd/cc/td/doc/product/rtrmgmt/cwparent/cw_1105/wlse/2_7.

Conversion FAQs

•What are the supported non-IOS (VxWorks) versions for converting APs to IOS APs?

•Are there other requirements for the non-IOS access points to be converted?

•What are the steps the conversion job will do?

•Why does the conversion take so much time?

•Why is the remote server option not supported for non-IOS to IOS conversion?

•Why is it recommended to upgrade only up to 10 devices at a time?

•Why do I need to provide a separate non-IOS template in the Options page?

•How do I increase the SNMP timeout?

•In the Options screen, why am I not seeing the "Provide IOS Parameters" link?

•When should I increase the advanced firmware parameters (Firmware > Advanced Parameters)?

•How much should I increase the advanced firmware parameters from the default values?

Q. What are the supported non-IOS (VxWorks) versions for converting APs to IOS APs?

A. See Table 1-3.

Q. Are there other requirements for the non-IOS access points to be converted?

A. The APs must have at least 4.5 MB of free memory and must be configured with community strings. For more information, see About Conversion. For other requirements, see Task 1. Configure Access Points To Be Converted.

Q. What are the steps the conversion job will do?

a. Download the .ini file from the non-IOS device.

b. Convert the non-IOS configuration to IOS configuration.

c. Encapsulate the IOS configuration with the upgrade image.

d. Set the event log message to count and reboot (or clearing the memory).

e. After the device comes up, upload the special image.

f. After the image is uploaded, the device will reboot itself.

g. While rebooting, IOS will be installed.

Q. Why does the conversion take so much time?

A. Conversion is different from a normal firmware upgrade. The conversion image is larger. It takes time to create the image with the converted configuration, upload the image, and install IOS. The AP reboots twice, once for clearing the memory and again after the upload of the image.

Q. Why is the remote server option not supported for non-IOS to IOS conversion?

A. The remote server option works well when the same image is applied to multiple APs. For conversion, the upgrade image is unique for each device because the image includes the device configuration file. Therefore, pushing the same image to each device cannot be done for conversion.

Q. Why is it recommended to upgrade only up to 10 devices at a time?

A. This recommendation is to avoid running a single conversion job for all the devices in the network. This will prevent any major disruption to the network in case of any problems during conversion.

Q. Why do I need to provide a separate non-IOS template in the Options page?

A. The configured security parameters in the AP cannot be retrieved because they have write-only permissions. Therefore, such parameters must be re-entered by applying a template to make sure the access point is configured correctly after the conversion.

Q. How do I increase the SNMP timeout?

A. Go to Firmware > Advanced Parameters, then select Conversion SNMP retries and increase the retries value. Increasing the retry value by 1 will increase the timeout by 2 minutes.

Q. In the Options screen, why am I not seeing the "Provide IOS Parameters" link?

A. This link will be shown only if you chose a special non-IOS to IOS upgrade image. The upgrade image names for 350 or 1200 series access points are listed in Table 1-3.

Q. When should I increase the advanced firmware parameters (Firmware > Advanced Parameters)?

A. If a conversion job times out before completion, you should increase the values to extend the job timeout. The default values should suffice for a corporate network in which devices are connected through fast links.

Q. How much should I increase the advanced firmware parameters from the default values?

A. Values depend on:

–How fast the firmware image is pushed into the access point

–How long it takes the access point to convert to IOS

–Network latency

–Size of the access point's configuration

–Size of the firmware image

Conversion Troubleshooting

•After conversion from non-IOS to IOS, the access point is not reachable and VLAN information is not converted.

•The conversion job log has the message "Waiting for IOS Install" and reports an SNMP timeout error but the device is still a non-IOS AP.

•Some of the configuration parameters in the non-IOS AP are not being converted.

•The conversion job is failing with an SNMP timeout error.

•My AP is unreachable after conversion, even though I had no problems during conversion.

•The message ERROR: Ethernet port is not configured as primary port is in the conversion job log.

Symptom    After conversion from non-IOS to IOS, the access point is not reachable and VLAN information is not converted.
Possible Cause    The VLAN name may not be configured.
Recommended Action    In the converted access points, you must configure the VLANs manually. For future conversions, first add a VLAN name to each VLAN configured on the non-IOS access points.
Symptom    The conversion job log has the message "Waiting for IOS Install" and reports an SNMP timeout error but the device is still a non-IOS AP.
Possible Cause    This can happen if there is not enough free memory in the AP. At least 4 MB of memory is needed for the older IOS versions. For JA2 versions at least 4.5 MB is needed. After the time out for the IOS install elapses, the job will fail with an SNMP timeout error.
Recommended Action    Check the available free memory on the AP by issuing the CLI command :vxdiag_memshow on the non-IOS AP. Temporarily free up enough memory by removing the 11a radio.
Symptom    Some of the configuration parameters in the non-IOS AP are not being converted.
Possible Cause    There are certain limitations to the conversion process.
Recommended Action    Please check Limitations of the Conversion Process.
Symptom    The conversion job is failing with an SNMP timeout error.
Possible Cause    Check the firmware job log. If the conversion gets as far as "Waiting for IOS Install" in the job log and then fails, it could be because of lack of sufficient memory. Otherwise, you may need to increase the SNMP timeout.
Recommended Action    To increase available memory, see The conversion job log has the message "Waiting for IOS Install" and reports an SNMP timeout error but the device is still a non-IOS AP.. To increase the SNMP timeout, see How do I increase the SNMP timeout?. After taking one or both of these actions, rerun the job.
Symptom    My AP is unreachable after conversion, even though I had no problems during conversion.
Possible Cause    There are many possible causes.
Recommended Action    Please contact the TAC with the following information:
–Non-IOS configuration of the access point before conversion

–IOS configuration of the access point after conversion

–Non-IOS conversion template

–Job run log—Display the job run detail for the firmware job, and click on Job Run Log for the output.

Symptom    The message ERROR: Ethernet port is not configured as primary port is in the conversion job log.
Possible Cause    The AP was configured to have one of the radio interfaces as the primary port.
Recommended Action    Set Ethernet as the primary port. Otherwise the AP might have a different MAC address after converson. If DHCP is enabled, the AP might have a different IP address, and the WLSE will not be able to contact the device.

	Converting Non-IOS Access Points to IOS, 2.7
	Conversion FAQs and Troubleshooting
Converting Non-IOS Access Points to IOS, 2.7 Index Conversion FAQs and Troubleshooting	Download this chapter Conversion FAQs and Troubleshooting Table Of Contents FAQs and Troubleshooting Conversion FAQs Conversion Troubleshooting FAQs and Troubleshooting This chapter consists of the following sections: •Conversion FAQs •Conversion Troubleshooting Note For additional FAQ and troubleshooting information on firmware jobs, see the Firmware chapter in the FAQ and Troubleshooting Guide for the CiscoWorks Wireless LAN Solution Engine, Release 2.7. You can access this guide by clicking Troubleshooting in the WLSE online help or at the following URL on Cisco.com: cisco.com/univercd/cc/td/doc/product/rtrmgmt/cwparent/cw_1105/wlse/2_7. Conversion FAQs •What are the supported non-IOS (VxWorks) versions for converting APs to IOS APs? •Are there other requirements for the non-IOS access points to be converted? •What are the steps the conversion job will do? •Why does the conversion take so much time? •Why is the remote server option not supported for non-IOS to IOS conversion? •Why is it recommended to upgrade only up to 10 devices at a time? •Why do I need to provide a separate non-IOS template in the Options page? •How do I increase the SNMP timeout? •In the Options screen, why am I not seeing the "Provide IOS Parameters" link? •When should I increase the advanced firmware parameters (Firmware > Advanced Parameters)? •How much should I increase the advanced firmware parameters from the default values? Q. What are the supported non-IOS (VxWorks) versions for converting APs to IOS APs? A. See Table 1-3. Q. Are there other requirements for the non-IOS access points to be converted? A. The APs must have at least 4.5 MB of free memory and must be configured with community strings. For more information, see About Conversion. For other requirements, see Task 1. Configure Access Points To Be Converted. Q. What are the steps the conversion job will do? a. Download the .ini file from the non-IOS device. b. Convert the non-IOS configuration to IOS configuration. c. Encapsulate the IOS configuration with the upgrade image. d. Set the event log message to count and reboot (or clearing the memory). e. After the device comes up, upload the special image. f. After the image is uploaded, the device will reboot itself. g. While rebooting, IOS will be installed. Q. Why does the conversion take so much time? A. Conversion is different from a normal firmware upgrade. The conversion image is larger. It takes time to create the image with the converted configuration, upload the image, and install IOS. The AP reboots twice, once for clearing the memory and again after the upload of the image. Q. Why is the remote server option not supported for non-IOS to IOS conversion? A. The remote server option works well when the same image is applied to multiple APs. For conversion, the upgrade image is unique for each device because the image includes the device configuration file. Therefore, pushing the same image to each device cannot be done for conversion. Q. Why is it recommended to upgrade only up to 10 devices at a time? A. This recommendation is to avoid running a single conversion job for all the devices in the network. This will prevent any major disruption to the network in case of any problems during conversion. Q. Why do I need to provide a separate non-IOS template in the Options page? A. The configured security parameters in the AP cannot be retrieved because they have write-only permissions. Therefore, such parameters must be re-entered by applying a template to make sure the access point is configured correctly after the conversion. Q. How do I increase the SNMP timeout? A. Go to Firmware > Advanced Parameters, then select Conversion SNMP retries and increase the retries value. Increasing the retry value by 1 will increase the timeout by 2 minutes. Q. In the Options screen, why am I not seeing the "Provide IOS Parameters" link? A. This link will be shown only if you chose a special non-IOS to IOS upgrade image. The upgrade image names for 350 or 1200 series access points are listed in Table 1-3. Q. When should I increase the advanced firmware parameters (Firmware > Advanced Parameters)? A. If a conversion job times out before completion, you should increase the values to extend the job timeout. The default values should suffice for a corporate network in which devices are connected through fast links. Q. How much should I increase the advanced firmware parameters from the default values? A. Values depend on: –How fast the firmware image is pushed into the access point –How long it takes the access point to convert to IOS –Network latency –Size of the access point's configuration –Size of the firmware image Conversion Troubleshooting •After conversion from non-IOS to IOS, the access point is not reachable and VLAN information is not converted. •The conversion job log has the message "Waiting for IOS Install" and reports an SNMP timeout error but the device is still a non-IOS AP. •Some of the configuration parameters in the non-IOS AP are not being converted. •The conversion job is failing with an SNMP timeout error. •My AP is unreachable after conversion, even though I had no problems during conversion. •The message ERROR: Ethernet port is not configured as primary port is in the conversion job log. Symptom After conversion from non-IOS to IOS, the access point is not reachable and VLAN information is not converted. Possible Cause The VLAN name may not be configured. Recommended Action In the converted access points, you must configure the VLANs manually. For future conversions, first add a VLAN name to each VLAN configured on the non-IOS access points. Symptom The conversion job log has the message "Waiting for IOS Install" and reports an SNMP timeout error but the device is still a non-IOS AP. Possible Cause This can happen if there is not enough free memory in the AP. At least 4 MB of memory is needed for the older IOS versions. For JA2 versions at least 4.5 MB is needed. After the time out for the IOS install elapses, the job will fail with an SNMP timeout error. Recommended Action Check the available free memory on the AP by issuing the CLI command :vxdiag_memshow on the non-IOS AP. Temporarily free up enough memory by removing the 11a radio. Symptom Some of the configuration parameters in the non-IOS AP are not being converted. Possible Cause There are certain limitations to the conversion process. Recommended Action Please check Limitations of the Conversion Process. Symptom The conversion job is failing with an SNMP timeout error. Possible Cause Check the firmware job log. If the conversion gets as far as "Waiting for IOS Install" in the job log and then fails, it could be because of lack of sufficient memory. Otherwise, you may need to increase the SNMP timeout. Recommended Action To increase available memory, see The conversion job log has the message "Waiting for IOS Install" and reports an SNMP timeout error but the device is still a non-IOS AP.. To increase the SNMP timeout, see How do I increase the SNMP timeout?. After taking one or both of these actions, rerun the job. Symptom My AP is unreachable after conversion, even though I had no problems during conversion. Possible Cause There are many possible causes. Recommended Action Please contact the TAC with the following information: –Non-IOS configuration of the access point before conversion –IOS configuration of the access point after conversion –Non-IOS conversion template –Job run log—Display the job run detail for the firmware job, and click on Job Run Log for the output. Symptom The message `ERROR: Ethernet port is not configured as primary port` is in the conversion job log. Possible Cause The AP was configured to have one of the radio interfaces as the primary port. Recommended Action Set Ethernet as the primary port. Otherwise the AP might have a different MAC address after converson. If DHCP is enabled, the AP might have a different IP address, and the WLSE will not be able to contact the device.
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