TAC Recommended AireOS Builds

Introduction

This document helps customers to find the most reliable Wireless LAN Controller software available. The Cisco Wireless TAC (Technical Assistance Center) recommends AireOS builds from each train of released AireOS software. These recommendations may be updated on a weekly basis.

Escalation Builds/Maintenance Interims

In some cases, the TAC recommended build might be an escalation or maintenance interim/beta build. Such builds are not available on CCO (Cisco.com), but have important bug fixes (beyond what is available in CCO code), and will be operational in production at customer sites for several weeks.

In order to request a TAC recommended escalation/maintenance interim build, open a Cisco TAC case on your Wireless LAN Controller contract.

Caution: If you are planning to upgrade AireOS WLC from an older code train to a recommended release and have IOS APs in your deployment, please take a look at Field Notice FN70330 prior to performing the upgrade.

TAC Recommended Builds

AireOS 8.9

AireOS 8.9.100.0 is a TAC supported release.  The C9115AX/C9117AX require 8.9; customers who do not have these access points should use 8.8 or earlier.

AireOS 8.8

AireOS 8.8.100.0, 8.8.111.0 and 8.8.120.0 are TAC supported releases.  8.8.111.0 or above is required for Inter-Release Controller Mobility (IRCM) compatibility with Cisco 9800 controllers.  Customers who do not require post-8.5 feature or hardware support should run 8.5.

Note: 8.8.120.0 is missing several bugfixes that were in 8.8.111.0, and so should not be used for large AP702 deployments (as it's missing the CSCvm18273 memory fix) nor for IRCM with 9800s (as it's missing the CSCvn47033 fix.)

AireOS 8.7

AireOS 8.7.106.0 is a short-lived release with no maintenance planned - see the End of Life bulletin.  Customers who require new features that are unavailable in 8.5 will need to run 8.7 or 8.8.

AireOS 8.3

For deployments that include hardware that is end of lifed in 8.3,  TAC recommends 8.3.150.0 or 8.3 MR4 Escalation code (available now from TAC.)  The following platforms are EOLed in 8.3: AP1040, AP1140, AP1260, AP1552 (64MB version), OEAP600.

8.3.150.0 and 8.3 MR Escalation code both include fixes for the following widely encountered bugs, beyond the 8.3.143.0 CCO release:

• CDP-4-DUPLEX-MISMATCH log messages from APs' switches (CSCvi02106) (Field Notice FN70252)
  
• IOS AP flash corruption problems (see Field Notice FN70330)

AireOS 8.3.150.0

• 8.3.150.0 is the final release of 8.3 - see the End of Life bulletin
• 8.3.150.0 has all applicable April 2019 Security Advisory fixes.

AireOS 8.3 MR4 Escalation

• 8.3 MR4 Escalation has several key bugfixes which are not present in 8.3.150.0, and so is recommended for 8.3 deployments with AP-COS, including the following:
  
  • AP generating 'hostapd' core files, does not respond to EAPOL (CSCvi42632 )
  • Cisco 1810W AP stops to send data frame intermittently (CSCvg91770 )
  • Cisco 3800 AP FW stopped working on Radio 0 (CSCvh54235 )
  • Cisco 2800,3800,1560 AP cannot forward packets downstream; 'Failed to get ARP entry for WLC' (CSCvg44450 )
    
• However, 8.3 Escalation does not contain all of the April 2019 Security Advisory fixes.

8.2 or latest 8.5, not 8.3, are recommended for large deployments of 702 series access points.

AireOS 8.2

For deployments that require features or hardware introduced after 8.0, TAC supports 8.2.170.0.  8.2.170.0 is compliant with the mandatory ETSI regulatory update.  No further 8.2 releases are planned.

8.2.170.0 or 8.2MR7 Escalation (available from TAC), or latest 8.5, are recommended for large deployments of 702 series access points.

AireOS 8.1

8.1.131.0 is the final maintenance release of AireOS 8.1, and is deferred. The recommended upgrade path for AireOS 8.1 customers is to 8.3 or, if feasible, 8.5.

Mobility Express

For Mobility Express deployments, TAC recommends using the 8.5.140.0 or 8.8.111.0 release.

Note on AP702 Issues

TAC recommends that large scale deployments of AP702s run 8.2.170.0 or 8.2MR7 Escalation (available from TAC), rather than 8.3.  8.5 deployments should run 8.5MR5 Interim.  Track the following bugs for an AP702 solution after 8.5.140.0: CSCvn49888 , CSCvn56211 .

General AireOS Release Recommendations

For general AireOS Release Recommendations, see:

• Guidelines for Cisco Wireless Software Release Migration Bulletin
• Software Research

Related Information

• Use the TAC Recommended AireOS discussion thread in Cisco Support Community
• Technical Support & Documentation - Cisco Systems
• Cisco Wireless Solutions Software Compatibility Matrix for information on which releases support which hardware platforms