- Preface
- Using the Command-Line Interface
-
- IP Multicast Routing Technology Overview
- Configuring IGMP
- Configuring IGMP Proxy
- Constraining IP Multicast in Switched Ethernet
- Configuring PIM
- Configuring PIM MIB Extension for IP Multicast
- Configuring MSDP
- Configuring Wireless Multicast
- Configuring SSM
- Configuring Basic IP Multicast Routing
- Configuring the Service Discovery Gateway
- IP Multicast Optimization: Optimizing PIM Sparse Mode in a Large IP Multicast Deployment
- IP Multicast Optimization: Multicast Subsecond Convergence
- IP Multicast Optimization: IP Multicast Load Splitting across Equal-Cost Paths
- IP Multicast Optimization: SSM Channel Based Filtering for Multicast
- IP Multicast Optimization: PIM Dense Mode State Refresh
- IP Multicast Optimization: IGMP State Limit
-
- Configuring the Device for Access Point Discovery
- Configuring Data Encryption
- Configuring Retransmission Interval and Retry Count
- Configuring Adaptive Wireless Intrusion Prevention System
- Configuring Authentication for Access Points
- Converting Autonomous Access Points to Lightweight Mode
- Using Cisco Workgroup Bridges
- Configuring Probe Request Forwarding
- Optimizing RFID Tracking
- Configuring Country Codes
- Configuring Link Latency
- Configuring Power over Ethernet
-
- Preventing Unauthorized Access
- Controlling Switch Access with Passwords and Privilege Levels
- Configuring TACACS+
- Configuring RADIUS
- Configuring Kerberos
- Configuring Local Authentication and Authorization
- Configuring Secure Shell (SSH)
- X.509v3 Certificates for SSH Authentication
- Configuring Secure Socket Layer HTTP
- Configuring IPv4 ACLs
- Configuring IPv6 ACLs
- Configuring DHCP
- Configuring IP Source Guard
- Configuring Dynamic ARP Inspection
- Configuring IEEE 802.1x Port-Based Authentication
- Configuring Web-Based Authentication
- Configuring Port-Based Traffic Control
- Configuring IPv6 First Hop Security
- Configuring Cisco TrustSec
- Configuring Control Plane Policing
- Configuring Wireless Guest Access
- Managing Rogue Devices
- Classifying Rogue Access Points
- Configuring wIPS
- Configuring Intrusion Detection System
-
- Administering the Switch
- Performing Device Setup Configuration
- Configuring Right-To-Use Licenses
- Configuring Administrator Usernames and Passwords
- Configuring 802.11 parameters and Band Selection
- Configuring Aggressive Load Balancing
- Configuring Client Roaming
- Configuring Application Visibility and Control
- Configuring Voice and Video Parameters
- Configuring RFID Tag Tracking
- Configuring Location Settings
- Cisco Hyperlocation
- Monitoring Flow Control
- Configuring SDM Templates
- Configuring System Message Logs
- Configuring Online Diagnostics
- Managing Configuration Files
- Configuration Replace and Configuration Rollback
- Working with the Flash File System
- Upgrading the Switch Software
- Conditional Debug and Radioactive Tracing
- Troubleshooting the Software Configuration
- Finding Feature Information
- Prerequisites for Configuring Radio Resource Management
- Restrictions for Radio Resource Management
- Information About Radio Resource Management
- How to Configure RRM
- Configuring Advanced RRM CCX Parameters (CLI)
- Configuring Neighbor Discovery Type (CLI)
- Configuring RRM Profile Thresholds, Monitoring Channels, and Monitoring Intervals (GUI)
- Configuring RF Groups
- Configuring Transmit Power Control
- Configuring 802.11 RRM Parameters
- Configuring Advanced 802.11 Channel Assignment Parameters (CLI)
- Configuring Dynamic Channel Assignment (GUI)
- Configuring 802.11 Coverage Hole Detection (CLI)
- Configuring Coverage Hole Detection (GUI)
- Configuring 802.11 Event Logging (CLI)
- Configuring 802.11 Statistics Monitoring (CLI)
- Configuring the 802.11 Performance Profile (CLI)
- Configuring Rogue Access Point Detection in RF Groups
Configuring Radio Resource Management
- Finding Feature Information
- Prerequisites for Configuring Radio Resource Management
- Restrictions for Radio Resource Management
- Information About Radio Resource Management
- How to Configure RRM
- Monitoring RRM Parameters and RF Group Status
- Examples: RF Group Configuration
- Information About ED-RRM
- Additional References for Radio Resource Management
- Feature History and Information For Performing Radio Resource Management Configuration
Finding Feature Information
Your software release may not support all of the features documented in this module. For the latest feature information and caveats, see the release notes for your platform and software release.
Use Cisco Feature Navigator to find information about platform support and Cisco software image support. To access Cisco Feature Navigator, go to http://www.cisco.com/go/cfn. An account on Cisco.com is not required.
Prerequisites for Configuring Radio Resource Management
The device should be configured as a mobility controller and not a mobility anchor to configure Radio Resource Management. It may require dynamic channel assignment functionality for the home APs to be supported.
 Note | Refer Mobility Configuration Guide for configuring mobility controller and mobility agent. |
Restrictions for Radio Resource Management
If an AP tries to join the RF-group that already holds the maximum number of APs it can support, the device rejects the application and throws an error.
To enable Airtime Fairness mode for APs, you should disable enforce-policy mode and reapply it again. This will change the airtime fairness configuration for all the APs. You can also use the ap name <ap-name> dot11 24ghz airtime-fairness mode enforce-policy command to change airtime fairness mode for individual APs.
Information About Radio Resource Management
-
Traffic load—The total bandwidth used for transmitting and receiving traffic. It enables wireless LAN managers to track and plan network growth ahead of client demand.
-
Interference—The amount of traffic coming from other 802.11 sources.
-
Noise—The amount of non-802.11 traffic that is interfering with the currently assigned channel.
-
Coverage—The Received Signal Strength (RSSI) and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) for all connected clients.
-
Other —The number of nearby access points.
Note | RRM grouping will not happen, since AP operates in a static channel which is not in the DCA channel list. NDP is sent only on DCA channels and when radio operates on a non-DCA channel it will not receive NDA on-channel. |
- Radio Resource Monitoring
- Information About RF Groups
- Transmit Power Control
- Overriding the TPC Algorithm with Minimum and Maximum Transmit Power Settings
- Dynamic Channel Assignment
- Coverage Hole Detection and Correction
Radio Resource Monitoring
RRM automatically detects and configures new devices and lightweight access points as they are added to the network. It then automatically adjusts associated and nearby lightweight access points to optimize coverage and capacity.
Note | In the presence of voice traffic or other critical traffic (in the last 100 ms), the access points can defer off-channel measurements. It also defers based on WLAN scan defer priority configurations. |
Each access point spends only 0.2 percent of its time off-channel. This activity is distributed across all access points so that adjacent access points are not scanning at the same time, which could adversely affect wireless LAN performance.
-
Mobility Controller (MC)—The Cisco WLC 5700 Series Controllers, Cisco Catalyst 3850 Switch, or Cisco Unified Wireless Networking Solution controller can act as MC. The MC has MC functionality and MA functionality that is running internally into it.
-
Mobility Agent (MA)—The Mobility Agent is the component that maintains client mobility state machine for a mobile client.
Information About RF Groups
An RF group is a logical collection of Cisco WLCs that coordinate to perform RRM in a globally optimized manner to perform network calculations on a per-radio basis. An RF group exists for each 802.11 network type. Clustering Cisco WLCs into a single RF group enable the RRM algorithms to scale beyond the capabilities of a single Cisco WLC.
RF grouping runs between MCs.
Lightweight access points periodically send out neighbor messages over the air. Access points using the the same RF group name validate messages from each other.
When access points on different Cisco WLCs hear validated neighbor messages at a signal strength of –80 dBm or stronger, the Cisco WLCs dynamically form an RF neighborhood in auto mode. In static mode, the leader is manually selected and the members are added to the RF Group. To know more about RF Group modes, “RF Group Leader” section.
- RF Group Leader
- RF Group Name
- Mobility Controller
- Mobility Agent
- Information About Rogue Access Point Detection in RF Groups
RF Group Leader
Starting in the 7.0.116.0 release, the RF Group Leader can be configured in two ways as follows:
Auto Mode—In this mode, the members of an RF group elect an RF group leader to maintain a “master” power and channel scheme for the group. The RF grouping algorithm dynamically chooses the RF group leader and ensures that an RF group leader is always present. Group leader assignments can and do change (for instance, if the current RF group leader becomes inoperable or if RF group members experience major changes).
Static Mode—In this mode, the user selects a Cisco WLC as an RF group leader manually. In this mode, the leader and the members are manually configured and are therefore fixed. If the members are unable to join the RF group, the reason is indicated. The leader tries to establish a connection with a member every 1 minute if the member has not joined in the previous attempt.
The RF group leader analyzes real-time radio data collected by the system, calculates the power and channel assignments, and sends them to each of the Cisco WLCs in the RF group. The RRM algorithms ensure system-wide stability and restrain channel and power scheme changes to the appropriate local RF neighborhoods.
In Cisco WLC software releases prior to 6.0, the dynamic channel assignment (DCA) search algorithm attempts to find a good channel plan for the radios associated to Cisco WLCs in the RF group, but it does not adopt a new channel plan unless it is considerably better than the current plan. The channel metric of the worst radio in both plans determines which plan is adopted. Using the worst-performing radio as the single criterion for adopting a new channel plan can result in pinning or cascading problems.
Pinning occurs when the algorithm could find a better channel plan for some of the radios in an RF group but is prevented from pursuing such a channel plan change because the worst radio in the network does not have any better channel options. The worst radio in the RF group could potentially prevent other radios in the group from seeking better channel plans. The larger the network, the more likely pinning becomes.
Cascading occurs when one radio’s channel change results in successive channel changes to optimize the remaining radios in the RF neighborhood. Optimizing these radios could lead to their neighbors and their neighbors’ neighbors having a suboptimal channel plan and triggering their channel optimization. This effect could propagate across multiple floors or even multiple buildings, if all the access point radios belong to the same RF group. This change results in considerable client confusion and network instability.
The main cause of both pinning and cascading is the way in which the search for a new channel plan is performed and that any potential channel plan changes are controlled by the RF circumstances of a single radio. In Cisco WLC software release 6.0, the DCA algorithm has been redesigned to prevent both pinning and cascading. The following changes have been implemented:
Multiple local searches—The DCA search algorithm performs multiple local searches initiated by different radios within the same DCA run rather than performing a single global search driven by a single radio. This change addresses both pinning and cascading while maintaining the desired flexibility and adaptability of DCA and without jeopardizing stability.
Multiple channel plan change initiators (CPCIs)—Previously, the single worst radio was the sole initiator of a channel plan change. Now each radio within the RF group is evaluated and prioritized as a potential initiator. Intelligent randomization of the resulting list ensures that every radio is eventually evaluated, which eliminates the potential for pinning.
Limiting the propagation of channel plan changes (Localization)—For each CPCI radio, the DCA algorithm performs a local search for a better channel plan, but only the CPCI radio itself and its one-hop neighboring access points are actually allowed to change their current transmit channels. The impact of an access point triggering a channel plan change is felt only to within two RF hops from that access point, and the actual channel plan changes are confined to within a one-hop RF neighborhood. Because this limitation applies across all CPCI radios, cascading cannot occur.
Non-RSSI-based cumulative cost metric—A cumulative cost metric measures how well an entire region, neighborhood, or network performs with respect to a given channel plan. The individual cost metrics of all access points in that area are considered in order to provide an overall understanding of the channel plan’s quality. These metrics ensure that the improvement or deterioration of each single radio is factored into any channel plan change. The objective is to prevent channel plan changes in which a single radio improves but at the expense of multiple other radios experiencing a considerable performance decline.
The RRM algorithms run at a specified updated interval, which is 600 seconds by default. Between update intervals, the RF group leader sends keepalive messages to each of the RF group members and collects real-time RF data.
Note | Several monitoring intervals are also available. See the Configuring RRM section for details. |
RF Group Name
A Cisco WLC is configured with an RF group name, which is sent to all access points joined to the Cisco WLC and used by the access points as the shared secret for generating the hashed MIC in the neighbor messages. To create an RF group, you configure all of the Cisco WLCs to be included in the group with the same RF group name.
If there is any possibility that an access point joined to a Cisco WLC may hear RF transmissions from an access point on a different Cisco WLC, you should configure the Cisco WLCs with the same RF group name. If RF transmissions between access points can be heard, then system-wide RRM is recommended to avoid 802.11 interference and contention as much as possible.
Mobility Controller
Note | MC has MA functionality within it. |
Mobility Agent
The MA communicates with the MC. The MC includes MAC or IP address of the switch/controller while communicating with the MA.
The MA sets channel, power, and channel width on the radios when directed by the MC. The DFS, coverage hole detection/mitigation, static channel/power configurations are performed by the MA.
Information About Rogue Access Point Detection in RF Groups
After you have created an RF group of Cisco WLCs, you need to configure the access points connected to the Cisco WLCs to detect rogue access points. The access points will then select the beacon/probe-response frames in neighboring access point messages to see if they contain an authentication information element (IE) that matches that of the RF group. If the select is successful, the frames are authenticated. Otherwise, the authorized access point reports the neighboring access point as a rogue, records its BSSID in a rogue table, and sends the table to the Cisco WLC.
Transmit Power Control
The device dynamically controls access point transmit power based on real-time wireless LAN conditions.
The Transmit Power Control (TPC) algorithm both increases and decreases an access point’s power in response to changes in the RF environment. In most instances, TPC seeks to lower an access point's power to reduce interference, but in the case of a sudden change in the RF coverage—for example, if an access point fails or becomes disabled—TPC can also increase power on surrounding access points. This feature is different from coverage hole detection, which is primarily concerned with clients. TPC provides enough RF power to achieve desired coverage levels while avoiding channel interference between access points.
Overriding the TPC Algorithm with Minimum and Maximum Transmit Power Settings
The TPC algorithm balances RF power in many diverse RF environments. However, it is possible that automatic power control will not be able to resolve some scenarios in which an adequate RF design was not possible to implement due to architectural restrictions or site restrictions—for example, when all access points must be mounted in a central hallway, placing the access points close together, but requiring coverage out to the edge of the building.
In these scenarios, you can configure maximum and minimum transmit power limits to override TPC recommendations. The maximum and minimum TPC power settings apply to all access points through RF profiles in a RF network.
To set the Maximum Power Level Assignment and Minimum Power Level Assignment, enter the maximum and minimum transmit power used by RRM in the text boxes in the Tx Power Control page. The range for these parameters is -10 to 30 dBm. The minimum value cannot be greater than the maximum value; the maximum value cannot be less than the minimum value.
If you configure a maximum transmit power, RRM does not allow any access point attached to the device to exceed this transmit power level (whether the power is set by RRM TPC or by coverage hole detection). For example, if you configure a maximum transmit power of 11 dBm, then no access point would transmit above 11 dBm, unless the access point is configured manually.
Dynamic Channel Assignment
Two adjacent access points on the same channel can cause either signal contention or signal collision. In a collision, data is not received by the access point. This functionality can become a problem, for example, when someone reading e-mail in a café affects the performance of the access point in a neighboring business. Even though these are completely separate networks, someone sending traffic to the café on channel 1 can disrupt communication in an enterprise using the same channel. Devices can dynamically allocate access point channel assignments to avoid conflict and to increase capacity and performance. Channels are “reused” to avoid wasting scarce RF resources. In other words, channel 1 is allocated to a different access point far from the café, which is more effective than not using channel 1 altogether.
The device’s Dynamic Channel Assignment (DCA) capabilities are also useful in minimizing adjacent channel interference between access points. For example, two overlapping channels in the 802.11b/g band, such as 1 and 2, cannot both simultaneously use 11/54 Mbps. By effectively reassigning channels, the device keeps adjacent channels separated.
Note | We recommend that you use only non-overlapping channels (1, 6, 11, and so on). |
The device examines a variety of real-time RF characteristics to efficiently handle channel assignments as follows:
-
Access point received energy—The received signal strength measured between each access point and its nearby neighboring access points. Channels are optimized for the highest network capacity.
-
Noise—Noise can limit signal quality at the client and access point. An increase in noise reduces the effective cell size and degrades user experience. By optimizing channels to avoid noise sources, the device can optimize coverage while maintaining system capacity. If a channel is unusable due to excessive noise, that channel can be avoided.
-
802.11 Interference—Interference is any 802.11 traffic that is not part of your wireless LAN, including rogue access points and neighboring wireless networks. Lightweight access points constantly scan all channels looking for sources of interference. If the amount of 802.11 interference exceeds a predefined configurable threshold (the default is 10 percent), the access point sends an alert to the device. Using the RRM algorithms, the device may then dynamically rearrange channel assignments to increase system performance in the presence of the interference. Such an adjustment could result in adjacent lightweight access points being on the same channel, but this setup is preferable to having the access points remain on a channel that is unusable due to an interfering foreign access point.
In addition, if other wireless networks are present, the device shifts the usage of channels to complement the other networks. For example, if one network is on channel 6, an adjacent wireless LAN is assigned to channel 1 or 11. This arrangement increases the capacity of the network by limiting the sharing of frequencies. If a channel has virtually no capacity remaining, the device may choose to avoid this channel. In very dense deployments in which all nonoverlapping channels are occupied, the device does its best, but you must consider RF density when setting expectations.
-
Load and utilization—When utilization monitoring is enabled, capacity calculations can consider that some access points are deployed in ways that carry more traffic than other access points (for example, a lobby versus an engineering area). The device can then assign channels to improve the access point with the worst performance reported. The load is taken into account when changing the channel structure to minimize the impact on clients currently in the wireless LAN. This metric keeps track of every access point’s transmitted and received packet counts to determine how busy the access points are. New clients avoid an overloaded access point and associate to a new access point. This parameter is disabled by default.
The device combines this RF characteristic information with RRM algorithms to make system-wide decisions. Conflicting demands are resolved using soft-decision metrics that guarantee the best choice for minimizing network interference. The end result is optimal channel configuration in a three-dimensional space, where access points on the floor above and below play a major factor in an overall wireless LAN configuration.
Note | Radios using 40-MHz channels in the 2.4-GHz band or or 80MHz channels are not supported by DCA. |
The RRM startup mode is invoked in the following conditions:
-
In a single-device environment, the RRM startup mode is invoked after the device is upgraded and rebooted.
-
In a multiple-device environment, the RRM startup mode is invoked after an RF Group leader is elected.
You can trigger RRM startup mode from CLI.
Note | DCA algorithm interval is set to one hour, but DCA algorithm always runs in default interval of 10min, channel allocation happens for every 10min interval for the first 10 cycles, and channel changes as per DCA algorithm for every 10min. After that it goes back to the configured time interval. This is common for both DCA interval and Anchor time since it follows the steady state. |
Note | If DCA/TPC is turned off on the RF-group member, and auto is set on RF-group leader, the channel/TX power on member gets changed as per the algorithm run on the RF-group leader. |
Coverage Hole Detection and Correction
The RRM coverage hole detection algorithm can detect areas of radio coverage in a wireless LAN that are below the level needed for robust radio performance. This feature can alert you to the need for an additional (or relocated) lightweight access point.
If clients on a lightweight access point are detected at threshold levels (RSSI, failed client count, percentage of failed packets, and number of failed packets) lower than those specified in the RRM configuration, the access point sends a “coverage hole” alert to the device. The alert indicates the existence of an area where clients are continually experiencing poor signal coverage, without having a viable access point to which to roam. The device discriminates between coverage holes that can and cannot be corrected. For coverage holes that can be corrected, the device mitigates the coverage hole by increasing the transmit power level for that specific access point. The device does not mitigate coverage holes caused by clients that are unable to increase their transmit power or are statically set to a power level because increasing their downstream transmit power might increase interference in the network.
How to Configure RRM
Configuring Advanced RRM CCX Parameters (CLI)
Configuring Neighbor Discovery Type (CLI)
Configuring RRM Profile Thresholds, Monitoring Channels, and Monitoring Intervals (GUI)
| Step 1 | Choose or to open RRM General page. | ||
| Step 2 | Configure profile thresholds used for alarming as follows:
| ||
| Step 3 | From the Channel List drop-down list, choose one of the following options to specify the set of channels that the access point uses for RRM scanning:
| ||
| Step 4 | Configure monitor intervals as follows:
| ||
| Step 5 | Click Apply. | ||
| Step 6 | Click Save Configuration.
|
Configuring RF Groups
This section describes how to configure RF groups through either the GUI or the CLI.
Note | The RF group name is generally set at deployment time through the Startup Wizard. However, you can change it as necessary. |
Note | When the multiple-country feature is being used, all Cisco WLCs intended to join the same RF group must be configured with the same set of countries, configured in the same order. |
Note | You can also configure RF groups using the Cisco Prime Infrastructure. |
Note | In Auto mode , RF group leader will skip TPC and DCA for first three runs of grouping cycle in order to stabilize the RF-group |
- Configuring the RF Group Mode (GUI)
- Configuring RF Group Selection Mode (CLI)
- Configuring an RF Group Name (CLI)
- Configuring an RF Group Name (GUI)
- Configuring Members in a 802.11 Static RF Group (CLI)
Configuring the RF Group Mode (GUI)
Configuring RF Group Selection Mode (CLI)
| Command or Action | Purpose | |
|---|---|---|
| Step 1 |
configure terminal Example: Device# configure terminal
|
Enters global configuration mode. |
| Step 2 |
ap dot11 24ghz | 5ghz rrm group-mode{auto | leader | off}
Example:
Device(config)#ap dot11 24ghz rrm group-mode leader
| Configures RF group selection mode for 802.11 bands. |
| Step 3 | end Example: Device(config)# end
| Returns to privileged EXEC mode. Alternatively, you can also press Ctrl-Z to exit global configuration mode. |
Configuring an RF Group Name (CLI)
| Command or Action | Purpose | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Step 1 |
configure terminal Example: Device# configure terminal
|
Enters global configuration mode. | ||
| Step 2 |
wireless rf-network name Example: Device (config)# wireless rf-network test1
|
Creates an RF group. The group name should be ASCII String up to 19 characters and is case sensitive.
| ||
| Step 3 | end Example: Device(config)# end
| Returns to privileged EXEC mode. Alternatively, you can also press Ctrl-Z to exit global configuration mode. | ||
| Step 4 | show network profile profile_number | Displays the RF group.
|
Configuring an RF Group Name (GUI)
| Step 1 | Choose to open the General page. |
| Step 2 | Enter a name for the RF group in the RF Group Name text box. The name can contain up to 19 ASCII characters and is case sensitive. |
| Step 3 | Click Apply to commit your changes. |
| Step 4 | Click Save Configuration to save your changes. |
| Step 5 | Repeat this procedure for each controller that you want to include in the RF group. |
Configuring Members in a 802.11 Static RF Group (CLI)
| Command or Action | Purpose | |
|---|---|---|
| Step 1 |
configure terminal Example: Device# configure terminal
|
Enters global configuration mode. |
| Step 2 |
ap dot11 24ghz | 5ghz rrm group-member group_name ip_addr
Example:
Device(config)#ap dot11 24ghz rrm group-member Grpmem01 10.1.1.1
|
Configures members in a 802.11 static RF group. The group mode should be set as leader for the group member to be active. |
| Step 3 | end Example: Device(config)# end
| Returns to privileged EXEC mode. Alternatively, you can also press Ctrl-Z to exit global configuration mode. |
Configuring Transmit Power Control
Configuring the Tx-Power Control Threshold (CLI)
| Command or Action | Purpose | |
|---|---|---|
| Step 1 |
configure terminal Example: Device# configure terminal
|
Enters global configuration mode. |
| Step 2 |
ap
dot11 24ghz | 5ghz rrm
tpc-threshold threshold_value
Example:
Device(config)#ap dot11 24ghz rrm tpc-threshold -60
|
Configures the Tx-power control threshold used by RRM for auto power assignment. The range is from –80 to –50. |
| Step 3 | end Example: Device(config)# end
| Returns to privileged EXEC mode. Alternatively, you can also press Ctrl-Z to exit global configuration mode. |
Configuring the Tx-Power Level (CLI)
| Command or Action | Purpose | |
|---|---|---|
| Step 1 |
configure terminal Example: Device# configure terminal
|
Enters global configuration mode. |
| Step 2 |
ap dot11 24ghz | 5ghz rrm txpower{trans_power_level | auto | max | min
| once}
Example:
Device(config)#ap dot11 24ghz rrm txpower auto
|
Configures the 802.11 tx-power level |
| Step 3 | end Example: Device(config)# end
| Returns to privileged EXEC mode. Alternatively, you can also press Ctrl-Z to exit global configuration mode. |
Configuring Transmit Power Control (GUI)
| Step 1 | Choose or to open RRM Tx Power Control (TPC) page. | ||||||
| Step 2 | Choose the Transmit Power
Control.
Coverage Optimal Mode (TPCv1)— Offers strong signal coverage and stability. In this mode, power can be kept low to gain extra capacity and reduce interference. | ||||||
| Step 3 | Choose one of the following
options from the Power Level Assignment Method list to specify the Cisco WLC’s
dynamic power assignment mode:
| ||||||
| Step 4 | Enter the
maximum and minimum power level assignment values in the Maximum Power Level
Assignment and Minimum Power Level Assignment text boxes.
The range for the Maximum Power Level Assignment is –10 to 30 dBm. The range for the Minimum Power Level Assignment is –10 to 30 dBm. | ||||||
| Step 5 | In the Power
Threshold text box, enter the cutoff signal level used by RRM when determining
whether to reduce an access point’s power. The default value for this parameter
is –70 dBm for TPCv1, but can be changed when access points are transmitting at
higher (or lower) than desired power levels.
The range for this parameter is –80 to –50 dBm. Increasing this value (between –65 and –50 dBm) causes the access points to operate at a higher transmit power. Decreasing the value has the opposite effect. In applications with a dense population of access points, it may be useful to decrease the threshold to –80 or –75 dBm to reduce the number of BSSIDs (access points) and beacons seen by the wireless clients. Some wireless clients might have difficulty processing a large number of BSSIDs or a high beacon rate and might exhibit problematic behavior with the default threshold. This page also shows the following nonconfigurable transmit power level parameter settings:
| ||||||
| Step 6 | Click Apply. | ||||||
| Step 7 | Click Save Configuration. |
Configuring 802.11 RRM Parameters
Configuring Advanced 802.11 Channel Assignment Parameters (CLI)
| Command or Action | Purpose | |
|---|---|---|
| Step 1 |
configure terminal Example: Device# configure terminal
|
Enters global configuration mode. |
| Step 2 |
ap dot11 {24ghz |
5ghz}
rrm
channel cleanair-event sensitivity {high |
low
|
medium}
Example:
Device(config)#ap dot11 24ghz rrm channel cleanair-event sensitivity high
|
|
| Step 3 |
ap dot11 {24ghz |
5ghz}
rrm
channel dca {channel number |
anchor-time |
global {auto |
once} |
interval |
min-metric |
sensitivity {high |
low
|
medium}}
Example:
Device(config)#ap dot11 24ghz rrm channel dca interval 2
|
|
| Step 4 | ap dot11 5ghz rrm channel
dca chan-width {20 |
40 |
80 |
best}
| Configures the DCA channel width for all 802.11 radios in the 5-GHz band. Sets the channel width to 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz, or Best; 20 MHz is the default value. |
| Step 5 |
ap dot11 {24ghz |
5ghz}
rrm
channel device
Example:
Device(config)#ap dot11 24ghz rrm channel device
|
Configures the persistent non-Wi-Fi device avoidance in the 802.11 channel assignment. |
| Step 6 |
ap dot11 {24ghz |
5ghz}
rrm
channel foreign
Example:
Device(config)#ap dot11 24ghz rrm channel foreign
|
Configures the foreign AP 802.11 interference avoidance in the channel assignment. |
| Step 7 |
ap dot11 {24ghz |
5ghz}
rrm
channel load
Example:
Device(config)#ap dot11 24ghz rrm channel load
|
Configures the Cisco AP 802.11 load avoidance in the channel assignment. |
| Step 8 |
ap dot11 {24ghz |
5ghz}
rrm
channel noise
Example:
Device(config)#ap dot11 24ghz rrm channel noise
|
Configures the 802.11 noise avoidance in the channel assignment. |
| Step 9 | end Example: Device(config)# end
| Returns to privileged EXEC mode. Alternatively, you can also press Ctrl-Z to exit global configuration mode. |
Configuring Dynamic Channel Assignment (GUI)
You can specify the channels that the Dynamic Channel Assignment (DCA) algorithm considers when selecting the channels to be used for RRM scanning by using the Cisco WLC GUI.
Note | This functionality is helpful when you know that the clients do not support certain channels because they are legacy devices or they have certain regulatory restrictions. |
| Step 1 | Disable the 802.11a/n/ac or 802.11b/g/n network as follows: | ||||||||||||
| Step 2 | Choose or to open the Dynamic Channel Assignment (DCA) page. | ||||||||||||
| Step 3 | Choose one of the following options from the
Channel Assignment Method drop-down list to specify
the Cisco WLC’s DCA mode:
| ||||||||||||
| Step 4 | From the Interval drop-down list, choose one of the following options to specify how often the DCA algorithm is allowed to run: 10 minutes, 1 hour, 2 hours, 3 hours, 4 hours, 6 hours, 8 hours, 12 hours, or 24 hours. The default value is 10 minutes. | ||||||||||||
| Step 5 | From the AnchorTime drop-down list, choose a number to specify the time of day when the DCA algorithm is to start. The options are numbers between 0 and 23 (inclusive) representing the hour of the day from 12:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. | ||||||||||||
| Step 6 | From the DCA Channel
Sensitivity drop-down list, choose one of the following options to specify
how sensitive the DCA algorithm is to environmental changes such as signal,
load, noise, and interference when determining whether to change channels:
The default value is Medium. The DCA sensitivity thresholds vary by radio band, as noted in the following table: | ||||||||||||
| Step 7 |
This page also shows the following nonconfigurable channel parameter settings: | ||||||||||||
| Step 8 | In the DCA Channel List area, the DCA Channels text box
shows the channels that are currently selected. To choose a channel, select its
check box in the Select column. To exclude a channel, unselect its check box.
| ||||||||||||
| Step 9 | Click Apply. | ||||||||||||
| Step 10 | Reenable the 802.11 networks as follows: | ||||||||||||
| Step 11 | Click Save Configuration. |
Configuring 802.11 Coverage Hole Detection (CLI)
| Command or Action | Purpose | |
|---|---|---|
| Step 1 |
configure terminal Example: Device# configure terminal
|
Enters global configuration mode. |
| Step 2 |
ap dot11 24ghz | 5ghz rrm coverage data{fail-percentage | packet-count | rssi-threshold} Example:
Device(config)#ap dot11 24ghz rrm coverage data fail-percentage 60
|
|
| Step 3 |
ap dot11 24ghz | 5ghz rrm coverage exception global exception level Example:
Device(config)#ap dot11 24ghz rrm coverage exception global 50
| Configures the 802.11 Cisco AP coverage exception level as a percentage that ranges from 0 to 100%. |
| Step 4 |
ap dot11 24ghz | 5ghz rrm coverage level global cli_min exception level Example:
Device(config)#ap dot11 24ghz rrm coverage level global 10
| Configures the 802.11 Cisco AP client minimum exception level that ranges from 1 to 75 clients. |
| Step 5 |
ap dot11 24ghz | 5ghz rrm coverage voice{fail-percentage | packet-count | rssi-threshold} Example:
Device(config)#ap dot11 24ghz rrm coverage voice packet-count 10
|
|
| Step 6 | end Example: Device(config)# end
| Returns to privileged EXEC mode. Alternatively, you can also press Ctrl-Z to exit global configuration mode. |
Configuring Coverage Hole Detection (GUI)
| Step 1 | Disable the 802.11 network as follows: | ||
| Step 2 | Choose or to open coverage page. | ||
| Step 3 | Select the Enable Coverage Hole Detection check box to enable coverage hole detection, or unselect it to disable this feature. If you enable coverage hole detection, the Cisco WLC automatically determines, based on data received from the access points, if any access points have clients that are potentially located in areas with poor coverage. The default value is selected. | ||
| Step 4 | In the Data RSSI text box, enter the minimum Receive Signal Strength Indication (RSSI) value for data packets received by the access point. The value that you enter is used to identify coverage holes (or areas of poor coverage) within your network. If the access point receives a packet in the data queue with an RSSI value below the value that you enter here, a potential coverage hole has been detected. The valid range is –90 to –60 dBm, and the default value is –80 dBm. The access point takes data RSSI measurements every 5 seconds and reports them to the Cisco WLC in 90-second intervals. | ||
| Step 5 | In the Voice RSSI text box, enter the minimum Receive Signal Strength Indication (RSSI) value for voice packets received by the access point. The value that you enter is used to identify coverage holes within your network. If the access point receives a packet in the voice queue with an RSSI value below the value that you enter here, a potential coverage hole has been detected. The valid range is –90 to –60 dBm, and the default value is –80 dBm. The access point takes voice RSSI measurements every 5 seconds and reports them to the Cisco WLC in 90-second intervals. | ||
| Step 6 | In the Min Failed Client Count per AP text box, enter the minimum number of clients on an access point with an RSSI value at or below the data or voice RSSI threshold. The valid range is 1 to 75, and the default value is 3. | ||
| Step 7 | In the Coverage Exception Level per AP text box, enter the percentage of clients on an access point that are experiencing a low signal level but cannot roam to another access point. The valid range is 0 to 100%, and the default value is 25%.
| ||
| Step 8 | Click Apply. | ||
| Step 9 | Reenable the 802.11 network as follows: | ||
| Step 10 | Click Save Configuration. |
Configuring 802.11 Event Logging (CLI)
| Command or Action | Purpose | |
|---|---|---|
| Step 1 |
configure terminal Example: Device# configure terminal
|
Enters global configuration mode. |
| Step 2 |
ap dot11 24ghz | 5ghz rrm logging{channel | coverage | foreign | load | noise | performance | txpower}
Example: Device(config)#ap dot11 24ghz rrm logging channel Device(config)#ap dot11 24ghz rrm logging coverage Device(config)#ap dot11 24ghz rrm logging foreign Device(config)#ap dot11 24ghz rrm logging load Device(config)#ap dot11 24ghz rrm logging noise Device(config)#ap dot11 24ghz rrm logging performance Device(config)#ap dot11 24ghz rrm logging txpower |
Configures event-logging for various parameters.
|
| Step 3 | end Example: Device(config)# end
| Returns to privileged EXEC mode. Alternatively, you can also press Ctrl-Z to exit global configuration mode. |
Configuring 802.11 Statistics Monitoring (CLI)
| Command or Action | Purpose | |
|---|---|---|
| Step 1 |
configure terminal Example: Device# configure terminal
|
Enters global configuration mode. |
| Step 2 |
ap dot11 24ghz | 5ghz rrm monitor channel-list{all | country | dca}
Example:
Device(config)#ap dot11 24ghz rrm monitor channel-list all
| |
| Step 3 |
ap dot11 24ghz | 5ghz rrm monitor coverage interval
Example:
Device(config)#ap dot11 24ghz rrm monitor coverage 600
| Configures the 802.11 coverage measurement interval in seconds that ranges from 60 to 3600. |
| Step 4 |
ap dot11 24ghz | 5ghz rrm monitor load interval
Example:
Device(config)#ap dot11 24ghz rrm monitor load 180
| Configures the 802.11 load measurement interval in seconds that ranges from 60 to 3600. |
| Step 5 |
ap dot11 24ghz | 5ghz rrm monitor noise interval
Example:
Device(config)#ap dot11 24ghz rrm monitor noise 360
| Configures the 802.11 noise measurement interval (channel scan interval) in seconds that ranges from 60 to 3600. |
| Step 6 |
ap dot11 24ghz | 5ghz rrm monitor signal interval
Example:
Device(config)#ap dot11 24ghz rrm monitor signal 480
| Configures the 802.11 signal measurement interval (neighbor packet frequency) in seconds that ranges from 60 to 3600. |
| Step 7 | end Example: Device(config)# end
| Returns to privileged EXEC mode. Alternatively, you can also press Ctrl-Z to exit global configuration mode. |
Configuring the 802.11 Performance Profile (CLI)
| Command or Action | Purpose | |
|---|---|---|
| Step 1 |
configure terminal Example: Device# configure terminal
|
Enters global configuration mode. |
| Step 2 |
ap
dot11 24ghz | 5ghz rrm
profile clients cli_threshold_value
Example:
Device(config)#ap dot11 24ghz rrm profile clients 20
|
Sets the threshold value for 802.11 Cisco AP clients that range between 1 and 75 clients. |
| Step 3 |
ap
dot11 24ghz | 5ghz rrm
profile foreign int_threshold_value
Example:
Device(config)#ap dot11 24ghz rrm profile foreign 50
|
Sets the threshold value for 802.11 foreign interference that ranges between 0 and 100%. |
| Step 4 |
ap
dot11 24ghz | 5ghz rrm
profile noise for_noise_threshold_value Example:
Device(config)#ap dot11 24ghz rrm profile noise -65
| Sets the threshold value for 802.11 foreign noise ranges between –127 and 0 dBm. |
| Step 5 |
ap
dot11 24ghz | 5ghz rrm
profile throughput throughput_threshold_value
Example:
Device(config)#ap dot11 24ghz rrm profile throughput 10000
|
Sets the threshold value for 802.11 Cisco AP throughput that ranges between 1000 and 10000000 bytes per second. |
| Step 6 |
ap
dot11 24ghz | 5ghz rrm
profile utilization rf_util_threshold_value
Example:
Device(config)#ap dot11 24ghz rrm profile utilization 75
|
Sets the threshold value for 802.11 RF utilization that ranges between 0 to 100%. |
| Step 7 | end Example: Device(config)# end
| Returns to privileged EXEC mode. Alternatively, you can also press Ctrl-Z to exit global configuration mode. |
Configuring Rogue Access Point Detection in RF Groups
Configuring Rogue Access Point Detection in RF Groups (CLI)
Note | The name is used to verify the authentication IE in all beacon frames. If the Cisco WLCs have different names, false alarms will occur. |
| Command or Action | Purpose | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Step 1 |
ap name Cisco_AP mode {local | monitor} Example: Device# ap name ap1 mode local
|
Configures a particular access point for local (normal) mode or monitor (listen-only) mode. Perform this step for every access point connected to the Cisco WLC. | ||||
| Step 2 | end Example: Device(config)# end
| Returns to privileged EXEC mode. Alternatively, you can also press Ctrl-Z to exit global configuration mode. | ||||
| Step 3 |
configure terminal Example: Device# configure terminal
|
Enters global configuration mode. | ||||
| Step 4 | wireless wps ap-authentication Example: Device (config)# wireless wps ap-authentication
| Enables rogue access point detection. | ||||
| Step 5 | wireless wps ap-authentication threshold value Example: Device (config)# wireless wps ap-authentication threshold 50
| Specifies when a rogue access point alarm is generated. An alarm occurs when the threshold value (which specifies the number of access point frames with an invalid authentication IE) is met or exceeded within the detection period. The valid threshold range is from 1 to 255, and the default threshold value is 1. To avoid false alarms, you may want to set the threshold to a higher value.
|
Enabling Rogue Access Point Detection in RF Groups (GUI)
| Step 1 | Make sure that each Cisco WLC in the RF group has been configured with the same RF group name.
| ||
| Step 2 | Choose to open the All APs page. | ||
| Step 3 | Click the name of an access point to open the All APs > Edit page. | ||
| Step 4 | Choose either local or monitor from the AP Mode drop-down list and click Apply to commit your changes. | ||
| Step 5 | Click Save Configuration to save your changes. | ||
| Step 6 | Repeat Step 2 through Step 5 for every access point connected to the Cisco WLC. | ||
| Step 7 | Choose to open the AP Authentication Policy page. The name of the RF group to which this Cisco WLC belongs appears at the top of the page. | ||
| Step 8 | Choose AP Authentication from the Protection Type drop-down list to enable rogue access point detection. | ||
| Step 9 | Enter a number in the Alarm Trigger Threshold edit box to specify when a rogue access point alarm is generated. An alarm occurs when the threshold value (which specifies the number of access point frames with an invalid authentication IE) is met or exceeded within the detection period.
| ||
| Step 10 | Click Apply to commit your changes. | ||
| Step 11 | Click Save Configuration to save your changes. | ||
| Step 12 | Repeat this procedure on every Cisco WLC in the RF group.
|
Monitoring RRM Parameters and RF Group Status
Monitoring RRM Parameters
| Commands | Description |
|---|---|
| show ap dot11 24ghz ccx |
Displays the 802.11b CCX information for all Cisco APs. |
| show ap dot11 24ghz channel |
Displays the configuration and statistics of the 802.11b channel assignment. |
| show ap dot11 24ghz coverage |
Displays the configuration and statistics of the 802.11b coverage. |
| show ap dot11 24ghz group |
Displays the configuration and statistics of the 802.11b grouping. |
| show ap dot11 24ghz l2roam |
Displays 802.11b l2roam information. |
| show ap dot11 24ghz logging |
Displays the configuration and statistics of the 802.11b event logging. |
| show ap dot11 24ghz monitor |
Displays the configuration and statistics of the 802.11b monitoring. |
| show ap dot11 24ghz profile |
Displays 802.11b profiling information for all Cisco APs. |
| show ap dot11 24ghz receiver |
Displays the configuration and statistics of the 802.11b receiver. |
| show ap dot11 24ghz summary |
Displays the configuration and statistics of the 802.11b Cisco APs. |
| show ap dot11 24ghz txpower |
Displays the configuration and statistics of the 802.11b transmit power control. |
| show ap dot11 5ghz ccx |
Displays 802.11a CCX information for all Cisco APs. |
| show ap dot11 5ghz channel |
Displays the configuration and statistics of the 802.11a channel assignment. |
| show ap dot11 5ghz coverage |
Displays the configuration and statistics of the 802.11a coverage. |
| show ap dot11 5ghz group |
Displays the configuration and statistics of the 802.11a grouping. |
| show ap dot11 5ghz l2roam |
Displays 802.11a l2roam information. |
| show ap dot11 5ghz logging |
Displays the configuration and statistics of the 802.11a event logging. |
| show ap dot11 5ghz monitor |
Displays the configuration and statistics of the 802.11a monitoring. |
| show ap dot11 5ghz profile |
Displays 802.11a profiling information for all Cisco APs. |
| show ap dot11 5ghz receiver |
Displays the configuration and statistics of the 802.11a receiver. |
| show ap dot11 5ghz summary |
Displays the configuration and statistics of the 802.11a Cisco APs. |
| show ap dot11 5ghz txpower |
Displays the configuration and statistics of the 802.11a transmit power control. |
Monitoring RF Group Status (CLI)
This section describes the new commands for RF group status.
The following commands can be used to monitor RF group status on the .
Command |
Purpose |
| show ap dot11 5ghz group | Displays the Cisco WLC name which is the RF group leader for the 802.11a RF network. |
| show ap dot11 24ghz group | Displays the Cisco WLC name which is the RF group leader for the 802.11b/g RF network. |
Monitoring RF Group Status (GUI)
| Step 1 | Choose to open the RF Grouping Algorithm page. This page shows the details of the RF group, displaying the configurable parameter Group mode, the Group role of this Cisco WLC, the Group Update Interval and the Cisco WLC name and IP address of the Group Leader to this Cisco WLC.
| ||
| Step 2 | (Optional) Repeat this procedure for the network type that you did not select (802.11a/n or 802.11b/g/n). |
Examples: RF Group Configuration
Device# configure terminal Device(config)# wireless rf-network test1 Device(config)# ap dot11 24ghz shutdown Device(config)# end Device # show network profile 5
Device# ap name ap1 mode local Device# end Device# configure terminal Device(config)# wireless wps ap-authentication Device(config)# wireless wps ap-authentication threshold 50 Device(config)# end
Information About ED-RRM
Spontaneous interference is interference that appears suddenly on a network, perhaps jamming a channel or a range of channels completely. The Cisco CleanAir spectrum event-driven RRM feature allows you to set a threshold for air quality (AQ) that, if exceeded, triggers an immediate channel change for the affected access point. Most RF management systems can avoid interference, but this information takes time to propagate through the system. Cisco CleanAir relies on AQ measurements to continuously evaluate the spectrum and can trigger a move within 30 seconds. For example, if an access point detects interference from a video camera, it can recover by changing channels within 30 seconds of the camera becoming active. Cisco CleanAir also identifies and locates the source of interference so that more permanent mitigation of the device can be performed at a later time.
Configuring ED-RRM on the Cisco Wireless LAN Controller (CLI)
| Step 1 | Trigger spectrum event-driven radio resource management (RRM) to
run when a Cisco CleanAir-enabled access point detects a significant level of
interference by entering these commands:
ap dot11 {24ghz | 5ghz} rrm channel cleanair-event —Configures CleanAir driven RRM parameters for the 802.11 Cisco lightweight access points. ap dot11 {24ghz | 5ghz} rrm channel cleanair-event sensitivity {low | medium | high | custom}—Configures CleanAir driven RRM sensitivity for the 802.11 Cisco lightweight access points. Default selection is Medium. ap dot11 {24ghz | 5ghz} rrm channel cleanair-event rogue-contribution—Enables rogue contribution. ap dot11 {24ghz | 5ghz} rrm channel cleanair-event rogue-contributionduty-cycle thresholdvalue—Configures threshold value for rogue contribution. The valid range is from 1 to 99, with 80 as the default. |
| Step 2 | Save your changes by entering this command: |
| Step 3 | See the CleanAir configuration for the 802.11a/n/ac or 802.11b/g/n
network by entering this command:
show ap dot11 {24ghz | 5ghz} cleanair config Information similar to the following appears: AdditionalClean Air Settings: CleanAir Event-driven RRM State.............. : Enabled CleanAir Driven RRM Sensitivity.............. : LOW CleanAir Event-driven RRM Rogue Option....... : Enabled CleanAir Event-driven RRM Rogue Duty Cycle... : 80 CleanAir Persistent Devices state............ : Disabled CleanAir Persistent Device Propagation....... : Disabled |
Configuring ED-RRM (GUI)
| Step 1 | Choose
to open the ED-RRM page.
| ||
| Step 2 | In the Event Driven RRM section, select the EDRRM check box to reveal ED-RRM parameters . | ||
| Step 3 | From the
Sensitivity Threshold drop-down, select the value.
Options are: Low, Medium, or High. Default selection is Medium. | ||
| Step 4 | Select the Rogue Contribution check box to reveal Rogue Duty-Cycle parameters . | ||
| Step 5 | Enter the
Rogue Duty Cycle
value in the text box.
The valid range is from 1 to 99, with 80 as the default. | ||
| Step 6 | Click Apply. | ||
| Step 7 | Click Save Configuration. |
Additional References for Radio Resource Management
Related Documents
| Related Topic | Document Title |
|---|---|
RRM commands and their details |
RRM Command Reference, Cisco IOS XE Release 3SE (Catalyst 3650 Switches) |
MIBs
| MIB | MIBs Link |
|---|---|
| All supported MIBs for this release. |
To locate and download MIBs for selected platforms, Cisco IOS releases, and feature sets, use Cisco MIB Locator found at the following URL: |
Technical Assistance
| Description | Link |
|---|---|
|
The Cisco Support website provides extensive online resources, including documentation and tools for troubleshooting and resolving technical issues with Cisco products and technologies. To receive security and technical information about your products, you can subscribe to various services, such as the Product Alert Tool (accessed from Field Notices), the Cisco Technical Services Newsletter, and Really Simple Syndication (RSS) Feeds. Access to most tools on the Cisco Support website requires a Cisco.com user ID and password. |
Feature History and Information For Performing Radio Resource Management Configuration
| Release | Feature Information |
|---|---|
| Cisco IOS XE 3.3SE | This feature was introduced. |
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