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Cisco Mobility Express User Guide for Release 8.2

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Cisco Mobility Express User Guide for Release 8.2

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Managing the Network

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Updated:
January 22, 2018

Chapter: Managing the Network

Managing the Network

Setting the Management Access Interface

The Management Access Interface is the default interface for in-band management of the controller and connectivity to enterprise services. It is also used for communication between the controller and access points (APs). The management interface has the only consistently pingable in-band interface IP address on the controller. You can access the web interface of the controller by entering the management interface IP address of the controller in your browser's address bar.

For APs, the controller requires one management interface to control all inter-controller communications and one AP manager interface to control all controller-to-access point communications, regardless of the number of ports.

To enable or disable the different types of management access to the controller:

    Step 1   Choose Management > Access.

    The Management Access window is displayed. The number of enabled management types are displayed at the top of the window.

    Step 2   You can enable or disable the following types of management access to the controller, by choosing the appropriate option from the drop-down list:

    • HTTP Access—To enable HTTP access mode, which allows you to access the controller GUI using http://<ip-address> through a web browser, choose Enabled from the HTTP Access drop-down list. Otherwise, choose Disabled.

      The default value is Disabled.
      Note    HTTP access mode is not a secure connection.

    • HTTPs Access—To enable HTTPS access mode, which allows you to access the controller GUI using http://ip-address through a web browser, choose Enabled from the HTTPS Access drop-down list. Otherwise, choose Disabled.

      The default value is Enabled.
      Note    HTTPs access mode is a secure connection.

    • Telnet Access—To enable Telnet access mode, which allows remote access to the controller’s CLI using your laptop’s command prompt, choose Enabled from the Telnet Access drop-down list. Otherwise, choose Disabled.

      The default value is Disabled.
      Note    Telnet access mode is not a secure connection.

    • SSHv2 Access—To enable Secure Shell Version 2 (SSHv2) access mode, which is a more secure version of Telnet that uses data encryption and a secure channel for data transfer, choose Enabled from the SSHv2 Access drop-down list. Otherwise, choose Disabled.

      The default value is Enabled.
      Note    The SSHv2 access mode is a secure connection.
    Step 3   Click Apply to save your changes.

    Managing Admin Accounts

    You can manage the Cisco Mobility Express network through the Cisco Mobility Express controller GUI based on the privileges assigned to your user account. This prevents unauthorized users from accessing or configuring the controller.

    You can log in to the Cisco Mobility Express GUI using an admin account having one of the following access types:

    • Read/Write—This administrative account has complete access to view and modify the controller configuration.

    • Read Only—This limited access administrative account allows the user to only view the controller configuration. This user is restricted from making any changes to the configuration.

    Adding an Admin Account

      Step 1   Choose Management > Admin Accounts.

      The total count of admin accounts on the Cisco Mobility Express controller is displayed at the top of this window while the table provides a detailed listing of all the available admin accounts.

      The Admin Accounts window is displayed.
      Step 2   Click Add New User to add a new admin user. A new editable row entry appears in the table.
      Step 3   Set the following parameters as required:

      • Account name—The login user name used by the administrative user. Admin account names must be unique.

      • Access—Set one of the following access privileges for the administrator:

        • Read Only

        • Read/Write

        • Lobby Ambassador

      • Password—The password is case sensitive and should be created based on the following guidelines:

        • It should have at least eight characters using a combination of numbers, special characters, as well as upper and lower case letters.

        • It should neither contain the word Cisco or a management username nor be a variant of these words obtained by:

          • Reversing the letters of these words

          • Changing the capitalization of the letters

          • Substituting the following:

            • 1, |, or ! for i

            • 0 for o

            • $ for s

        • No character can be repeated more than three times consecutively in the password.

      Step 4   Click Apply to save your changes.

      Editing an Admin Account

        Step 1   Choose Management > Admin Accounts.

        The Admin Accounts page is displayed, along with the list of all the admin accounts present on the Cisco Mobility Express controller. The total count of admin accounts on the controller is displayed at the top of the page.

        Step 2   Click the Edit icon adjacent to the account you want to edit.
        Step 3   Modify the admin account parameters, as required. For descriptions of these parameters, see Adding an Admin Account.
        Step 4   Click Apply.

        Deleting an Admin Account

          Step 1   Choose Management > Admin Accounts.

          The Admin Accounts window is displayed, along with the list of all the admin accounts present on the Cisco Mobility Express controller. The total count of admin accounts on the controller is displayed at the top of the page.

          Step 2   Click the Delete icon adjacent to the account you want to delete.
          Step 3   Click Ok in the confirmation dialog box.

          Setting Date and Time

          The date and time on the Cisco Mobility Express controller is first set when running the initial configuration setup wizard of the controller. You can either enter the date and time manually or you can specify a Network Time Protocol (NTP) server that sets the time and date.

          Using NTP Servers to Automatically Set the Date and Time

          You can have up to three Network Time Protocol (NTP) servers, to which the controller can automatically sync to set the date and time.

          By default three NTP servers are automatically created. The default fully qualified domain names (FQDN) of the NTP servers are:

          • 0.ciscome.pool.ntp.org, with NTP Index value 1.

          • 1.ciscome.pool.ntp.org, with NTP Index value 2.

          • 2.ciscome.pool.ntp.org, with NTP Index value 3.

          You can specify the IPv4 address or the FQDN name of an NTP server during the initial configuration wizard. This will be applied to the server having NTP Index 1, thereby overwriting its default FQDN, 0.ciscome.pool.ntp.org .

          For adding and editing NTP server details, go to Management > Time. This opens the Time Settings page.

          Adding and Editing NTP Servers

          You can have up to three Network Time Protocol (NTP) servers, using which the controller can automatically set the date and time.

            Step 1   Choose Management > Time.

            The Time Settings window is displayed, with the set time zone shown at the top of the page. The current date and time are displayed in the Set Time Manually field. Existing NTP servers, if any, are listed in the order of their NTP Index values.

            Step 2   In the NTP Polling Interval field, specify the polling interval, in seconds.
            Step 3   To edit an existing NTP server, click its adjacent Edit icon. To add a new NTP server, click Add NTP Server.
            Step 4   You can add or edit the following values for an NTP server:
            • NTP Index—Specify an NTP Index value to set the priority of the NTP server. NTP Index values can be set from 1 to 3, in the order of decreasing priority. The controller will try and sync with the NTP server with the highest priority first, until the specified polling interval time runs out. If the sync is successful, the controller does not continue trying to sync with any remaining NTP servers. If the sync is unsuccessful, then the controller will try to sync with the next NTP server.
            • NTP Server—Specify the IPv4 address or the fully qualified domain name (FQDN) for the NTP server. When you specify an FQDN, a DNS lookup is done. If the lookup fails, an error will be logged in the Syslog server. The controller will continue to resolve this FQDN and errors will be logged until you change the NTP configuration or specify a valid FQDN.
            Step 5   Click Apply.

            Deleting and Disabling NTP Servers

            To delete an NTP server, choose Management > Time. In the Time Settings page that is displayed, click the Delete icon adjacent the NTP server you want to delete. Click OK in the confirmation dialog, and then click Apply.

            To disable setting the date and time using NTP servers, you will need to delete all configured NTP servers by following the above process.

            Configuring Date and Time Manually

              Step 1   Choose Management > Time.
              The Time Settings window is displayed, with the set time zone shown at the top of the page. The current date and time are displayed in the Set Time Manually field.
              Note    These fields cannot be edited if the NTP State is set to Enable.
              Step 2   From the NTP State drop-down list, choose Disable.
              Step 3   From the Time Zone drop-down list, choose your local time zone.

              When you choose a time zone that uses Daylight Saving Time (DST), the controller automatically sets its system clock to reflect the time change when DST occurs. In the U.S., DST starts on the second Sunday in March and ends on the first Sunday in November.

              Step 4   Select the Set Time Automatically from Current Location check box to set the time based on the time zone specified.
              Step 5   In the Set Time Manually field:

              • Click the calendar icon and choose the month, day, and year.

              • Click the clock icon and specify the time, in hour and minutes.

              Step 6   Click Apply.

              Updating the Cisco Mobility Express Software

              To view the current software version of your Cisco Mobility Express controller:

              • Click the gear icon at the top-right corner of the web interface, and then click System Information.

              • Choose Management > Software Update.

                This displays the Software Update window, with the current software version number displayed at the top.

              You can update the Cisco Mobility Express controller software using the controller's web interface. This will prevent the current configurations on the Cisco Mobility Express controller from being deleted.

              A software update ensures that both the internal controller software and the AP software on all the associated APs are updated. APs that have older Cisco Mobility Express AP software, on joining the master AP after the software upgrade are automatically upgraded to the latest Cisco Mobility Express AP software. This is because, during the software update process, the latest Cisco Mobility Express software for all Cisco Mobility Express-supported APs that are associated with the controller is also downloaded. An AP joining the controller compares its Cisco Mobility Express software version with that on the master AP and if a mismatch is detected, the new AP requests for a software upgrade. The master AP facilitates the transfer of the new software from the TFTP server or the HTTP path, to the new AP.

              Downloading a newer version of the Cisco Mobility Express software image from the TFTP server to the Cisco Mobility Express network that has to be upgraded can take around 5 minutes per AP. The software download happens in the background, without impacting the network. The upgrades are automatically sequenced to ensure that the network performance is not impacted by software update.


              Note

              The software of up to five access points can be concurrently updated.

              Guidelines for Preparing a TFTP Server

              Follow these guidelines while preparing the TFTP server for hosting the Cisco Mobility Express software file:

              • Ensure that the TFTP server supports extended TFTP for file sizes greater than 32 MB. Some TFTP servers that support files of this size are tftpd32 and the TFTP server within the Cisco Prime Infrastructure.

              • If you attempt to download the controller software 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 server can be on the same subnet or a different subnet because the distribution system port is routable.


              Note

              Ensure that the TFTP server always has the same Cisco Mobility Express software bundle as that on the Cisco Mobility Express controller, or the latest software bundle.

              Performing the Software Update

              Before You Begin

              • Decide whether you are using TFTP or HTTP for the software update.

                If your network consists of only 1850, 1830, or both models of access points (which support ap1g4 images), then you can perform the update via TFTP or HTTP. If you have other supported AP models in your network, then you can use only TFTP for the update.

              • If you are using a TFTP server for the software update, then the TFTP server should be configured and accessible. See Guidelines for Preparing a TFTP Server.

              • A computer that can access Cisco.com and the TFTP server should be available.

                Step 1   Get the controller software image by following these steps:
                1. Using a computer, browse to the Cisco Download Software page at: http:/​/​www.cisco.com/​cisco/​software/​navigator.html.
                2. Browse to your AP model and click Mobility Express Software to view the list of currently available software, with the latest release at the top.
                3. Choose a software release number.
                4. Click Download corresponding to the ZIP file.
                5. Read Cisco’s End User Software License Agreement and then click Agree.
                6. Save the file to your computer's hard drive.
                7. Copy the file from your computer's hard drive, and then unzip and extract the entire contents to the default directory on your TFTP server.
                Step 2   From the Cisco Mobility Express controller web interface, choose Management > Software Update.

                The Software Update window, with the current software version number, is displayed.

                Step 3   In the Transfer Mode drop-down list, choose TFTP or HTTP as required.
                Step 4   If you have chosen TFTP as the transfer mode then:
                1. In the IP Address (IPv4) field, enter the IP address of the TFTP server.
                2. In the File Path field, enter the TFTP server directory path of the software file, along with the name of the file.
                Step 5   If you have chosen HTTP as the transfer mode, then click the Browse button adjacent the File Path field, and then browse to and choose the software file. The file name of the software file appears in the File Path field
                Step 6   Click Apply to save the parameters that you have specified.

                These parameters will remain saved unless you specifically change them in future. You do not have to enter these parameters afresh for the next software update.

                Step 7   You can perform the update right away or schedule it for a later time.

                • To proceed with the update right away, click Update Now, and then click Ok in the confirmation dialog.

                  The top section of the page indicates the status of the download. Do not manually power down or reset the controller or any AP during this process; otherwise, you might corrupt the software image.

                  The Preimage Download Status section of the page shows the status of the pre-image download to the APs in the network.

                  After the pre-image download is complete, click Reboot to reboot the controller.

                • To perform the update at a later time, up to a maximum of 5 days from the current date, specify the later date and time in the Set Reboot Time field, and then click Schedule Later. After the preimage download is complete, the controller automatically reboots.

                For more information on the Preimage Download feature, see Predownloading an Image to an Access Point.

                Step 8   Log in to the controller and verify the controller software version in the Software Update window.

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