Overview of the Controller

Cisco 9800 Series Wireless Controllers

Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controllers are the next generation wireless controllers that

  • are IOS XE based and integrate the Radio Frequency (RF) performance excellence from Aironet systems,

  • supports intent-based networking that are easy to adapt and scale, and

  • are available in multiple physical and virtual form factors for flexible management options.

Available form factors and deployment options

You can deploy the controllers as physical appliances or as virtual devices in private and public cloud environments.

The controllers cater to these deployment options:

  • Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controller Appliance

  • Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controller for Cloud

  • Cisco Catalyst 9800 Embedded Wireless for Switch

Management options

You can managed them the Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controllers with:

  • Cisco Catalyst Center

  • NETCONF or YANG, or

  • GUI or CLI.

Cisco Prime Infrastructure is also supported.

Configuration data model

A configuration data model is a framework that

  • enables reusability of network settings and components

  • supports simplified provisioning for scalable network management, and

  • provides enhanced flexibility and modularization to adapt to changing business and IT requirements.

For more information, see Information About New Configuration Model.

Initial controller setup methods

The initial configuration wizard in Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controller is a simplified, out-of-the-box installation and configuration interface for the controller. This section provides instructions to set up a controller to operate in a small, medium, or large network wireless environment, where access points can join and together as a simple solution provide various services, such as corporate employee or guest wireless access on the network.

Setting up the controller using GUI

To set up the controller using the GUI, see the Configuring Wireless Controller section in Cisco Catalyst 9800 Wireless Controller Series Web UI Deployment Guide.

Setting up the controller using CLI

To set up the controller using CLIs, see the Performing the Initial Configuration on the Controller section of your respective controller installation guides.

Restrictions for initial controller setup

Setting up the controller Using GUI

  • To identify remote users in the GUI, the remote authentication server (RADIUS or TACACS) must send the user-type attribute with value 6.

  • If you make configuration changes in the CLI and in the GUI simultaneously, you must click the Refresh button in the GUI to synch both the changes. You should always click the Refresh button in the GUI to update the changes done through the CLI.

  • When you go to the login page, the controller sends a request to the RADIUS server for the banner text. You can view this request on the RADIUS server.

  • When you log in to the Cisco Catalyst 9800-L Wireless Controller GUI, you receive many CPU alerts because of the CPU utilization spikes during log in.

  • Header size refers to the cookies sent from the browser through the controller GUI to the device WebSocket server in a WebSocket header. If the size of the cookie exceeds 4 KB, then any request that is made to the WebSocket server (query or configuration) via the GUI would fail. In such a case, ensure that you clear the browser cookies and cache, periodically.

    The banner text displayed on the browser is fetched from the controller. You can view this request on the RADIUS server.

Interactive help

Interactive help is a user interface feature that

  • provides step-by-step guidance within the application

  • adapts instructions and walk-throughs to the user's context, and

  • assists users in completing complex configurations or navigating the system.

Modes of starting the interactive Help

You can start the interactive help in the these ways.

  • Hover over the blue flap at the right-hand corner of a window in the GUI and clicking Interactive Help.

  • Click Walk-me Thru in the left pane of a window in the GUI.

  • Click Show me How whenever displayed in the GUI. Clicking Show me How triggers a specific interactive help that is relevant to the context you are in.

    For example, Show me How in Configure > AAA walks you through the various steps for configuring a RADIUS server. Choose Configuration> Wireless Setup > Advanced and click Show me How to trigger the interactive help that walks you through the steps relating to various kinds of authentication.

Additional troubleshooting information

If the WalkMe launcher is unavailable on Safari, modify the browser settings.

  1. Choose Preferences > Privacy.

  2. In the Website tracking section, uncheck the Prevent cross-site tracking check box to disable this action.

  3. In the Cookies and website data section, uncheck the Block all cookies check box to disable this action.

Cisco Support Assistant

Cisco Support Assistant (CSA) is an in-product support tool that

  • provides built-in integration of Cisco Support Assistant Extension (CSAE) into the controller GUI without the need for installation of a Chrome browser extension (CSA Embed)

  • integrates Cisco Technical Assistance Center (TAC) support functions directly into the GUI, and

  • enables easy and quick access to Cisco support without leaving the GUI.

CSA Embed is the built-in integration of the Cisco Support Assistant Extension (CSAE) within the controller, that does not require installation of the Chrome browser extension.

Feature History

Feature Name

Release

Description

Cisco support assistant integration to WLC GUI

Cisco IOS XE 17.18.2

This feature integrates the Cisco Support Assistant (CSA) directly within the controller GUI. You can now open TAC cases, upload logs, record screens, and access contextual help directly from within the controller interface, and without installing the Chrome browser extension. You can find a feature demonstration here.

Supported features

  1. Case Open: Provides an intuitive, context-aware interface for customers to open TAC cases directly from the GUI. You can attach relevant logs and files easily, ensuring faster case resolution with minimal manual steps.

  2. Screen Recording: Allows your to record on-screen activities to demonstrate issues visually during case submission. These recordings help TAC engineers quickly understand the problem context, leading to more efficient troubleshooting.

  3. File Upload: Simplifies the process of uploading diagnostic files and configuration logs to Cisco TAC. Secure file transfer is integrated directly within the GUI. This makes it easy to share your files while maintaining compliance and privacy standards.

  4. Smart Tooltips: Provides contextual guidance throughout the GUI by displaying helpful hints, quick links to Cisco documentation, and troubleshooting insights. This increases your self-service capabilities and reduces your need to contact support.

  5. Wireless Compatibility Assistant: Integrates the wireless compatibility assistant to the Access Point Monitoring and Configuration controller GUI window to enable self-service for wireless configuration, compatibility, best practices, and feature-related questions.

For a demonstration of the supported features, see here.


Note

Use CSA Embed in English for the best experience. Some CSA features may not work properly in local languages or on certain pages.

Enable CSA Embed

You can enable or disable the CSA Embed feature from the settings menu (gear icon) on the top right corner of the GUI by toggling the Cisco Support Assistant option.