Release Notes for Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controller, Cisco IOS XE 17.18.4a
Available Languages
Bias-Free Language
The documentation set for this product strives to use bias-free language. For the purposes of this documentation set, bias-free is defined as language that does not imply discrimination based on age, disability, gender, racial identity, ethnic identity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, and intersectionality. Exceptions may be present in the documentation due to language that is hardcoded in the user interfaces of the product software, language used based on RFP documentation, or language that is used by a referenced third-party product. Learn more about how Cisco is using Inclusive Language.
- US/Canada 800-553-2447
- Worldwide Support Phone Numbers
- All Tools
Feedback
Feedback
Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controller, Cisco IOS XE 17.18.4a
Notice of upcoming changes in the Cisco IOS XE 17.18.4a release and beyond
Communications, services, and additional information:
Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controller, Cisco IOS XE 17.18.4a
Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controllers comprise next-generation wireless controllers (referred to as controller in this document) built for intent-based networking.
The controllers are available in multiple forms to cater to your deployment options:
● Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controller Appliance
· Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controllers (C9800-L, C9800-40, C9800-80)
· Cisco CW9800 Series Wireless Controllers (CW9800L, CW9800M, CW9800H1, CW9800H2)
● Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controller for Cloud
● Embedded Wireless Controller (EWC) on Catalyst 9000 Series Switches
This document describes the new software features that were introduced or enhanced, change in behavior, issues, supported hardware, and so on, for Cisco IOS XE 17.18.4a.
This section provides a brief description of the new software features introduced in this release.
Table 1. New software features for Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controllers, Release 17.18.4a
| Product impact |
Feature |
Description |
| Ease of Use |
AP gRPC Connection Serviceability |
AP gRPC Connection Serviceability improves operational visibility into the lifecycle and health of gRPC connections originating from wireless access points. By exposing connection state, failure reasons, retry behavior, and relevant diagnostics, the feature enables customers and support teams to identify connectivity problems faster, reduce dependence on debug-heavy workflows, and shorten service-restoration time. Its product value is primarily measured through lower diagnostic effort, faster incident resolution, and fewer escalations. |
Product analytics
Cisco IOS XE Product Analytics collects device Systems Information for the purposes of understanding product usage, enabling product improvements and product development, and assisting in product adoption and sales support. Only summarized data of feature usage and statistical counters of configuration are collected. No personal identifiable information, such as MAC/IP addresses, usernames, custom configuration names, or user provided strings, are collected as part of Cisco IOS XE Product Analytics. Cisco processes this data following the General Terms, the Cisco Privacy Statement, and any other applicable agreement with Cisco.
See Cisco Enterprise Networking Product Analytics Frequently Asked Questions.
Notice of upcoming changes in the Cisco IOS XE 17.18.4a release and beyond
Cisco is committed to safeguarding our products and customer networks against increasingly sophisticated threat actors. As computing power and the threat landscape have evolved, some features and protocols currently in use have become vulnerable to attack. While more secure alternatives are now available, legacy protocols may still be in use in some environments.
To improve network security, reduce the attack surface, and protect sensitive data, Cisco is phasing out legacy and insecure features and protocols, encouraging customers to transition to more secure alternatives. This process is gradual and designed to minimize operational impact. This is part of a broader initiative to make Cisco products more secure by default and secure by design.
Starting with the Cisco IOS XE 17.18.2 release and in future releases, Cisco software will display warning messages when configuring features or protocols that do not provide sufficient security such as those transmitting sensitive data without encryption or using outdated encryption mechanisms. Warnings will also appear when security best practices are not followed, along with suggestions for secure alternatives.
This list is subject to change, but the following is a list of features and protocols that are planned to generate warnings from version Cisco IOS XE 17.18.2.
Release notes for each release will describe exact changes for that release.
● Plain-text and weak credential storage: Type 0 (plain text), 5 (MD5), or 7 (Vigenère cipher) in configuration files.
Recommendation: Use Type 6 (AES) for reversible credentials, and Type 8 (PBKDF2-SHA-256) or Type 9 (Scrypt) for non-reversible credentials.
● SSHv1:
Recommendation: Use SSHv2.
● SNMPv1 and SNMPv2, or SNMPv3 without authentication and encryption:
Recommendation: Use SNMPv3 with authentication and encryption (authPriv).
● MD5 (authentication) and 3DES (encryption) in SNMPv3:
Recommendation: Use SHA1 or, preferably, SHA2 for authentication, and AES for encryption.
● IP source routing based on IP header options:
Recommendation: Do not use this legacy feature.
● TLS 1.0 and TLS 1.1:
Recommendation: Use TLS 1.2 or later.
● TLS ciphers using SHA1 for digital signatures:
Recommendation: Use ciphers with SHA256 or stronger digital signatures.
● HTTP:
Recommendation: Use HTTPS.
● Telnet:
Recommendation: Use SSH for remote access.
● FTP and TFTP:
Recommendation: Use SFTP or HTTPS for file transfers.
● On-Demand Routing (ODR):
Recommendation: Use a standard routing protocol in place of CDP-based routing information exchange.
● BootP server:
Recommendation: Use DHCP or secure boot features such as Secure ZTP.
● TCP and UDP small servers (echo, chargen, discard, daytime):
Recommendation: Do not use these services on network devices.
● IP finger:
Recommendation: Do not use this protocol on network devices.
● NTP control messages:
Recommendation: Do not use this feature.
● TACACS+ using pre-shared keys and MD5:
Recommendation: Use TACACS+ over TLS 1.3, introduced in release Cisco IOS XE 17.18.1.
● Wireless LAN Controller, CAPWAP DTLS:
Recommendation: Do not use DTLSv1.0 and weaker ciphersuites.
● Wireless LAN Controller, WLAN:
Recommendation: Do not use 802.1x key management security.
● Wireless LAN Controller, Mobility:
Recommendation: Do not use weaker ciphers and use stronger ciphers.
● Wireless LAN Controller, NMSP:
Recommendation: Do not use weaker ciphers and use strong ciphers.
Cisco is committed to supporting customers through this transition. Subsequent releases on the Cisco IOS XE 17.18 train will continue to support these features but will display warnings if they are used. Future release trains may impose additional restrictions on these features which will be communicated through release notes.
For more information, see Resilient Infrastructure IOS XE Security Warnings Reference.
To see additional information about the issues, click the bug ID to access the Bug Search Tool (BST).
Table 2. Resolved issues in Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controllers, Release 17.18.4a
| Description |
|
| After ISSU upgrade WLAN Profile missing in 11ax VAP list and present only on 11be list |
|
| System instability and potential service disruption after invalid GPM load |
|
| Radio 1 FW crash observed while running longevity with ~20+ clients on 3802 AP |
|
| 9115 AP unexpected reload due to Radio firmware beacon TX stuck |
|
| Missing support for certain bands and channels in wifi6/6e regdb |
|
| 9166 17.15.4b AP in SDA mode not forwarding IPv4 ARP upstream or other IPv4 packets after DHCP |
|
| 9179 running 17.18.2 reporting more than 4 DFS in less than 1 hour |
|
| 9800 WLC: Stale client IP used in RADIUS accounting causes ISE IP\u2013SGT/SXP overwrite |
|
| PHY OFF error assert causing AP crash during longevity tests |
|
| Ascom Myco2 phones are not able to connect to 9176 APs due to EAP_ID_REQ or M2 not acked by AP |
|
| CW9172I AP crashes with ar_wal_mlo_ipc.c assert and watchdog panic |
|
| Memory Leak in python Process on Wireless Active Testing (WAT) AP with TEAgent IOx Application |
|
| Tier E countries + RAF not working |
|
| Pre-commit CDT failure-12 | AP crash kmem_cache_free+0x150/0x2c8 |
|
| 9176 not processing CTS packets when configured with datarate 36M and channel width 40M or higher |
|
| 9178: AP continuously reloading with \"NSS CAPWAP tunnel creation failed\" log when vlan-tag is enabled |
|
| 9120 kernel panic crash at cpktq_pdeq / pktq_pdeq running 17.18.2 |
|
| AP unable to join back to the controller after dropping from the controller |
|
| AP not completing DHCPv6 after dropping from the controller |
|
| 9176 APs crash files with no stack traces on 17.18.3 |
|
| Cisco Catalyst 9124 AP workgroup Bridge becomes unreachable connecting to Cisco 2800 Root Access Point when Wi-Fi Multimedia (WMM) is disabled |
|
| Some 6GHz WLANs don't come up after reconnecting to controller |
|
| Regdb update to fix all issues caught using new scripts |
|
| 9120/9115/9105 AP does not ACK frames sent from iOS devices follow up of CSCwj91255 |
|
| Kernel: BUG: KFENCE: memory corruption in | use-after-free write in | use-after-free read in. In ap version 17.12.6.28 |
|
| COS APs initiate DHCP process even when static IP is configured, causing intermittent DHCP Fallback issues |
|
| FT-SAE in Flex Standalone mode does not allow client association |
|
| AP - KFENCE memory corruption events lead to RCU stalls and HW watchdog reset |
|
| continuous KFENCE IPv6 MLD memory corruption leads to RCU stalls and HW watchdog reset |
|
| 9120 AP forwards HE PHY Capability bitset with 40 / 80 MHz supported when configured 20 MHz only channel width |
|
| Fragmented packets in CAPWAP mobility tunnel led to dataplane crash on CW9800-M/H platforms |
|
| RRM Crashes and tracebacks observed on CW9800 Platform |
|
| APs not being able to connect due capwap messages being queued due to fragments drop |
|
| WNCD process is getting terminated unexpectedly, causing WLC to crash ( Critical process wncd has failed (rc 0)) |
|
| eCA upgrade operation failed due to non response from wncmgrd. |
|
| WLC fails to update associated Channel width for client after it is changed on AP radio. |
|
| CW9800-M/H wireless controller may reload due to CPP datapath crash in CAPWAP mobility path |
|
| CW9800L PID is missing in ISSU comp_matrix file |
To see additional information about the issues, click the bug ID to access the Bug Search Tool (BST). This section lists the open issues that apply to the current release and might apply to releases earlier than Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controllers, Release 17.18.4a. An issue that is open for an earlier release and is still unresolved applies to all future releases until it is resolved.
Table 3. Open issues in Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controllers, Release 17.18.4a
| Bug ID |
Description |
| 9167 WGB cannot pass traffic after PSK SSID association |
|
| 9800-L encounters kernel unresponsiveness due to IntelResetRequest |
|
| Memory corruption in L2 multicast while handling dynamic multicast router ports and group |
|
| C9800 WLC crash during APSP installation |
|
| 9105/9172H RLAN AP not passing multicast traffic for central switching |
|
| 802.1X Authentication Failure - EAP Request Identity Not Forwarded by AP over the air |
|
| AP 9176I IPV6 RA packet drop using SLAAC |
|
| 9120 AP not transmitting downlink pkt to IW9167E |
|
| AP crashed due to kernel panic with different PC and LR |
|
| WLC experiences a WNCD process leak due to CAPWAP messages |
|
| 9800 crash due to unexpected values in 6ghz channel power payload |
|
| aWIPS functionality broken post upgrade to Release 17.15.5 |
|
| SSID Broadcast Failure with Overnight Calendar Profile Schedule |
|
| SafeC Validation traceback @ewlc_app_safec_constraint_handler observed on 9800-80 with V17_18_01PRD16 |
|
| 9800 showing dot1x pmf client deauth as CLIENT_DELETE_REASON_CLIENT_EAP_TIMEOUT_FAILURE |
|
| CW9166 COS AP crash due to: NSS firmware crashed |
|
| C916x nssmgrctl driver failure during bootup - setup_tunnel: tunnel 0 destroy failed 116 |
|
| The WLC is not reporting AP neighbors |
|
| Wifi7 syslogs are generating in WLC in large numbers |
|
| 9130 has beacon rate programmed to 6 Mbps despite 5 GHz legacy rates excluding 6 Mbps on one of the slots, causing DOT11_STATUS_DENIED_RATES |
|
| AP C9124AXE shows solid amber LED |
|
| C9120 COS AP crash PC is at rhb_init_rfic_mdata_ptrs LR is at rhb_init_cfg80211 |
|
| C9120 COS AP crash due to: RHL Probe failure, reboot to recover |
|
| Unexpected reboot due to Punt keep alive failure WLC 9800 Switch |
|
| 9800 deauthenticates client when receiving DHCP RELEASE from client. |
|
| 9105AW WGB mode, ports 1/2/3 do not go up in 17.15/17.18 |
|
| 9172I APs on 17.18.3 radios crashing regulary |
|
| Clients obtain an IP address from the VLAN mapped under the Policy Profile instead of the VLAN assigned through AAA Override , triggered by roaming |
|
| Client detail for some Associated Client doesn't show info element when using Cisco Spaces Connector |
|
| Incorrect Client Exclusion reasons on bsnStationBlacklistingReasonCode traps |
|
| FRA shows as managed by DNAC even when AI-RRM is not configured. |
|
| XOR radio is being switched between monitor and client serving mode using client-aware FRA when its not configured |
|
| WAT reports wrong DNS IPs from previous connections in ThousandEyes |
Compatibility matrix
The following table provides software compatibility information. For more information, see Cisco Wireless Solutions Software Compatibility Matrix.
Table 4. Compatibility Matrix for Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controllers, Release 17.18.4a
| Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controller Software |
Cisco Identity Services Engine |
Cisco AireOS-IRCM Interoperability |
Cisco Catalyst Center |
Cisco CMX |
| IOS XE 17.18.4a |
3.4 3.3 3.2 3.1 3.0
* all with latest patches |
8.10 latest MR 8.5 latest MR
|
11.1.1
|
Software requirements
Operating Systems:
● Windows 10 or later
● macOS X 10.11 or later
Browsers:
● Google Chrome: Version 59 or later (on Windows and Mac)
● Microsoft Edge: Version 40 or later (on Windows)
● Safari: Version 10 or later (on Mac)
● Mozilla Firefox: Version 60 or later (on Windows and Mac)
Note that Firefox version 63.x is not supported.
The controller GUI uses Virtual Terminal (VTY) lines for processing HTTP requests. At times, when multiple connections are open, the default number of VTY lines of 15 set by the device might get exhausted. Therefore, we recommend that you increase the number of VTY lines to 50.
To increase the VTY lines in a device, run the following commands in the following order:
Device# configure terminal
Device(config)# line vty 50
The best practice is to configure the service tcp-keepalives to monitor the TCP connection to the device.
Device(config)# service tcp-keepalives-in
Device(config)# service tcp-keepalives-out
Before you upgrade
Ensure that you familiarize yourself with the following points before proceeding with the upgrade:
● Customers planning to upgrade using ISSU should review the known defect CSCwv81329 before proceeding. Other upgrade methods are not affected by this issue.
● To ensure a smooth upgrade and prevent potential boot loop issues with APs, review the following Field Notice and technical documentation. It is critical to complete these actions prior to initiating your upgrade.
· Validate and Recover Catalyst APs on 17.12
● Upgrading from Cisco IOS XE 17.18.3 to 26.1.1:
WLANs configured with WPA3 Enterprise (non-SuiteB) using the GCMP-256 cipher, which are currently supported on Wi-Fi 7 in release 17.18.3, will be administratively shut down upon upgrading to release 26.1.1. This occurs because the GCMP-256 cipher is not supported for these specific WLAN types in version 26.1.1. Consequently, affected WLANs will cease to broadcast and will not be operational immediately following the upgrade.
The affected WLAN types are:
· WPA3 Enterprise (802.1X SHA256) with GCMP-256 cipher
· WPA3 FT (802.1X) with GCMP-256 cipher
Workaround: To restore service for these WLANs post-upgrade, you must manually remove the GCMP-256 cipher configuration from the affected WLANs. Once the configuration is removed, the WLANs can be brought back to an operational state.
Ensure validation of cipher compatibility before upgrading to avoid service disruption.
● If you have APs in remote sites, behind a WAN link, read the following document to accelerate the image download and make it more reliable: https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/support/docs/wireless/catalyst-9800-series-wireless-controllers/223125-understand-access-point-image-upgrades.html.
● When you upgrade from Cisco IOS XE 17.9.5 or lower, or 17.12.2 or lower, to Cisco IOS XE 17.18.2 or higher, the controller WebUI does not support images greater than 1.5 GB.
Workaround:
· Upgrade using the CLI commands, or,
· Upgrade to 17.9.6, 17.12.3, or higher, then upgrade to 17.18.2 or later.
● For images: If upgrading from 17.9.6 or lower, 17.12.4 or lower, or 17.15.1 or lower, to 17.18.2, Cisco Catalyst Wi-Fi 6 APs may fail to upgrade their image due to lack of space on the temporary partition.
Workaround:
· Reboot the impacted APs using a power cycle, then procced to upgrade normally.
For more information, see CSCwm08044 and CSCwm07499.
● APs running older release code (before 8.10.190.0, 17.3.8, 17.6.5, 17.9.3 or older), may get into a boot loop when upgrading software over a WAN link. For more information, see: https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/support/docs/wireless/catalyst-9800-series-wireless-controllers/220443-how-to-avoid-boot-loop-due-to-corrupted.html.
● The following Wave 1 APs are not supported in 17.18.2 and higher, and they will not join the controller. We recommend that you validate the current models before upgrading:
· Cisco Aironet 1570 Series Access Point
· Cisco Aironet 1700 Series Access Point
· Cisco Aironet 2700 Series Access Point
· Cisco Aironet 3700 Series Access Point
● From Cisco IOS XE Dublin 17.10.x, Key Exchange and MAC algorithms like diffie-hellman-group14-sha1, hmac-sha1, hmac-sha2-256, and hmac-sha2-512 are not supported by default and it may impact some SSH clients that only support these algorithms. If required, you can add them manually. For information on manually adding these algorithms, see the SSH Algorithms for Common Criteria Certification document available at: https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/routers/ios/config/17-x/sec-vpn/b-security-vpn/m_sec-secure-shell-algorithm-ccc.html.
● If APs fail to detect the backup image after running the archive download-sw command, perform the following steps:
· Upload the image using the no-reload option of the archive download-sw command:
Device# archive download-sw /no-reload tftp://<tftp_server_ip>/<image_name>
· Restart the CAPWAP process using capwap ap restart command. This allows the AP to use the correct backup image after the restart (reload is not required.)
Device# capwap ap restart
The AP will lose connection to the controller during the join process. When the AP joins the new controller, it will see a new image in the backup partition. So, the AP will not download a new image from the controller.
● The use of MTU lower than 1500 on G0 (OOB) interface that may cause fragmentation for RADIUS packets for client authentication, is not supported.
● While upgrading to Cisco IOS XE 17.3.x and later releases, if the ip http active-session-modules none command is enabled, you will not be able to access the controller GUI using HTTPS. To access the GUI using HTTPS, run the following commands in the order specified below:
ip http session-module-list pkilist OPENRESTY_PKI
ip http active-session-modules pkilist
● Cisco Aironet 1815T OfficeExtend Access Point will be in local mode when connected to the controller. However, when it functions as a standalone AP, it gets converted to FlexConnect mode.
● The Cisco Catalyst 9800-L Wireless Controller may fail to respond to the BREAK signals received on its console port during boot time, preventing users from getting to the ROMMON. This problem is observed on the controllers manufactured until November 2019, with the default config-register setting of 0x2102. This problem can be avoided if you set config-register to 0x2002.
This problem is fixed in the 16.12(3r) ROMMON for Cisco Catalyst 9800-L Wireless Controller.
For information about how to upgrade the ROMMON, see the Upgrading ROMMON for Cisco Catalyst 9800-L Wireless Controllers section of the Upgrading Field Programmable Hardware Devices for Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controllers document.
● By default, the controller uses a TFTP block size value of 512, which is the lowest possible value. This default setting is used to ensure interoperability with legacy TFTP servers. If required, you can change the block size value to 8192 to speed up the transfer process, using the ip tftp blocksize command in global configuration mode.
● If the following error message is displayed after a reboot or system crash, we recommend that you regenerate the trustpoint certificate: ERR_SSL_VERSION_OR_CIPHER_MISMATCH.
Use the following commands in the order specified below to generate a new self-signed trustpoint certificate:
device# configure terminal
device(config)# no crypto pki trustpoint trustpoint_name
device(config)# no ip http server
device(config)# no ip http secure-server
device(config)# ip http server
device(config)# ip http secure-server
device(config)# ip http authentication local/aaa
● Do not deploy OVA files directly to VMware ESXi 6.5. We recommend that you use an OVF tool to deploy the OVA files.
● Ensure that you remove the controller from Cisco Prime Infrastructure before disabling or enabling Netconf-YANG. Otherwise, the system may reload unexpectedly.
● From Cisco IOS XE Bengaluru 17.4.1 onwards, the telemetry solution provides a name for the receiver address instead of the IP address for telemetry data. This is an additional option. During the controller downgrade and subsequent upgrade, there is likely to be an issue—the upgrade version uses the newly named receivers, and these are not recognized in the downgrade. The new configuration gets rejected and fails in the subsequent upgrade. Configuration loss can be avoided when the upgrade or downgrade is performed from Cisco Catalyst Center.
● The Cisco Centralized Key Management (CCKM) feature was deprecated in Cisco IOS XE 17.10.x but currently remains supported. However, support for CCKM will be removed in a future release. Therefore, we recommend that you migrate to Fast Transition (FT) with 802.1X authentication and validate the configuration with supported key caching mechanisms.
● To migrate public IP address from 16.12.x to 17.x. ensure that you configure the service internal command. If you do not configure the service internal command, the IP address does not get carried forward.
● RLAN support with Virtual Routing and Forwarding (VRF) is not available.
● Unidirectional Link Detection (UDLD) protocol is not supported.
● When you encounter the SNMP error SNMP_ERRORSTATUS_NOACCESS 6, it means that the specified SNMP variable is not accessible.
● We recommend that you perform a controller reload whenever there is a change in the controller's clock to reflect an earlier time.
● The DTLS version (DTLSv1.0) is deprecated for Cisco Aironet 1800 based on latest security policies. Therefore, any new out-of-box deployments of Cisco Aironet 1800 APs will fail to join the controller, and you will get the following error message:
%APMGR_TRACE_MESSAGE-3-WLC_GEN_ERR: Chassis 1 R0/2: wncd: Error in AP Join,
AP <AP-name>,
mac:<MAC-address>Model AIR-AP1815W-D-K9, AP negotiated unexpected DTLS version v1.0
To onboard new Cisco Aironet 1800 APs and to establish a CAPWAP connection, explicitly set the DTLS version to 1.0 in the controller using the following configuration:
config terminal
ap dtls-version dtls_1_0
end
Note: Setting the DTLS version to 1.0 affects all the existing AP CAPWAP connections. We recommend that you apply the configuration only during a maintenance window. After the APs download the new image and join the controller, ensure that you remove the configuration.
● Before you begin a downgrade process, you must manually remove the configurations which are applicable in the current version but not in the older version. Otherwise, you might encounter unexpected behavior.
● To upgrade the field programmable hardware devices for Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controllers, see Upgrading Field Programmable Hardware Devices for Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controllers.
Upgrade path to Cisco IOS XE 17.18.4a
Note: For Cisco Catalyst 9136, 9164, and 9166 APs, a direct upgrade from 17.9.1 to 17.15.x or 17.18.x will fail due to insufficient space. To perform the upgrade, you must first update to 17.9.6 or 17.9.7 before proceeding to 17.15.x or 17.18.x.
Table 5. Upgrade Path to Cisco IOS XE Dublin 17.18.4a
| Current software |
Upgrade path for deployments with 9130, 9124, or 916x |
Upgrade path for deployments without 9130 and 9124 |
| 16.10.x |
— Note: The Cisco Catalyst 9130 and 9124 APs are not supported in 16.10.x and 16.11.x releases. |
Upgrade first to 16.12.5 or 17.3.x and then to 17.18.4a. |
| 16.11.x |
— |
Upgrade first to 16.12.5 or 17.3.x and then to 17.18.4a. |
| 16.12.x |
Upgrade first to 17.3.5 or later or 17.6.x or later, then to 17.9.6 or later or 17.12.x or later, and then to 17.18.4a. |
Upgrade first to 17.3.5 or later or 17.6.x or later, and then to 17.18.4a. |
| 17.1.x |
Upgrade first to 17.3.5 or later or 17.6.x or later, then to 17.9.6 or later or 17.12.x or later, and then to 17.18.4a. |
Upgrade first to 17.3.5 or later and then to 17.18.4a. |
| 17.2.x |
Upgrade first to 17.3.5 or later or 17.6.x or later, then to 17.9.6 or later or 17.12.x or later, and then to 17.18.4a. |
Upgrade first to 17.3.5 or later and then to 17.18.4a. |
| 17.3.1 to 17.3.4 |
Upgrade first to 17.3.5 or later or 17.6.x or later, then to 17.9.6 or later or 17.12.x or later, and then to 17.18.4a. |
Upgrade directly to 17.18.4a. |
| 17.3.4c or later |
Upgrade to 17.9.6 or later or 17.12.x or later, and then to 17.18.4a. |
Upgrade directly to 17.18.4a. |
| 17.4.x |
Upgrade first to 17.6.x and then to 17.18.4a. |
Upgrade directly to 17.18.4a. |
| 17.5.x |
Upgrade first to 17.6.x and then to 17.18.4a. |
Upgrade directly to 17.18.4a. |
| 17.6.x |
Upgrade to 17.9.6 or later or 17.12.x or later, and then to 17.18.4a. |
Upgrade directly to 17.18.4a. |
| 17.7.x |
Upgrade to 17.9.6 or later or 17.12.x or later, and then to 17.18.4a. |
Upgrade directly to 17.18.4a. |
| 17.8.x |
Upgrade to 17.9.6 or later or 17.12.x or later, and then to 17.18.4a. |
Upgrade directly to 17.18.4a. |
| 17.9.1 to 17.9.5 |
Upgrade to 17.9.6 or later or 17.12.x or later, and then to 17.18.4a. Note: For Cisco Catalyst 9136, 9164, and 9166 APs, a direct upgrade from 17.9.1 to 17.15.x or 17.18.x will fail due to insufficient space. To perform the upgrade, you must first update to 17.9.6 or 17.9.7 before proceeding to 17.15.x or 17.18.x. |
Upgrade directly to 17.18.4a. |
| 17.9.6 or later |
Upgrade directly to 17.18.4a. |
Upgrade directly to 17.18.4a. |
| 17.10.x |
Upgrade to 17.12.x or later, and then to 17.18.4a. |
Upgrade directly to 17.18.4a. |
| 17.11.x |
Upgrade to 17.12.x or later, and then to 17.18.4a. |
Upgrade directly to 17.18.4a. |
| 17.12.x |
Upgrade directly to 17.18.4a. |
Upgrade directly to 17.18.4a. |
| 17.13.x |
Upgrade directly to 17.18.4a. |
Upgrade directly to 17.18.4a. |
| 17.14.x |
Upgrade directly to 17.18.4a. |
Upgrade directly to 17.18.4a. |
| 17.15.x |
Upgrade directly to 17.18.4a. |
Upgrade directly to 17.18.4a. |
| 17.16.x |
Upgrade directly to 17.18.4a. |
Upgrade directly to 17.18.4a. |
| 17.17.x |
Upgrade directly to 17.18.4a. |
Upgrade directly to 17.18.4a. |
| 8.9.x or any 8.10.x version prior to 8.10.171.0 |
Upgrade first to 8.10.171.0 or later, 17.3.5 or later, or 17.6.x or later, then to 17.9.6 or later or 17.12.x or later, and then to 17.18.4a. |
Upgrade directly to 17.18.4a.
|
Upgrading the controller software
This section describes the various aspects of upgrading the controller software.
Finding the software version
The package files for the Cisco IOS XE software are stored in the system board flash device (flash:).
Use the show version privileged EXEC command to see the software version that is running on your controller.
Note: Although the show version output always shows the software image running on the controller, the model name shown at the end of the output is the factory configuration, and does not change if you upgrade the software license.
Use the show install summary privileged EXEC command to see the information about the active package.
Use the dir filesystem: privileged EXEC command to see the directory names of other software images that you have stored in flash memory.
Software images
● Release: Cisco IOS XE 17.18.4a
Image names (9800-80, 9800-40, and 9800-L):
● C9800-80-universalk9_wlc.17.18.4a.SPA.bin
● C9800-40-universalk9_wlc.17.18.4a.SPA.bin
● C9800-L-universalk9_wlc.17.18.4a.SPA.bin
Image names (CW9800M, CW9800H1/CW9800H2, CW9800L)
● CW9800H-wlc-universalk9.17.18.4a.SPA.bin
● CW9800M-wlc-universalk9.17.18.4a.SPA.bin
● CW9800L-wlc-universalk9.17.18.4a.SPA.bin
Image names (9800-CL):
● Cloud: C9800-CL-universalk9.17.18.4a.SPA.bin
● Hyper-V/ESXi/KVM: C9800-CL-universalk9.17.18.4a.iso, C9800-CL-universalk9.17.18.4a.ova
● KVM: C9800-CL-universalk9.17.18.4a.qcow2
● NFVIS: C9800-CL-universalk9.17.18.4a.tar.gz
Software installation commands
To install and activate a specified file, and to commit changes to be persistent across reloads, run the following command:
device# install add file filename [activate |commit]
To separately install, activate, commit, end, or remove the installation file, run the following command:
device# install ?
Note: We recommend that you use the GUI for installation.
| Commands |
Description |
| add file tftp: filename |
Copies the install file package from a remote location to a device and performs a compatibility check for the platform and image versions |
| activateauto-abort-timer |
Activates the file and reloads the device; the auto-abort-timer keyword automatically rolls back image activation |
| Commit |
Makes changes that are persistent over reloads |
| rollback to committed |
Rolls back the update to the last committed version |
| Abort |
Cancels file activation and rolls back to the version that was running before the current installation procedure started |
| Remove |
Deletes all unused and inactive software installation files |
Licensing
Cisco Wireless Licenses
Cisco Wireless Licenses, a part of the Cisco Networking Subscription licensing model, is a software license that helps you to deploy your Wi-Fi 7 Access Points in an on-premise, hybrid, or a cloud managed network. From Cisco IOS XE 17.15.2, Cisco Wireless licenses are supported on Wi-Fi 7 Access Points (APs) and later models.
The Cisco Wireless Licenses consist of the following tiers:
● Cisco Wireless Essentials: The tier that provides fundamental features and functionalities that are essential to manage a network.
● Cisco Wireless Advantage: The tier that supports additional features and capabilities and includes all the essential capabilities in addition to the advanced capabilities to manage a network.
For more information, see Cisco Wireless Licensing.
Interoperability with clients
This section describes the interoperability of the controller software with client devices.
The following table lists the configurations used for testing client devices.
Table 6. Test configuration for interoperability
| Hardware or software parameter |
Hardware or software type |
| Release |
Cisco IOS XE 17.18.4a |
| Cisco Wireless Controller |
|
| Access Points |
See Supported APs |
| Radio |
· 802.11ac · 802.11ax · 802.11a · 802.11g · 802.11n · 802.11be (Wi-Fi 7) |
| Security |
Open, PSK (WPA2-AES), 802.1X (WPA2-AES) (EAP-FAST, EAP-TLS), WPA3 AKM |
| RADIUS |
See Compatibility Matrix |
| Types of tests |
Connectivity, traffic (ICMP), and roaming between two APs |
The following table lists the client types on which the tests were conducted. Client types included laptops, hand-held devices, phones, and printers.
Table 7. Client types
| Client type and name |
Driver or software version |
| Laptops |
|
| Acer Aspire E 15 E5-573-3870 (Qualcomm Atheros QCA9377) |
Latest |
| Apple MacBook Air 11 inch |
Latest |
| Apple MacBook Air 13 inch |
Latest |
| MacBook Pro Retina |
Latest |
| MacBook Pro Retina 13 inch early 2015 |
Latest |
| MacBook Pro OS X |
Latest |
| MacBook Air |
Latest |
| MacBook Air 11 inch |
Latest |
| MacBook M1 Chip |
Latest |
| MacBook M1 Chip |
Latest |
| MacBook Pro M2 Chip |
Latest |
| MacBook Pro M2 Chip |
Latest |
| MacBook Pro M3 chip |
macOS Tahoe 26.4.1 |
| MacBook/Mac-Mini Pro M4 chip |
macOS Tahoe 26.4.1 |
| MacBook/Mac-Mini Pro M4 Pro chip |
macOS Tahoe 26.4.1 |
| MacBook Air M5 chip |
macOS Tahoe 26.4.1 |
| MacBook Pro M5 chip |
macOS Tahoe 26.4.1 |
| MacBook Neo |
macOS Tahoe 26.4.1 |
| Dell Inspiron 2020 Chromebook |
Chrome OS 75.0.3770.129 |
| Google Pixelbook Go |
Chrome OS 97.0.4692.27 |
| HP Chromebook 11a |
Chrome OS 76.0.3809.136 |
| Samsung Chromebook 4+ |
Chrome OS 77.0.3865.105 |
| Dell Latitude (Intel AX210) |
Latest |
| Dell Latitude 3480 (Qualcomm DELL wireless 1820) |
Latest |
| Dell Inspiron 15-7569 (Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 3165) |
Latest |
| Dell Latitude E5540 (Intel Dual Band Wireless AC7260) |
Latest |
| Dell Latitude E5430 (Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6205) |
Latest |
| Dell Latitude E6840 (Broadcom Dell Wireless 1540 802.11 a/g/n) |
Latest |
| Dell XPS 12 v9250 (Intel Dual Band Wireless AC 8260) |
Latest |
| Dell Latitude 5491 (Intel AX200) |
Latest |
| Dell XPS Latitude12 9250 (Intel Dual Band Wireless AC 8260) |
Latest |
| Dell Inspiron 13-5368 Signature Edition |
Latest |
| FUJITSU Lifebook E556 Intel 8260 (Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8260 (802.11n)) |
Latest |
| Lenovo Yoga C630 Snapdragon 850 (Qualcomm AC 2x2 Svc) |
Latest |
| Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga 460 (Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 9260) |
Latest |
| Note: For clients using Intel wireless cards, we recommend that you update to the latest Intel wireless drivers if the advertised SSIDs are not visible. |
|
| Tablets |
|
| Apple iPad Pro (12.9 inch) 6th Gen |
iOS 16.4 |
| Apple iPad Pro (11 inch) 4th Gen |
iOS 16.4 |
| Apple iPad 2021 |
iOS 15.0 |
| Apple iPad 7the Gen 2019 |
iOS 14.0 |
| Apple iPad MD328LL/A |
iOS 9.3.5 |
| Apple iPad 2 MC979LL/A |
iOS 11.4.1 |
| Apple iPad Air MD785LL/A |
iOS 11.4.1 |
| Apple iPad Air2 MGLW2LL/A |
iOS 10.2.1 |
| Apple iPad Mini 4 9.0.1 MK872LL/A |
iOS 11.4.1 |
| Apple iPad Mini 2 ME279LL/A |
iOS 11.4.1 |
| Apple iPad Mini 4 9.0.1 MK872LL/A |
iOS 11.4.1 |
| Microsoft Surface Pro 3 13 inch (Intel AX201) |
Windows 10 (21.40.1.3) |
| Microsoft Surface Pro 3 15 inch (Qualcomm Atheros QCA61x4A) |
Windows 10 |
| Microsoft Surface Pro 7 (Intel AX201) |
Windows 10 |
| Microsoft Surface Pro 6 (Marvell Wi-Fi chipset 11ac) |
Windows 10 |
| Microsoft Surface Pro X (WCN3998 Wi-Fi Chip) |
Windows |
| Mobile phones |
|
| Apple iPhone 5 |
iOS 12.4.1 |
| Apple iPhone 6s |
iOS 13.5 |
| Apple iPhone 7 MN8J2LL/A |
iOS 11.2.5 |
| Apple iPhone 8 |
iOS 13.5 |
| Apple iPhone 8 Plus |
iOS 14.1 |
| Apple iPhone 8 Plus MQ8D2LL/A |
iOS 12.4.1 |
| Apple iPhone X MQA52LL/A |
iOS 13.1 |
| Apple iPhone 11 |
iOS 15.1 |
| Apple iPhone 12 |
iOS 16.0 |
| Apple iPhone 12 Pro |
iOS 15.1 |
| Apple iPhone 13 |
iOS 15.1 |
| Apple iPhone 13 Mini |
iOS 15.1 |
| Apple iPhone 13 Mini Pro |
iOS 15.1 |
| Apple iPhone SE MLY12LL/A |
iOS 11.3 |
| Apple iPhone SE |
iOS 15.1 |
| Apple iPhone 14 |
iOS 26.4.1 |
| Apple iPhone 14 Pro |
iOS 26.4.1 |
| Apple iPhone 15 |
iOS 26.4.1 |
| Apple iPhone 15 Pro |
iOS 26.4.1 |
| Apple iPhone 16 |
iOS 26.4.1 |
| Apple iPhone 16e |
iOS 26.4.1 |
| Apple iPhone 16 Pro |
iOS 26.4.1 |
| Apple iPhone 17 |
iOS 26.4.1 |
| Apple iPhone 17 Pro |
iOS 26.4.1 |
| Apple iPhone 17e |
iOS 26.4.1 |
| Apple iPhone Air |
iOS 26.4.1 |
| ASCOM i63 |
Build v 3.0.0 |
| ASCOM Myco 3 |
Android 9 |
| Cisco IP Phone 8821 |
11.0.6 SR4 |
| Cisco 840/s |
Latest |
| Cisco 860 |
Latest |
| Cisco 9821 |
Latest |
| Cisco 7800 series desk phones |
Latest |
| Cisco 8800 series desk phones |
Latest |
| Cisco 9800 series desk phones |
Latest |
| Drager Delta |
VG9.0.2 |
| Drager M300.3 |
VG3.0 |
| Drager M300.4 |
VG3.0 |
| Drager M540 |
VG4.2 |
| Google Pixel 3a |
Android 11 |
| Google Pixel 4 |
Android 11 |
| Google Pixel 5 |
Android 11 |
| Google Pixel 6 |
Android 12 |
| Google Pixel 7 |
Android 13 |
| Google Pixel 8 |
Android 15 |
| Google Pixel 9 |
Android 15 |
| Google Pixel 10 |
Android 15 |
| Huawei Mate 20 pro |
Android 9.0 |
| Huawei P20 Pro |
Android 10 |
| Huawei P40 |
Android 10 |
| LG v40 ThinQ |
Android 9.0 |
| One Plus 8 |
Android 11 |
| Oppo Find X2 |
Android 10 |
| Redmi K20 Pro |
Android 10 |
| Samsung Galaxy S9+ - G965U1 |
Android 10.0 |
| Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus |
Android 11.0 |
| Samsung S10 (SM-G973U1) |
Android 11.0 |
| Samsung S10e (SM-G970U1) |
Android 11.0 |
| Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra |
Android 10.0 |
| Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G |
Android 13.0 |
| Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra |
Android 13.0 |
| Samsung Galaxy S23 |
Android 15.0 |
| Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra |
Android 15.0 |
| Samsung Galaxy S24 |
Android 15.0 |
| Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra |
Android 15.0 |
| Samsung Galaxy S25 |
Android 15.0 |
| Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra |
Android 15.0 |
| Samsung Fold 2 |
Android 10.0 |
| Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 |
Android 13.0 |
| Samsung Note20 |
Android 12.0 |
| Samsung G Note 10 Plus |
Android 11.0 |
| Samsung Galaxy A01 |
Android 11.0 |
| Samsung Galaxy A21 |
Android 10.0 |
| Sony Experia 1 ii |
Android 11 |
| Sony Experia |
Android 11 |
| Xiaomi Mi 9T |
Android 9 |
| Xiaomi Mi 10 |
Android 11 |
| Spectralink 84 Series |
7.5.0.x257 |
| Spectralink 87 Series |
Android 5.1.1 |
| Spectralink Versity Phones 92/95/96 Series |
Android 10.0 |
| Spectralink Versity Phones 9540 Series |
Android 8.1.0 |
| Vocera Badges B3000n |
4.3.3.18 |
| Vocera Smart Badges V5000 |
5.0.6.35 |
| Zebra MC40 |
Android 4.4.4 |
| Zebra MC40N0 |
Android 4.1.1 |
| Zebra MC92N0 |
Android 4.4.4 |
| Zebra MC9090 |
Windows Mobile 6.1 |
| Zebra MC55A |
Windows 6.5 |
| Zebra MC75A |
OEM ver 02.37.0001 |
| Zebra TC51 |
Android 6.0.1 |
| Zebra TC52 |
Android 10.0 |
| Zebra TC55 |
Android 8.1.0 |
| Zebra TC57 |
Android 10.0 |
| Zebra TC58 |
Android 11.0 |
| Zebra TC70 |
Android 6.1 |
| Zebra TC75 |
Android 10.0 |
| Zebra TC520K |
Android 10.0 |
| Zebra TC8000 |
Android 4.4.3 |
| Printers |
|
| Zebra QLn320 Mobile Printer |
LINK OS 5.2 |
| Zebra ZT230 IndustrialPrinter |
LINK OS 6.4 |
| Zebra ZQ310 Mobile Printer |
LINK OS 6.4 |
| Zebra ZD410 Industrial Printer |
LINK OS 6.4 |
| Zebra ZT410 Desktop Printer |
LINK OS 6.2 |
| Zebra ZQ610 Industrial Printer |
LINK OS 6.4 |
| Zebra ZQ620 Mobile Printer |
LINK OS 6.4 |
| Wireless module |
|
| Intel AX 411 |
Latest |
| Intel AX 211 |
Latest |
| Intel AX 210 |
Latest |
| Intel AX 200 |
Latest |
| Intel 11AC |
Latest |
| Intel AC 9260 |
Latest |
| Intel Dual Band Wireless AC 8260 |
Latest |
| Samsung S21 Ultra |
Latest |
| QCA WCN6855 |
Latest |
| PhoenixContact FL WLAN 2010 |
Latest |
Supported virtual and hardware platforms
The following table lists the supported virtual and hardware platforms. (See Supported PIDs and ports for the list of supported modules.)
Table 8. Supported virtual and hardware platforms
| Platform |
Description |
| Cisco Catalyst 9800-80 Wireless Controller |
A modular wireless controller with up to 100-GE modular uplinks and seamless software updates. The controller occupies a 2-rack unit space and supports multiple module uplinks. |
| Cisco Catalyst 9800-40 Wireless Controller |
A fixed wireless controller with seamless software updates for mid-size to large enterprises. The controller occupies a 1-rack unit space and provides four 1-GE or 10-GE uplink ports. |
| Cisco Catalyst 9800-L Wireless Controller |
The Cisco Catalyst 9800-L Wireless Controller is the first low-end controller that provides a significant boost in performance and features. |
| Cisco 9800 Series Wireless Controller for Cloud |
A virtual form factor of the Catalyst 9800 Wireless Controller that can be deployed in a private cloud (supports VMware ESXi, Kernel-based Virtual Machine [KVM], Microsoft Hyper-V, and Cisco Enterprise NFV Infrastructure Software [NFVIS] on Enterprise Network Compute System [ENCS] hypervisors), or in the public cloud as Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) in Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud Platform (GCP) marketplace, and Microsoft Azure. |
| Embedded Wireless Controller on Catalyst 9000 Series Switches |
The Catalyst 9800 Wireless Controller software for the Cisco Catalyst 9000 switches brings the wired and wireless infrastructure together with consistent policy and management. This deployment model supports only Software Defined-Access (SDA), which is a highly secure solution for small campuses and distributed branches. |
| Cisco CW9800 Series Wireless Controller (CW9800M, CW9800H1, CW9800H2, and CW9800L)
|
The CW9800M controller is the next generation Cisco CW9800 series wireless LAN controller built to deliver a 53% performance improvement while consuming 18% less power when compared to the previous generation models. Additionally, the CW9800M controller supports 3000 APs and 32000 clients to ensure better performance and scale for business-critical networks and provides up to 40 Gbps of forwarding throughput for both normal packet and encrypted packets while remaining a single RU designed to save you space and provide greater flexibility in your datacenters. |
| The CW9800H1 and CW9800H2 controllers are the next-generation Cisco CW9800 wireless LAN controllers that boast up to a 36% increase in performance and consume up to 40% less power compared to their predecessors. Additionally, the CW9800H1 and CW9800H2 models are built with a space-saving single RU design and support up to 6000 APs and 64,000 clients with 100 Gbps of maximum throughput. They also offer a choice of uplinks with either 4 x 25 Gbps (CW9800H1) or 2 x 40 Gbps (CW9800H2) configurations to meet high throughput demands of next-generation wireless requirements. |
|
| The CW9800L controller is the next-generation, low-end controller that provides a significant boost in performance and features. Supporting up to 10 Gbps throughput, 500 APs, and 10,000 clients, the CW9800L delivers double the capacity and increased performance compared to the base C9800-L. |
Supported host environments - public and private cloud
The following table lists the host environments supported for private and public cloud.
Table 9. Supported host environments for public and private cloud
| Host environment |
Software version |
| VMware ESXi |
● VMware ESXi vSphere 6.5, 6.7, 7.0, and 8.0
● VMware ESXi vCenter 6.5, 6.7, 7.0, and 8.0
|
| KVM |
● Linux KVM-based on Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9.2, or latest version
● Ubuntu 16.04.5 LTS, Ubuntu 18.04.5 LTS, Ubuntu 20.04.5 LTS
|
| AWS |
AWS EC2 platform |
| NFVIS |
ENCS 3.8.1 and 3.9.1 |
| GCP |
GCP marketplace |
| Microsoft Hyper-V |
Windows Server 2019, Windows Server 2025, with Hyper-V Manager (Version 10.0.x) |
| Microsoft Azure |
Microsoft Azure |
The following table lists the supported Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controller hardware models.
The base PIDs are the model numbers of the controller.
The bundled PIDs indicate the orderable part numbers for the base PIDs that are bundled with a particular network module. Running the show version, show module, or show inventory command on such a controller (bundled PID) displays its base PID.
Note: Unsupported SFPs will bring down a port. Only Cisco-supported SFPs (GLC-LH-SMD and GLC-SX-MMD) should be used on the route processor (RP) ports of C9800-80-K9 and C9800-40-K9.
Table 10. Supported PIDS and ports
| Controller model |
Description |
| C9800-CL-K9 |
Cisco Catalyst Wireless Controller as an infrastructure for cloud. |
| C9800-80-K9 |
Eight 1/10-Gigabit Ethernet SFP or SFP+ ports and two power supply slots. |
| C9800-40-K9 |
Four 1/10-Gigabit Ethernet SFP or SFP+ ports and two power supply slots. |
| C9800-L-C-K9 |
● 4x2.5/1-Gigabit ports
● 2x10/5/2.5/1-Gigabit ports
|
| C9800-L-F-K9 |
● 4x2.5/1-Gigabit ports
● 2x10/1-Gigabit ports
|
| CW9800H1 |
● 8x1 GE/10 GE SFP ports
● 4x25 GE SFP interfaces
|
| CW9800H2 |
● 8x1 GE/10 GE SFP Ports
● 2X 40 GE QSFP interfaces
|
| CW9800M |
● Four built-in 1 GE /10 GE SFP ports
● Two built-in 25 GE SFP ports
|
| CW9800L |
● 2x 10G/1G SFP Ports (Data Ports)
● 2x1G Copper (RP and SP ports)
|
Supported SFPs
The following table lists the supported SFP models.
Table 11. Supported SFP models
| SFP name |
C9800-80-K9 |
C9800-40-K9 |
C9800-L-F-K9 |
CW9800H1 |
CW9800H2 |
CW9800M |
CW9800L |
| COLORCHIP-C040- Q020-CWDM4-03B |
Supported |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
| DWDM-SFP10G-30.33 |
Supported |
Supported |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
| DWDM-SFP10G-61.41 |
Supported |
Supported |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
| FINISAR-LR – FTLX1471D3BCL (The FINISAR SFPs are not Cisco specific and some of the features, such as DOM, may not work properly.) |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
— |
— |
— |
— |
| FINISAR-SR – FTLX8574D3BCL |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
— |
— |
— |
— |
| GLC-BX-D |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
— |
| GLC-BX-U |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
— |
| GLC-EX-SMD |
Supported |
Supported |
— |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
— |
| GLC-LH-SMD |
Supported |
Supported |
— |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
| GLC-SX-MMD |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
| GLC-T |
Supported |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
| GLC-TE |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
| GLC-ZX-SMD |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
— |
| QSFP-100G-LR4-S |
Supported |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
| QSFP-100G-SR4-S |
Supported |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
| QSFP-40G-BD-RX |
Supported |
— |
— |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
— |
| QSFP-40G-ER4 |
Supported |
— |
— |
— |
Supported |
— |
— |
| QSFP-40G-LR4 |
Supported |
— |
— |
— |
Supported |
— |
— |
| QSFP-40G-LR4-S |
Supported |
— |
— |
— |
Supported |
— |
— |
| QSFP-40G-LR4-S-RF |
— |
— |
— |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
— |
| QSFP-40G-CSR4 |
— |
— |
— |
— |
Supported |
— |
— |
| QSFP-40G-SR4 |
Supported |
— |
— |
— |
Supported |
— |
— |
| QSFP-40G-SR4-S |
Supported |
— |
— |
— |
Supported |
— |
— |
| QSFP-40G-SR-BD |
|
|
|
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
|
| QSFP-40GE-LR4 |
Supported |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
| QSFP-H40G-ACU7M |
|
|
|
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
|
| QSFP-H40G-ACU10M |
— |
— |
— |
— |
Supported |
— |
— |
| QSFP-H40G-CU1M |
— |
— |
— |
— |
Supported |
— |
— |
| QSFP-H40G-CU2M |
— |
— |
— |
— |
Supported |
— |
— |
| QSFP-H40G-CU3M |
— |
— |
— |
— |
Supported |
— |
— |
| QSFP-H40G-CU4M |
— |
— |
— |
— |
Supported |
— |
— |
| QSFP-H40G-CU5M |
— |
— |
— |
— |
Supported |
— |
— |
| QSFP-H40G-CU0-5M |
— |
— |
— |
— |
Supported |
— |
— |
| QSFP-H40G-AOC1M |
— |
— |
— |
— |
Supported |
— |
— |
| QSFP-H40G-AOC2M |
— |
— |
— |
— |
Supported |
— |
— |
| QSFP-H40G-AOC3M |
— |
— |
— |
— |
Supported |
— |
— |
| QSFP-H40G-AOC5M |
— |
— |
— |
— |
Supported |
— |
— |
| QSFP-H40G-AOC7M |
— |
— |
— |
— |
Supported |
— |
— |
| QSFP-H40G-AOC10M |
— |
— |
— |
— |
Supported |
— |
— |
| QSFP-H40G-AOC15M |
— |
— |
— |
— |
Supported |
— |
— |
| QSFP-H40G-AOC20M |
— |
— |
— |
— |
Supported |
— |
— |
| QSFP-H40G-AOC25M |
— |
— |
— |
— |
Supported |
— |
— |
| QSFP-H40G-AOC30M |
— |
— |
— |
— |
Supported |
— |
— |
| SFP-10G-AOC10M |
Supported |
Supported |
— |
— |
— |
— |
Supported |
| SFP-10G-AOC1M |
Supported |
Supported |
— |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
| SFP-10G-AOC2M |
Supported |
Supported |
— |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
| SFP-10G-AOC3M |
Supported |
Supported |
— |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
| SFP-10G-AOC5M |
Supported |
Supported |
— |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
| SFP-10G-AOC7M |
Supported |
Supported |
— |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
| SFP-10G-BXD-I |
— |
— |
— |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
| SFP-10G-BXU-I |
— |
— |
— |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
| SFP-10G-CSR-S |
— |
— |
— |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
— |
| SFP-10G-ER |
Supported |
Supported |
— |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
— |
| SFP-10G-LR |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
| SFP-10G-LR-I |
|
|
|
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
|
| SFP-10G-LR-S |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
| SFP-10G-LR-X |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
— |
| SFP-10G-LRM |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
— |
— |
— |
— |
| SFP-10G-SR |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
| SFP-10G-SR-S |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
| SFP-10G-SR-I |
— |
— |
— |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
| SFP-10G-SR-X |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
— |
— |
— |
— |
| SFP-10G-ZR |
|
|
— |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
— |
| SFP-10G-ZR-I |
— |
— |
— |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
| SFP-10G-T-X |
— |
— |
— |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
— |
| SFP-25G-CSR-S |
|
|
|
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
|
| SFP-25G-SR-S |
— |
— |
— |
Supported |
— |
Supported |
— |
| SFP-25G-ER-I |
— |
— |
— |
Supported |
— |
Supported |
— |
| SFP-10/25G-LR-I |
— |
— |
— |
Supported |
— |
Supported |
— |
| SFP-10/25G-LR-S |
— |
— |
— |
Supported |
— |
Supported |
— |
| SFP-10/25G-CSR-S |
— |
— |
— |
Supported |
— |
Supported |
— |
| SFP-10/25G-BXD-I |
— |
— |
— |
Supported |
— |
Supported |
Supported |
| SFP-10/25G-BXU-I |
— |
— |
— |
Supported |
— |
Supported |
Supported |
| SFP-H25G-CU1M |
— |
— |
— |
Supported |
— |
Supported |
— |
| SFP-H25G-CU5M |
— |
— |
— |
Supported |
— |
Supported |
— |
| SFP-25G-AOC1M |
— |
— |
— |
Supported |
— |
Supported |
— |
| SFP-25G-AOC2M |
— |
— |
— |
Supported |
— |
Supported |
— |
| SFP-25G-AOC3M |
— |
— |
— |
Supported |
— |
Supported |
— |
| SFP-25G-AOC5M |
— |
— |
— |
Supported |
— |
Supported |
— |
| SFP-25G-AOC7M |
— |
— |
— |
Supported |
— |
Supported |
— |
| SFP-25G-AOC10M |
— |
— |
— |
Supported |
— |
Supported |
— |
| SFP-H10GB-ACU10M |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
| SFP-H10GB-ACU7M |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
| SFP-H10GB- CU1.5M |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
— |
— |
— |
— |
| SFP-H10GB-CU1M |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
— |
| SFP-H10GB-CU2.5M |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
— |
— |
— |
Supported |
| SFP-H10GB-CU2M |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
— |
| SFP-H10GB-CU3M |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
| SFP-H10GB-CU5M |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
| SFP-H10GB-CU1-5M |
Supported |
Supported |
— |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
— |
| SFP-H10GB-CU2-5M |
|
|
|
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
|
| Finisar-LR (FTLX1471D3BCL) |
— |
— |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
| Finisar-SR (FTLX8574D3BC) |
— |
— |
— |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
Supported |
The Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controller supports a wide range of optics. The list of supported optics is updated on a regular basis. See the tables at the following location for the latest transceiver module compatibility information:
Network protocols and port matrix
Table 12. Cisco Catalyst 9800 series wireless controller - network protocols and port matrix
| Source |
Destination |
Protocol |
Destination port |
Source port |
Description |
| Any |
Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controller |
TCP |
22 |
Any |
SSH |
| Any |
Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controller |
TCP |
23 |
Any |
Telnet |
| Any |
Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controller |
TCP |
80 |
Any |
HTTP |
| Any |
Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controller |
TCP |
443 |
Any |
HTTPS |
| Any |
Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controller |
UDP |
161 |
Any |
SNMP agent |
| Any |
Any |
UDP |
5353 |
5353 |
mDNS |
| Any |
Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controller |
UDP |
69 |
69 |
TFTP |
| Any |
DNS Server |
UDP |
53 |
Any |
DNS |
| Any |
Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controller |
TCP |
830 |
Any |
NetConf |
| Any |
Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controller |
TCP |
443 |
Any |
REST API |
| Any |
WLC Protocol |
UDP |
1700 |
Any |
Receive CoA packets |
| AP |
Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controller |
UDP |
5246 |
Any |
CAPWAP Control |
| AP |
Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controller |
UDP |
5247 |
Any |
CAPWAP Data |
| AP |
Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controller |
UDP |
5248 |
Any |
CAPWAP MCAST |
| AP |
Cisco Catalyst Center |
TCP |
32626 |
Any |
Intelligent capture and RF telemetry |
| AP |
AP |
UDP |
16670 |
Any |
Client Policies (AP-AP) |
| Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controller |
Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controller |
UDP |
16666 |
16666 |
Mobility Control |
| Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controller |
SNMP |
UDP |
162 |
Any |
SNAMP Trap |
| Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controller |
RADIUS |
UDP |
1812/1645 |
Any |
RADIUS Auth |
| Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controller |
RADIUS |
UDP |
1813/1646 |
Any |
RADIUS ACCT |
| Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controller |
TACACS+ |
TCP |
49 |
Any |
TACACS+ |
| Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controller |
Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controller |
UDP |
16667 |
16667 |
Mobility |
| Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controller |
NTP Server |
UDP |
123 |
Any |
NTP |
| Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controller |
Syslog Server |
UDP |
514 |
Any |
SYSLOG |
| AP |
Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controller |
HTTPS |
8443 |
Any |
Out of Band AP Image Download Cisco CleanAir Spectral Capture
|
| Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controller |
NetFlow Server |
UDP |
9996 |
Any |
NetFlow |
| Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controller |
Cisco Connected Mobile Experiences (CMX) |
UDP |
16113 |
Any |
NMSP |
| Cisco Catalyst Center |
Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controller |
TCP |
32222 |
Any |
Device Discovery |
| Cisco Catalyst Center |
Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controller |
TCP |
25103 |
Any |
Telemetry Subscriptions |
The following Cisco APs are supported in this release:
Table 13. Supported APs
| AP type |
AP names |
| Indoor Access Points
|
● Cisco Catalyst 9105AX (I/W) Access Points
● Cisco Catalyst 9115AX (I/E) Access Points
● Cisco Catalyst 9120AX (I/E/P) Access Points
● Cisco Catalyst 9130AX (I/E) Access Points
● Cisco Catalyst 9136AX Access Points
● Cisco Catalyst 9162 (I) Series Access Points
● Cisco Catalyst 9164 (I) Series Access Points
● Cisco Catalyst 9166 (I/D1) Series Access Points
● Cisco Wireless 9171 (I) Series Wi-Fi 7 Access Points
● Cisco Wireless 9172 (I/H) Series Wi-Fi 7 Access Points
● Cisco Wireless 9174 (I/E) Series Wi-Fi 7 Access Points
● Cisco Wireless 9176 (I/D1) Series Wi-Fi 7 Access Points
● Cisco Wireless 9178 (I) Series Wi-Fi 7 Access Points
● Cisco Wireless 9179 (F) Series Wi-Fi 7 Access Points
● Cisco Aironet 1815 (I/W/M/T), 1830 (I), 1840 (I), and 1852 (I/E) Access Points
● Cisco Aironet 1800i Access Point
● Cisco Aironet 2800 (I/E) Series Access Points
● Cisco Aironet 3800 (I/E/P) Series Access Points
● Cisco Aironet 4800 (I) Series Access Points
|
| Outdoor Access Points
|
● Cisco Aironet 1540 (I/D) Series Access Points
● Cisco Aironet 1560 (I/D/E) Series Access Points
● Cisco Catalyst Industrial Wireless 6300 Heavy Duty Series Access Point
● Cisco 6300 Series Embedded Services Access Point
● Cisco Catalyst 9124AX (I/D/E) Access Points
● Cisco Catalyst 9163 (E) Series Access Points
● Cisco Catalyst Industrial Wireless 9167 (I/E) Heavy Duty Access Points
● Cisco Catalyst Industrial Wireless 9165E Rugged Access Point
● Cisco Catalyst Industrial Wireless 9165D Heavy Duty Access Point
|
| Integrated Access Points |
Integrated Access Point on Cisco 1100 ISR (ISR-AP1100AC-x, ISR-AP1101AC-x, and ISR-AP1101AX-x) |
| Network Sensor |
Cisco Aironet 1800s Active Sensor |
| Pluggable Modules |
Cisco Wi-Fi Interface Module (WIM) - WP-WIFI6-x
|
Supported AP channels and maximum power settings
Supported access point channels and maximum power settings on Cisco APs are compliant with the regulatory specifications of channels, maximum power levels, and antenna gains of every country in which the access points are sold. For more information about the supported access point transmission values in Cisco IOS XE software releases, see the Detailed Channels and Maximum Power Settings document at https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/support/wireless/catalyst-9100ax-access-points/products-technical-reference-list.html.
For information about Cisco Wireless software releases that support specific Cisco AP modules, see Cisco Access Points Supported in Cisco Wireless Controller Platform Software Releases.
Cisco Wireless Controller:
For more information about the Cisco wireless controller, lightweight APs, and mesh APs, see these documents:
Cisco Wireless Solutions Software Compatibility Matrix
Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controller Software Configuration Guide
Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controller Command Reference
Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Configuration Best Practices
In-Service Software Upgrade Matrix
Upgrading Field Programmable Hardware Devices for Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controllers
The installation guide for your controller is available at:
All Cisco Wireless Controller software-related documentation
Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controller Data Sheets:
Wireless Product Comparison:
Compare specifications of Cisco wireless APs and controllers
Wireless LAN Compliance Lookup
Cisco AireOS to Cisco Catalyst 9800 Wireless Controller Feature Comparison Matrix
Cisco Access Points–Statement of Volatility:
The STATEMENT OF VOLATILITY is an engineering document that provides information about the device, the location of its memory components, and the methods for clearing device memory. Refer to the data security policies and practices of your organization and take the necessary steps required to protect your devices or network environment.
The Cisco Aironet and Catalyst AP Statement of Volatility (SoV) documents are available on the Cisco Trust Portal.
You can search by the AP model to view the SoV document.
Cisco Prime Infrastructure:
Cisco Prime Infrastructure Documentation
Cisco Spaces:
Cisco Catalyst Center:
Cisco Catalyst Center Documentation
Product Analytics
Cisco Enterprise Networking Product Analytics Frequently Asked Questions
Communications, services, and additional information:
● To receive timely, relevant information from Cisco, sign up at Cisco Profile Manager.
● To get the business impact you’re looking for with the technologies that matter, visit Cisco Services.
● To submit a service request, visit Cisco Support.
● To discover and browse secure, validated enterprise-class apps, products, solutions, and services, visit Cisco DevNet.
● To obtain general networking, training, and certification titles, visit Cisco Press.
● To find warranty information for a specific product or product family, access Cisco Warranty Finder.
Cisco Bug Search Tool (BST) is a gateway to the Cisco bug-tracking system, which maintains a comprehensive list of defects and vulnerabilities in Cisco products and software. The BST provides you with detailed defect information about your products and software.
To provide feedback about Cisco technical documentation, use the feedback form available on the right pane of every online document.
Cisco and the Cisco logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Cisco and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and other countries. To view a list of Cisco trademarks, go to this URL: www.cisco.com/go/trademarks. Third-party trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The use of the word partner does not imply a partnership relationship between Cisco and any other company. (1721R)
Any Internet Protocol (IP) addresses and phone numbers used in this document are not intended to be actual addresses and phone numbers. Any examples, command display output, network topology diagrams, and other figures included in the document are shown for illustrative purposes only. Any use of actual IP addresses or phone numbers in illustrative content is unintentional and coincidental.
© 2026 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.