Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controller Software Configuration Guide, Cisco IOS XE 26.x

Configure local and wide area Bonjour domains

Updated: September 14, 2026

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Describes how to configure local and wide area Bonjour domains to enable service discovery and communication across different network segments and geographic locations.

How to configure multicast DNS mode for LAN and wired networks

This section provides information about how to configure Local Area Bonjour in multicast DNS mode.

Enable mDNS gateway on the device

Enable mDNS gateway functionality on the device to allow multicast DNS service discovery across network segments.

mDNS gateway enables devices to discover and communicate with services across different network segments using multicast DNS protocols.

Before you begin

Follow these steps to configure mDNS on the device:

Procedure

enable
Example:
```
Device> enable
```
Enables privileged EXEC mode.

Enter your password, if prompted.
configure terminal
Example:
```
Device# configure terminal
```
Enters global configuration mode.
mdns-sd gateway
Example:
```
Device(config)# mdns-sd gateway
```
Enables mDNS on the device and enters mDNS gateway configuration mode.

Enter the following commands in mDNS gateway configuration mode to enable the respective functionalities:
- air-print-helper : Enables IOS devices like iPADs to discover and use older printers that support Bonjour
- cache-memory-max : Configures the percentage memory for cache
- ingress-client : Configures Ingress Client Packet Tuners
- rate-limit : Enables rate limiting of incoming mDNS packets
- service-announcement-count : Configures maximum service advertisement count
- service-announcement-timer : Configures advertisements announce timer periodicity
- service-query-count : Configures maximum query count
- service-query-timer : Configures query forward timer periodicity
The following CLIs are effective only in service-peer mode:
- query-response
- sdg-agent
- service-announcement-count
- service-announcement-timer
- service-mdns-query
- service-query-count
- service-query-timer
- service-receiver-purge
- active-response
Note

For cache-memory-max , ingress-client , rate-limit , service-announcement-count , service-announcement-timer , service-query-count , and service-query-timer commands, you can retain the default value of the respective parameter for general deployments. Configure a different value, if required, for a specific deployment.
exit
Example:
```
Device(config-mdns-sd)# exit
```
Exits mDNS gateway configuration mode.

mDNS gateway is now enabled on the device and ready to facilitate multicast DNS service discovery across network segments.

Create custom service definition (GUI)

Create a custom service definition to define specific mDNS services that can be discovered and used within your network environment.

Custom service definitions allow you to specify particular service types that devices on your network can advertise and discover through mDNS (multicast Domain Name System). This is useful for managing which services are available for discovery in your network infrastructure.

Before you begin

Follow these steps to create custom service definition using GUI:

Procedure

Choose Configuration > Services > mDNS > Service Policy > Service Definition.
Click Add.
Enter the Service Definition Name and Description.
Enter the Service Type and click the + icon.
Click Apply to Device.

The custom service definition is created and applied to the device. The new service definition will be available for use in mDNS service policies and can be discovered by devices on the network.

Create custom service definition

Create a custom service definition to provide an admin-friendly name to one or more mDNS service types or PTR Resource Record Names.

Service definition is a construct that provides an admin friendly name to one or more mDNS service types or PTR Resource Record Name. By default, a few built-in service definitions are already predefined and available for admin to use. In addition to built-in service definitions, admin can also define custom service definitions.

Procedure

enable
Example:
```
Device> enable
```
Enables privileged EXEC mode.

Enter your password, if prompted.
configure terminal
Example:
```
Device# configure terminal
```
Enters global configuration mode.
mdns-sd service-definition service-definition-name
Example:
```
Device(config)# mdns-sd service-definition CUSTOM1
```
Configures mDNS service definition.

Note

All the created custom service definitions are added to the primary service list. Primary service list comprises of a list of custom and built-in service definitions.

service-type string

Example:

Device(config-mdns-ser-def)# service-type _custom1._tcp.local

Configures mDNS service type.

Repeat step 4 to configure more than one service type in the custom service definition.
exit
Example:
```
Device(config-mdns-ser-def)# exit
```
Exit mDNS service definition configuration mode.

The custom service definition is created and added to the primary service list, making it available for use in mDNS configurations.

Create a service list (GUI)

Create service lists to control mDNS service discovery by specifying which services are allowed or denied in the network.

Service lists provide a mechanism to filter mDNS services based on service types and message types, helping you manage service discovery traffic in your network.

Procedure

Choose Configuration > Services > mDNS > Service Policy > Service List.
Click Add.
Enter the Service List Name and choose the direction from the Direction drop-down list.
Click Add Service.
Choose the service from the Available Services drop-down list and the message type from the Message Type drop-down list.
Click Save.
Click Apply to Device.

The service list is created and applied to the device, enabling mDNS service filtering based on your configured parameters.

Create service list

Create an mDNS service list to organize service definitions and control service discovery traffic.

mDNS service list is a collection of service definitions. Use service lists to manage which services are allowed IN or OUT of specific network segments.

Before you begin

Follow these steps to create a service list:

Procedure

enable
Example:
```
Device> enable
```
Enables privileged EXEC mode.

Enter your password, if prompted.
configure terminal
Example:
```
Device# configure terminal
```
Enters global configuration mode.
mdns-sd service-list service-list-name {IN | OUT}
Example:
```
Device(config)# mdns-sd service-list VLAN100-list in
```
Configures mDNS service list.
match service-definition-name [message-type {any | announcement | query}]
Example:
```
Device(config-mdns-sl-in)# match PRINTER-IPPS message-type announcement
```
Matches the service to the message type. Here, service-definition-name refers to the names of services, such as, airplay, airserver, airtunes, and so on.

Note

To add a service, the service name must be part of the primary service list.

If the mDNS service list is set to IN, the applicable command syntax is: match service-definition-name [message-type {any | announcement | query}] .

If the mDNS service list is set to OUT, the applicable command syntax is: match service-definition-name [message-type {any | announcement | query}] [location-filter location-filter-name] [source-interface {mDNS-VLAN-number | mDNS-VLAN-range}] .
exit
Example:
```
Device(config-mdns-sl-in)# exit
```
Exits mDNS service list configuration mode.

The mDNS service list is created and configured with the specified service definitions and message types.

Create service policy (GUI)

Create a service policy to manage mDNS services and control service discovery between network segments.

Service policies define how mDNS services are handled across different network locations by specifying input and output service lists.

Procedure

Choose Configuration > Services > mDNS > Service Policy > Service Policy.
Click Add.
Enter the Service Policy Name.
Choose the service list input from the Service List Input drop-down list.
Choose the service list output from the Service List Output drop-down list.
Choose the location from the Location drop-down list.
Click Apply to Device.

The service policy is created and applied to the device. The mDNS service discovery is now controlled according to the configured policy parameters.

Create service policy

Create a service policy to specify allowed Bonjour service announcements or queries that should be processed IN ingress or egress directions.

A Service Policy that is applied to an interface specifies the allowed Bonjour service announcements or the queries of specific service types that should be processed, IN ingress direction or egress direction or both. For this, the service policy specifies two service-lists, one each for ingress and egress directions. IN the Local Area Bonjour domain, the same service policy can be attached to one or more Bonjour client VLANs; however, different VLANs may have different service policies.

Before you begin

Follow these steps to configure service policy with service lists:

Procedure

enable
Example:
```
Device> enable
```
Enables privileged EXEC mode.

Enter your password, if prompted.
configure terminal
Example:
```
Device# configure terminal
```
Enters global configuration mode.
mdns-sd service-policy service-policy-name
Example:
```
Device(config)# mdns-sd service-policy mdns-policy1
```
Configures mDNS service policy.

service-list service-list-name {IN | OUT}

Example:

Device(config-mdns-ser-pol)# service-list VLAN100-list in

Device(config-mdns-ser-pol)# service-list VLAN300-list out

Configures service lists for IN and OUT directions.

exit
Example:
```
Device(config-mdns-ser-pol)# exit
```
Exits mDNS service policy configuration mode.

The mDNS service policy is created and configured with service lists for ingress and egress directions.

Associate service policy to an interface

Associate a service policy to an interface to enable mDNS (multicast DNS) functionality and govern Bonjour announcements and queries.

mDNS configuration on the device requires associating service policies to interfaces to control Bonjour service behavior on VLANs.

Before you begin

Follow these steps to configure mDNS on the device:

Procedure

enable
Example:
```
Device> enable
```
Enables privileged EXEC mode.

Enter your password, if prompted.
configure terminal
Example:
```
Device# configure terminal
```
Enters global configuration mode.
interface interface-name
Example:
```
Device(config)# interface Vlan 601
```
Enters interface mDNS configuration mode and enables interface configuration.
mdns-sd gateway
Example:
```
Device(config-if)# mdns-sd gateway
```
Configures mDNS gateway on the interface.

Enter these commands in the interface mDNS gateway configuration mode to enable the respective functionalities:
- active-query : Sets the time interval for SDG agent to refresh the active status of connected Bonjour client services. The timer value ranges from 60 to 3600 seconds.
  
  Note
  
  This configuration is mandatory only on VLANs whose Bonjour policy is configured to accept Bonjour service announcements from connected Bonjour clients. If the VLAN is configured to only accept Bonjour queries but not Bonjour service announcements, this configuration is optional.
- service-instance-suffix (Optional) : Appends the service instance suffix to any announced service name that is forwarded to the controller.
- service-mdns-query [ PTR | all] : Configures mDNS query request message processing for the specified query types. This command is applicable when the controller is in service-peer mode.
  
  Note
  
  By default, the service-mdns-query command allows only PTR queries. If you need to respond to all (PTR, SRV, and TXT) queries, you need to execute this command:
  
  service-mdns-query all
- service-policy policy-name : Attaches the specified service policy to the VLAN. Bonjour announcements, and queries received by and sent from the VLAN are governed by the policies configured in the service policy. This configuration is mandatory for all VLANs.
  
  Note
  
  Service policies can only be attached at interface level.
- transport [ all | ipv4 | ipv6] (Optional): Configures BCP parameter.
  
  It is recommended to use transport ipv4 command, except in those networks where the Bonjour clients send only IPv6 announcements and queries.
exit
Example:
```
Device(config-if-mdns-sd)# exit
```
Exits mDNS gateway configuration mode.

The mDNS gateway is configured on the interface with the service policy attached. The interface can now process Bonjour announcements and queries according to the configured policies.

Local area Bonjour in multicast DNS mode for wireless networks

Local area Bonjour in multicast DNS mode is a service discovery framework that relies on mDNS messages transmitted over UDP port 5353 to facilitate communication between network endpoints.

Operates using service announcements and queries sent to mDNS IPv4 address 224.0.0.251 and IPv6 address FF02::FB.
Functions as a Layer 2 protocol, requiring clients to reside within the same Layer 2 domain for service discovery.
Requires transparent mDNS transmission support from intermediate WLCs to bridge wireless endpoints and SDG Agents.

Wireless Network Configuration Requirements

To enable mDNS communication between wireless endpoints and a Cisco Catalyst switch acting as an SDG Agent, perform the following configuration steps:

Disable mDNS Snooping on Cisco AireOS based WLCs.
Enable the mDNS Gateway feature on Cisco Catalyst 9800 series WLCs.
Set the AP Multicast Mode to Multicast.

The following figure illustrates the prerequisite configuration for wireless networks to enable communication between SDG-Agent switches and wireless endpoints.

Figure 1. Wireless Network Prerequisite Configuration

The configuration of local area Bonjour on a switch that acts as the SDG Agent in a wireless network involves the same set of procedures that are used to configure local area Bonjour on a switch that acts as the SDG Agent in a wired network.

The Bonjour protocol operates on service announcements and queries. Each query or advertisement is sent to the mDNS IPv4 address 224.0.0.251 and IPv6 address FF02::FB. The mDNS messages are carried over well-known industry standard UDP port 5353, over both Layer 3 transport types.

The Layer 2 address used by the Bonjour protocol is link-local multicast address and therefore it’s only forwarded to the same Layer 2 network. As multicast DNS (mDNS) is limited to a Layer 2 domain, for a client to discover a service, it has to be a part of the same Layer 2 domain. This isn’t always possible in a large-scale deployment or enterprise.

To enable mDNS communication between Wireless endpoints and Cisco Catalyst switch that acts as an SDG Agent, the intermediate WLC must transparently allow the network to transmit and receive mDNS messages.

Hence, for a Multicast DNS Mode Wireless network deployment, disable the mDNS Snooping on Cisco AireOS based WLC and enable mDNS Gateway feature on Cisco Catalyst 9800 series WLC and set the AP Multicast Mode to Multicast.

The Cisco WLC and Access Points by default prevent the forwarding of Layer 2 or Layer 3 Multicast frames between Wireless and Wired network infrastructure. The forwarding is supported with stateful capabilities enabled using AP Multicast. The network administrator must globally enable Multicast and configure a unique Multicast Group to advertise in the network. This multicast group is only required for Cisco Access Points to enable Multicast over Multicast (MCMC) capabilities across the LAN network. The Bonjour solution doesn’t require any Multicast requirements on Wireless Client VLAN; thus, it’s optional and applicable only for other Layer 3 Multicast applications.

The core network must be configured with appropriate Multicast routing to allow the Access Points to join WLC Multicast Group. The Multicast configuration must be enabled on Cisco WLC management VLAN and on the Cisco Access Points of their respective distribution layer switch.

Associate service policy with wireless profile policy

This task allows you to override the default mDNS service policy with a custom service policy of your choice.

A default mDNS service policy is already attached once the wireless profile policy is created. Use this procedure to override the default mDNS service policy with any of your service policy.

Before you begin

Follow these steps to associate service policy with wireless profile policy:

Procedure

enable
Example:
```
Device> enable
```
Enables privileged EXEC mode.

Enter your password, if prompted.
configure terminal
Example:
```
Device# configure terminal
```
Enters global configuration mode.
wireless profile policy profile-policy-name
Example:
```
Device(config)# wireless profile policy default-policy-profile
```
Configures wireless profile policy.
mdns-sd service-policy custom-mdns-service-policy
Example:
```
Device(config-wireless-policy)# mdns-sd service-policy custom-mdns-service-policy
```
Associates an mDNS service policy with the wireless profile policy.

The default mDNS service policy name is default-mdns-service-policy .
exit
Example:
```
Device(config-wireless-policy)# exit
```
Exits wireless profile policy configuration mode.

The custom mDNS service policy is now associated with the wireless profile policy, overriding the default service policy.

Configure wide area Bonjour domain

The Wide Area Bonjour domain configuration specifies the parameters of the controller, that is the Wide Area Bonjour Application running on Cisco Catalyst Center, as well as the service types that need to be exported to it from the SDG Agent. Configuring Wide Area Bonjour Domain involves creating service-lists and service policy similar to those created in Local Area Bonjour configuration; however, only egress policy from SDG Agent to controller is applicable.

Associate service policy with the controller in wide area Bonjour domain

This task enables the association of service policies with controllers in Wide Area Bonjour domains to manage service discovery and distribution across the network.

In Wide Area Bonjour, the service policy is configured globally and does not get associated with a VLAN as in the case of Local Area Bonjour.

Before you begin

Follow these steps to configure service policy globally:

Procedure

enable
Example:
```
Device> enable
```
Enables privileged EXEC mode.

Enter your password, if prompted.
configure terminal
Example:
```
Device# configure terminal
```
Enters global configuration mode.
service-export mdns-sd controller controller name
Example:
```
Device(config)# service-export mdns-sd controller Cisco Catalyst Center-BONJOUR-CONTROLLER
```
Specifies a name for the controller and enters service-export mode
controller-address ipv4-address
Example:
```
Device(config-mdns-sd-se)# controller-address 199.245.1.7
```
Specifies the controller address.
controller-port port-number
Example:
```
Device(config-mdns-sd-se)# controller-port 9991
```
Specifies the port number on which the controller is listening.
controller-source-interface interface-name
Example:
```
Device(config-mdns-sd-se)# controller-source-interface Loopback0
```
Specifies the source-interface for the controller.
controller-service-policy service-policy-name OUT
Example:
```
Device(config-mdns-sd-se)# controller-service-policy policy1 OUT
```
Specifies the service policy to be used by the controller.

Note

Only OUT policy is applicable for Wide Area Bonjour.
exit
Example:
```
Device(config-mdns-sd)# exit
```
Exits controller service export configuration mode.
mdns-sd gateway
Example:
```
Device(config)# mdns-sd gateway
```
Enters mDNS gateway configuration mode.
ingress-client query-suppression enable
Example:
```
Device(config-mdns-sd)# ingress-client query-suppression enable
```
Enables ingress query suppression for better scale and performance.
exit
Example:
```
Device(config-mdns-sd)# exit
```
Exits mDNS gateway configuration mode.

The service policy is successfully associated with the controller in the Wide Area Bonjour domain, enabling global service discovery management and ingress query suppression.

Configure HSRP-aware mDNS service-routing on SDG

Configure hot standby router protocol-aware (HSRP-aware) mDNS service-routing on SDG using the referenced configuration guides for Catalyst switch platforms.

For information, see these guides:

Configure HSRP-aware mDNS service-routing on service-peer

Configure HSRP-aware mDNS service-routing on service-peer to enable multicast DNS gateway functionality with hot standby router protocol awareness.

Use this procedure when you need to configure mDNS gateway in service-peer mode with HSRP awareness to provide redundancy and high availability for mDNS services.

Before you begin

Follow these steps to configure hot standby router protocol-aware mDNS service-routing on service-peer:

Procedure

configure terminal
Example:
```
Device# configure terminal
```
Enters global configuration mode.
mdns-sd gateway
Example:
```
Device(config)# mdns-sd gateway
```
Enables mDNS on the device and enters mDNS gateway configuration mode.
mode service-peer
Example:
```
Device(config-mdns-sd)# mode service-peer
```
Enables mDNS gateway in service-peer mode.
source-interface vlan vlan-interface-number
Example:
```
Device(config-mdns-sd)# source-interface vlan 23
```
Configures source interface to communicate between SDG Agent and service-peer.

Note

vlan-interface-number- The valid range is from1 to 4094.
SDG-agent IP-address
Example:
```
Device(config-mdns-sd)# sdg-agent 9.6.16.10
```
Configures SDG agent IPv4 or IPv6 address.

Note

The IP-address refers to the HSRP-enabled IP address.
end
Example:
```
Device(config-mdns-sd)# end
```
Exits server group configuration mode and enters privileged EXEC mode.

The device is configured with HSRP-aware mDNS service-routing on service-peer mode, enabling multicast DNS gateway functionality with hot standby router protocol support.

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