Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controller Software Configuration Guide, Cisco IOS XE 26.1.x

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Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controller Software Configuration Guide, Cisco IOS XE 26.1.x

WMI Configuration Tasks

Updated: April 10, 2026

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Details essential configuration tasks for the Wireless Management Interface, including VLAN migration, sample interface configurations, step-by-step CLI setup for controllers, and verification of interface settings for optimal performance.

Migrate VLANs safely for wireless management

Safely migrate from VLAN A to VLAN B for wireless management, ensuring all devices—including those behind Workgroup Bridges (WGB)—continue to correctly receive multicast traffic.

Caution

Do not remove VLAN A or SVI A before creating VLAN B or SVI B and associating SVI B with WMI. This sequence is critical to prevent multicast traffic issues.

Procedure

1.

Create VLAN B on the relevant network switches.
2.

Configure SVI B (Switched Virtual Interface for VLAN B).
3.

Associate SVI B with the WMI interface.
4.

Verify multicast traffic is flowing correctly to all devices, including those behind WGBs.
5.

Once functionality is confirmed, remove VLAN A from the network configuration.
6.

Delete SVI A (Switched Virtual Interface for the old VLAN).
7.

Document changes and monitor for any multicast or connectivity issues.
The VLANs are migrated, and multicast traffic is properly received by all devices, including those behind WGBs.

Sample interface configuration

Layer 3 interface configuration:


                    interface GigabitEthernet2
                    no switchport
                    ip address <ip_address> <mask>
                    negotiation auto
                    no mop enabled
                    no mop sysid
                    end

Layer 2 interface configuration:


                    interface GigabitEthernet2
                    switchport trunk allowed vlan 25,169,504
                    switchport mode trunk
                    negotiation auto
                    no mop enabled
                    no mop sysid
                    end

Configure the WMI interface of a controller (CLI)

Configure the WMI interface on a controller using the CLI.

Set up a controller, and assign a dedicated VLAN and interface for wireless management.

The examples assume the GigabitEthernet 2 interface connects to a trunk interface and that you want to configure multiple VLANs and dedicate one of them for the WMI interface.

Before you begin

  • Ensure you have physical console access (for the Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controller Appliance) or a virtual console access (Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controller for Cloud).

  • Determine your management VLAN, interface IP address, and credentials.

Procedure

1.

Access the CLI using Video Graphics Array(VGA) or monitor console from your preferred hypervisor.
2.

Terminate the configuration wizard.


Would you like to enter the initial configuration dialog? [yes/no]:
 no
Would you like to terminate autoinstall? [yes]:
 yes
3.

Enter the global configuration mode and configure the login credentials.


Device# conf t
Enter configuration commands, one per line.  End with CNTL/Z.
Device(config)# username <name> privilege 15 password <yourpwd>
4.

Set a hostname.

Device(config)# hostname C9800
5.

Configure the VLAN for the wireless management interface.


Device(config)# vlan 201
Device(config-vlan)# name wireless_management
6.

Configure the Layer 3 SVI for wireless management interface.


Device(config)# int vlan 201
Device(config-if)# description wireless-management-interface
Device(config-if)# ip address 172.16.201.21 255.255.255.192
Device(config-if)# no shutdown
7.

Configure an interface as trunk and allow the wireless management VLAN.


Device(config-if)# interface GigabitEthernet2  
Device(config-if)# switchport mode trunk
Device(config-if)# switchport trunk allowed vlan 201,210,211
Device(config-if)# shut
Device(config-if)# no shut
Note

VLANs 210 and 211 are added to the trunk to carry client traffic.
8.

Configure a default route or a more specific route to reach the device.


Device(config-if)# ip route 0.0.0.0 0.0.0.0 172.16.201.1

The controller is configured with a dedicated wireless management VLAN and SVI. You can access the device using SSH, telnet, or GUI. You can use the Cisco Catalyst Center or Cisco Prime Infrastructure to continue with the Day 0 configuration.

Verify WMI Settings

Verify if the Layer 3 interface is configured correctly.

Device# show run int vlan 201

Building configuration...

Current configuration : 128 bytes
!
interface Vlan201
 description wireless-management-interface
 ip address 172.16.201.21 255.255.255.0
 no mop enabled
 no mop sysid
end

Verify if the wireless management VLAN is active on the uplink to the network. In this case, the uplink is a trunk interface, so the VLAN needs to be active and forwarding state.

Device# show interfaces trunk

Port        Mode             Encapsulation  Status        Native vlan  
Gi2         on               802.1q         trunking      1
.....
Port        Vlans allowed on trunk
Gi2         201,210-211
.....
Port        Vlans allowed and active in management domain
Gi2         201,210-211
....
Port        Vlans in spanning tree forwarding state and not pruned
Gi2         201,210-211
....

Verify if the wireless management interface is up.


Device# show ip int brief | i Vlan201
Vlan201   172.16.201.21  YES NVRAM  up  up

Verify if the selected interface has been configured as wireless management.

Device# show wireless interface summary

Wireless Interface Summary

Interface Name Interface Type VLAN ID IP Address     IP Netmask   NAT-IP Address MAC Address
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Vlan201       Management       201   172.16.201.21  255.255.255.0  0.0.0.0      001e.e51c.a7ff