Description: This MIB is intended to be implemented on all those devices operating as Central Controllers (CC) that terminate the Light Weight Access Point Protocol tunnel from Cisco Light-weight LWAPP Access Points.

This MIB helps to manage the WLANs on the controller.

The relationship between CC and the LWAPP APs can be depicted as follows:

+......+ +......+ +......+ +......+ + + + + + + + + + CC + + CC + + CC + + CC + + + + + + + + + +......+ +......+ +......+ +......+ .. . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +......+ +......+ +......+ +......+ +......+ + + + + + + + + + + + AP + + AP + + AP + + AP + + AP + + + + + + + + + + + +......+ +......+ +......+ +......+ +......+ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +......+ +......+ +......+ +......+ +......+ + + + + + + + + + + + MN + + MN + + MN + + MN + + MN + + + + + + + + + + + +......+ +......+ +......+ +......+ +......+

The LWAPP tunnel exists between the controller and the APs. The MNs communicate with the APs through the protocol defined by the 802.11 standard.

LWAPP APs, upon bootup, discover and join one of the controllers and the controller pushes the configuration, that includes the WLAN parameters, to the LWAPP APs. The APs then encapsulate all the 802.11 frames from wireless clients inside LWAPP frames and forward the LWAPP frames to the controller.

GLOSSARY

Access Point ( AP )

An entity that contains an 802.11 medium access control ( MAC ) and physical layer ( PHY ) interface and provides access to the distribution services via the wireless medium for associated clients.

LWAPP APs encapsulate all the 802.11 frames in LWAPP frames and sends it to the controller to which it is logically connected to.

Central Controller ( CC )

The central entity that terminates the LWAPP protocol tunnel from the LWAPP APs. Throughout this MIB, this entity also referred to as 'controller'.

Light Weight Access Point Protocol ( LWAPP )

This is a generic protocol that defines the communication between the Access Points and the controllers.

Mobile Node ( MN )

A roaming 802.11 wireless device in a wireless network associated with an access point.

REFERENCE

[1] Wireless LAN Medium Access Control ( MAC ) and Physical Layer ( PHY ) Specifications.

[2] Draft-obara-capwap-lwapp-00.txt, IETF Light Weight Access Point Protocol