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Difficulty: MediumAP and WLC Management Access Connections

A network administrator is deploying Cisco Lightweight Access Points (APs) operating in Local mode across an enterprise network. The APs must establish CAPWAP tunnels back to a central Wireless LAN Controller (WLC) whose Management interface resides on VLAN 10. The switch ports connected to the APs are configured as access ports assigned to VLAN 20, where an infrastructure DHCP server provides IP addressing along with DHCP Option 43. A junior engineer proposes reconfiguring all AP switch ports as 802.1Q trunk ports with PortFast enabled.

Which statement accurately evaluates this switchport configuration recommendation for Local mode AP access?

  1. Local mode APs transmit and receive management traffic as untagged frames, making access ports in the AP management VLAN standard; configuring 802.1Q trunks is unnecessary unless FlexConnect mode with local VLAN mapping is used.Answer
  2. B
    Local mode APs require 802.1Q trunking on their switch ports so that client traffic from multiple wireless SSIDs can be tagged and switched locally onto corresponding switch VLANs.
  3. C
    Configuring PortFast on an 802.1Q trunk connected to an AP is mandatory because Spanning Tree Protocol would otherwise block CAPWAP discovery broadcast packets permanently.
  4. D
    The native VLAN configured on the AP switch port must be changed to match VLAN 10 so that CAPWAP packets bypass Layer 3 routing and reach the WLC Management interface directly.

Answer

Local mode APs transmit and receive management traffic as untagged frames, making access ports in the AP management VLAN standard; configuring 802.1Q trunks is unnecessary unless FlexConnect mode with local VLAN mapping is used.
In Cisco centralized wireless architecture, an AP in Local mode tunnels all wireless client traffic to the Wireless LAN Controller using CAPWAP. The AP itself only needs a single IP address on an untagged access port (or untagged native VLAN) within its management VLAN to establish communication with the WLC. Configuring an 802.1Q trunk on the AP switch port is unnecessary for Local mode APs and is primarily used when deploying APs in FlexConnect mode with local VLAN switching.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the operational mode of the Cisco Lightweight Access Point.
The AP operates in Local mode, which means all user traffic is encapsulated within CAPWAP data tunnels and sent directly to the Wireless LAN Controller (WLC).
Local mode APs do not switch wireless client traffic locally onto the switch.
2
Determine the interface and VLAN requirement for the AP switch connection.
The AP only requires a single Layer 3 IP address to establish a CAPWAP control and data tunnel to the WLC Management interface.
Because all wireless SSID traffic is tunneled to the WLC, multiple VLAN tags do not pass over the physical switch link connected to a Local mode AP.
3
Evaluate the necessity of 802.1Q trunking vs access ports.
An access port assigned to the AP management VLAN (VLAN 20) is sufficient and recommended. 802.1Q trunks are typically only required when APs are operating in FlexConnect mode with local traffic switching across multiple VLANs.
Configuring trunks for Local mode APs adds unnecessary complexity and potential misconfigurations.

Key Concept

Lightweight AP and WLC Management Interconnects (Local vs FlexConnect AP Modes)
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Topics

AP and WLC Management Access Connections

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