Examkin

Question

Difficulty: MediumWireless Principles and Architecture

A company operates several branch offices connected to a main data center where a centralized Wireless LAN Controller (WLC) resides. Following a WAN link outage at one branch, local wireless users at that site can still access local printers and file servers, even though their CAPWAP control connection to the WLC is temporarily down. Which operational mode must be configured on the branch lightweight access points (LAPs) to support local data switching when WLC reachability is lost?

  1. FlexConnect modeAnswer
  2. B
    Local mode
  3. C
    Monitor mode
  4. D
    Sniffer mode

Answer

FlexConnect mode
FlexConnect mode allows lightweight access points deployed at remote branch sites to locally switch user traffic onto the local VLAN without sending it across the CAPWAP data tunnel to the centralized controller. When the WAN link fails and controller reachability is lost, FlexConnect APs can operate in standalone mode, preserving local client connectivity.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the operational requirements of the branch office deployment
The branch access points must maintain local client traffic forwarding even when the WAN connection to the centralized Wireless LAN Controller fails.
Centralized WLC architectures typically tunnel all client data to the controller via CAPWAP, creating a dependency on WAN availability unless a localized switching mode is enabled.
2
Evaluate Cisco Lightweight Access Point (LAP) operational modes
FlexConnect mode (formerly known as HREAP) is specifically designed for remote branch deployments to allow local traffic switching at the AP level when the CAPWAP control tunnel to the centralized WLC drops.
In Local mode, an AP drops client associations if controller connection fails because all user data MUST pass through the CAPWAP tunnel.

Key Concept

Lightweight Access Point Operational Modes (FlexConnect vs Local)
Estimated Time:1m 15s
Rate this question

Topics

Wireless Principles and Architecture

More questions from this topic