CCNA Day 56
Wireless Architectures
[Link]
Things we’ll cover
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802.11 messages/frame format
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Autonomous APs
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Lightweight APs
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Cloud-based APs
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Wireless LAN Controller (WLC) Deployments
[Link]
802.11 Frame Format
variable
2 bytes 2 bytes 6 bytes 6 bytes 6 bytes 2 bytes 6 bytes 2 bytes 4 bytes size 4 bytes
Frame Duration/ Address Address Address Sequence Address Frame
QoS HT Body FCS
Control ID 1 2 3 Control 4 Control Control (Packet)
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802.11 frames have a different format than 802.3 Ethernet frames.
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For the CCNA, you don’t have to learn it in as much detail as the Ethernet and IP headers.
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Depending on the 802.11 version and the message type, some of the fields might not be present in the
frame.
→ For example, not all messages use all 4 address fields.
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Frame Control: Provides information such as the message type and subtype.
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Duration/ID: Depending on the message type, this field can indicate:
→ the time (in microseconds) the channel will be dedicated for transmission of the frame.
→ and identifier for the association (connection).
[Link]
802.11 Frame Format
variable
2 bytes 2 bytes 6 bytes 6 bytes 6 bytes 2 bytes 6 bytes 2 bytes 4 bytes size 4 bytes
Frame Duration/ Address Address Address Sequence Address Frame
QoS HT Body FCS
Control ID 1 2 3 Control 4 Control Control (Packet)
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Addresses: Up to four addresses can be present in an 802.11 frame. Which addresses are present, and their
order, depends on the message type.
→ Destination Address (DA): Final recipient of the frame
→ Source Address (SA): Original sender of the frame
→ Receiver Address (RA): Immediate recipient of the frame
→ Transmitter Address (TA): Immediate sender of the frame
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Sequence Control: Used to reassemble fragments and eliminate duplicate frames.
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QoS Control: Used in QoS to prioritize certain traffic.
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HT (High Throughput) Control: Added in 802.11n to enable High Throughput operations.
→ 802.11n is also known as ‘High Throughput’ (HT) Wi-Fi
→ 802.11ac is also known as ‘Very High Throughput’ (VHT) Wi-Fi
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FCS (Frame Check Sequence): Same as in an Ethernet frame, used to check for errors.
[Link]
802.11 Association Process
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Access Points bridge traffic between wireless stations and other devices.
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For a station to send traffic through the AP, it must be associated with the AP.
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There are three 802.11 connection states:
→ Not authenticated, not associated.
→ Authenticated, not associated.
→ Authenticated and associated.
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The station must be authenticated and associated with the AP to send traffic through it.
There are two ways a station can scan for a BSS:
probe request →Active scanning: The station sends probe requests
and listens for a probe response from an AP.
probe response
→ Passive scanning: The station listens for beacon
messages from an AP.
authentication request Beacon messages are sent periodically by APs to
advertise the BSS.
authentication response
association request
association response
[Link]
802.11 Message Types
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There are three 802.11 message types:
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Management: used to manage the BSS.
→ Beacon
→ Probe request, probe response
→ Authentication
→ Association request, association response
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Control: Used to control access to the medium (radio frequency). Assists with delivery of management
and data frames.
→RTS (Request to Send)
→CTS (Clear to Send)
→ACK
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Data: Used to send actual data packets.
[Link]
802.11 Messages Overview
variable
2 bytes 2 bytes 6 bytes 6 bytes 6 bytes 2 bytes 6 bytes 2 bytes 4 bytes size 4 bytes
Frame Duration/ Address Address Address Sequence Address Frame
QoS HT Body FCS
Control ID 1 2 3 Control 4 Control Control (Packet)
There are two ways a station can scan for a BSS:
→Active scanning: The station sends probe requests
and listens for a probe response from an AP.
probe request
→ Passive scanning: The station listens for beacon
probe response messages from an AP.
Beacon messages are sent periodically by APs to
authentication request advertise the BSS.
authentication response
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There are three 802.11 message types:
association request ●
Management
●
Control
association response ●
Data
[Link]
Autonomous APs
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There are three main wireless AP deployment methods:
→ Autonomous
→ Lightweight
→ Cloud-based
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Autonomous APs are self-contained systems that don’t rely on a WLC.
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Autonomous APs are configured individually.
→ Can be configured by console cable (CLI), telnet/SSH (CLI), or HTTP/HTTPS web
connection (GUI).
→ An IP address for remote management should be configured.
→ The RF parameters must be manually configured (transmit power, channel, etc.)
→ Security policies are handled individually by each AP.
→ QoS rules etc. are configured individually on each AP.
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There is no central monitoring or management of APs.
[Link]
Autonomous APs
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Autonomous APs connect to the wired network with a trunk
link.
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Data traffic from wireless clients has a very direct path to
Trunk:
VLAN10 (wlan10) the wired network or to other wireless clients associated
VLAN20 (wlan 20) with the same AP.
VLAN99 (management)
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Each VLAN has to stretch across the entire network. This
is considered bad practice.
→ Large broadcast domains
→ Spanning tree will disable links
→ Adding/deleting VLANs is very labor-intensive
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Autonomous APs can be used in small networks, but they
are not viable in medium to large networks.
→ Large networks can have thousands of APs.
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Autonomous APs can also function in the modes covered in
SSID: wlan10
the previous video: Repeater, Outdoor Bridge, Workgroup
Bridge.
SSID: wlan20
[Link]
Lightweight APs
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The functions of an AP can be split between the AP and a Wireless LAN Controller (WLC).
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Lightweight APs handle ‘real-time’ operations like transmitting/receiving RF traffic,
encryption/decryption of traffic, sending out beacons/probes, etc.
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Other functions are carried out by a WLC, for example RF management, security/QoS
management, client authentication, client association/roaming management, etc.
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This is called split-MAC architecture.
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The WLC is also use to centrally configure the lightweight APs.
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The WLC can be located in the same subnet/VLAN as the lightweight APs it manages, or in
a different subnet/VLAN.
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The WLC and the lightweight APs authenticate each other using digital certificates installed
on each device (X.509 standard certificates).
→This ensures that only authorized APs can join the network.
[Link]
Lightweight APs
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The WLC and lightweight APs use a protocol called CAPWAP
(Control And Provisioning Of Wireless Access Points) to
communicate.
→Based on an older protocol called LWAPP (Lightweight Access
Point Protocol).
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Two tunnels are created between each AP and the WLC:
→Control tunnel (UDP port 5246). This tunnel is used to
configure the APs, and control/manage the operations. All traffic
in this tunnel is encrypted by default.
→Data tunnel (UDP port 5247). All traffic from wireless clients is
nels
ls
ls sent through this tunnel to the WLC. It does not go directly to
tun ls
ne
ne
e
PW unn
n the wired network.
AP tun
tu
AP
t
Traffic in this tunnel is not encrypted by default, but you can
AP
AP
PW
W
CA configure it to be encrypted with DTLS (Datagram Transport
AP
CAPW
Layer Security).
CA
C
●
Because all traffic from wireless clients is tunneled to the WLC
with CAPWAP, APs connect to switch access ports, not trunk
ports.
SSID: wlan10
SSID: wlan20
[Link]
Lightweight APs / Autonomous APs
Trunk:
VLAN10 (wlan10)
VLAN20 (wlan 20)
CA VLAN99 (management)
PW
AP
tun
ne
ls
SSID: wlan10 SSID: wlan10
SSID: wlan20 SSID: wlan20
[Link]
Lightweight APs
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There are some key benefits to split-MAC archictecture, here are a
few:
→Scalability: With a WLC (or multiple in very large networks) it’s
much simpler to build and support a network with thousands of APs.
→Dynamic channel assignment: The WLC can automatically select
which channel each AP should use.
→Transmit power optimization: The WLC can automatically set the
appropriate transmit power for each AP.
→Self-healing wireless coverage: When an AP stops functioning,
the WLC can increase the transmit power of nearby APs to avoid
coverage holes.
nels
ls
ls
tun ls
→Seamless roaming: Clients can roam between APs with no
ne
ne
e
PW unn
n noticeable delay.
AP tun
tu
AP
t
→Client load balancing: If a client is in range of two APs, the WLC
AP
AP
PW can associate the client with the least-used AP, to balance the load
W
CA
AP
CAPW
among APs.
CA
C
→Security/QoS management: Central management of security and
QoS policies ensures consistency across the network.
SSID: wlan10
SSID: wlan20
[Link]
Lightweight APs
●
Lightweight APs can be configured to operate in various modes:
→Local: This is the default mode where the AP offers a BSS (more multiple BSSs) for clients to associate with.
→FlexConnect: Like a lightweight AP in Local mode, it offers one or more BSSs for clients to associate with.
However, FlexConnect allows the AP to locally switch traffic between the wired and wireless networks if the
tunnels to the WLC go down.
[Link]
FlexConnect
x
CA
PW
AP
tun
ne
ls
SSID: wlan10 SSID: wlan10
SSID: wlan20 SSID: wlan20
[Link]
Lightweight APs
●
Lightweight APs can be configured to operate in various modes:
→Local: This is the default mode where the AP offers a BSS (more multiple BSSs) for clients to associate with.
→FlexConnect: Like a lightweight AP in Local mode, it offers one or more BSSs for clients to associate with.
However, FlexConnect allows the AP to locally switch traffic between the wired and wireless networks if the
tunnels to the WLC go down.
→Sniffer: The AP does not offer a BSS for clients. It is dedicated to capturing 802.11 frames and sending them to
a device running software such as Wireshark.
→Monitor: The AP does not offer a BSS for clients. It is dedicated to receiving 802.11 frames to detect rogue
devices. If a client is found to be a rogue device, an AP can send de-authentication messages to disassociate the
rogue device from the AP.
→Rogue Detector: The AP does not even use its radio. It listens to traffic on the wired network only, but it
receives a list of suspected rogue clients and AP MAC addresses from the WLC. By listening to ARP messages
on the wired network and correlating it with the information it receives from the WLC, it can detect rogue devices.
→SE-Connect (Spectrum Expert Connect): The AP does not offer a BSS for clients. It is dedicated to RF
spectrum analysis on all channels. It can send information to software such as Cisco Spectrum Expert on a PC to
collect and analyze the data.
[Link]
Lightweight APs
→Bridge/Mesh: Like the autonomous AP’s Outdoor Bridge mode, the lightweight AP can be a dedicated bridge
between sites, even over long distances. A mesh can be made between the access points.
Bridge/Mesh
Bridge/Mesh
Bridge/Mesh
[Link]
Lightweight APs
→Bridge/Mesh: Like the autonomous AP’s Outdoor Bridge, the lightweight AP can be a dedicated bridge between
sites, for example over long distances. A mesh can be made between the access points.
●
→Flex plus Bridge: Adds FlexConnect functionality to the Bridge/Mesh mode. Allows wireless access points to
locally forward traffic even if connectivity to the WLC is lost.
Bridge/Mesh Bridge/Mesh
Bridge/Mesh
Bridge/Mesh
[Link] Bridge/Mesh
Lightweight APs
●
Lightweight APs can be configured to operate in various modes:
→Local: This is the default mode where the AP offers a BSS (more multiple BSSs) for clients to associate with.
→FlexConnect: Like a lightweight AP in Local mode, it offers one or more BSSs for clients to associate with.
However, FlexConnect allows the AP to locally switch traffic between the wired and wireless networks if the
tunnels to the WLC go down.
→Sniffer: The AP does not offer a BSS for clients. It is dedicated to capturing 802.11 frames and sending them to
a device running software such as Wireshark.
→Monitor: The AP does not offer a BSS for clients. It is dedicated to receiving 802.11 frames to detect rogue
devices. If a client is found to be a rogue device, it can send de-authentication messages to disassociate them
from their AP.
→Rogue Detector: The AP does not even use its radio. It listens to traffic on the wired network only, but it
receives a list of suspected rogue clients and AP MAC addresses from the WLC. By listening to ARP messages
on the wired network and correlating it with the information it receives from the WLC, it can detect rogue devices.
→SE-Connect (Spectrum Expert Connect): The AP does not offer a BSS for clients. It is dedicated to RF
spectrum analysis on all channels. It can send information to software such as Cisco Spectrum Expert on a PC to
collect and analyze the data.
→Bridge/Mesh: Like the autonomous AP’s Outdoor Bridge, the lightweight AP can be a dedicated bridge between
sites, for example over long distances. A mesh can be made between the access points.
→Flex plus Bridge: Adds FlexConnect functionality to the Bridge/Mesh mode. Allows wireless access points to
locally forward traffic even if connectivity to the WLC is lost.
[Link]
Cloud-based APs
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Cloud-Based AP architecture is in between autonomous AP and split-MAC architecture.
→Autonomous APs that are centrally managed in the cloud.
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Cisco Meraki is a popular cloud-based Wi-Fi solution.
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The Meraki dashboard can be used to configure APs, monitor the network, generate
performance reports, etc.
→Meraki also tells each AP which channel to use, what transmit power, etc.
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However, data traffic is not sent to the cloud. It is sent directly to the wired network like when
using autonomous APs.
→Only management/control traffic is sent to the cloud.
[Link]
Autonomous APs
INTERNET
Trunk:
VLAN10 (wlan10)
VLAN20 (wlan 20)
VLAN99 (management)
RF spectrum information,
management information, etc.
SSID: wlan10
Regular traffic
SSID: wlan20
[Link]
Cloud-based APs
[Link]
Cisco_Meraki_Best_Practice_Design/Meraki_Cloud_Architecture
[Link]
WLC Deployments
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In a split-MAC architecture, there are four main WLC deployment models:
→ Unified: The WLC is a hardware appliance in a central location of the network.
→ Cloud-based: The WLC is a VM running on a server, usually in a private cloud in a data
center. This is not the same as the cloud-based AP architecture dicussed
previously.
→ Embedded: The WLC is integrated within a switch.
→ Mobility Express: The WLC is integrated within an AP.
[Link]
Unified WLC
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The WLC is a hardware appliance deployed in a central location
of the network.
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A unified WLC can support up to about 6000 APs.
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If more than 6000 APs are needed, additional WLCs can be
added to the network.
SSID: wlan10
SSID: wlan20
[Link]
Cloud-based WLC
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The WLC is a VM running on a server, typically in a
private cloud in a data center.
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Cloud-based WLCs can typically support up to about
3000 APs.
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If more than 3000 APs are needed, more WLC VMs
can be deployed.
SSID: wlan10
SSID: wlan20
[Link]
Embedded WLC
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The WLC is embedded within a switch.
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An embedded WLC can support up to about 200 APs.
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If more than 200 APs are needed, more switches with
embedded WLCs can be added.
SSID: wlan10
SSID: wlan20
[Link]
Cisco Mobility Express WLC
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The WLC is embedded within an AP.
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A Mobility Express WLC can support up to about 100
APs.
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If more than 100 APs are needed, more APs with
embedded Mobility Express WLCs can be added.
SSID: wlan10
SSID: wlan20
[Link]
WLC Deployments
●
In a split-MAC architecture, there are four main WLC deployment models:
→ Unified: The WLC is a hardware appliance in a central location of the network.
*supports about 6000 APs
→ Cloud-based: The WLC is a VM running on a server, usually in a private cloud in a data
center. This is not the same as the cloud-based AP architecture dicussed
previously.
*supports about 3000 APs
→ Embedded: The WLC is integrated within a switch.
*supports about 200 APs
→ Mobility Express: The WLC is integrated within an AP.
*supports about 100 APs
[Link]
Things we covered
●
802.11 messages/frame format
●
Autonomous APs
●
Lightweight APs
●
Cloud-based APs
●
Wireless LAN Controller (WLC) Deployments
[Link]
Quiz 1
What kind of message is an 802.11 Probe Request?
a) Data
b) Control
c) Management
d) Beacon
[Link]
Quiz 2
Which of the following AP types are centrally managed? (select two)
a) Autonomous
b) WGB
c) Lightweight
d) Cloud-based
[Link]
Quiz 3
Which of the following AP types uses the CAPWAP protocol?
a) Autonomous
b) WGB
c) Lightweight
d) Cloud-based
[Link]
Quiz 4
Which of the following lightweight AP modes offer a BSS for clients? (select two)
a) Local
b) Sniffer
c) FlexConnect
d) Rogue Detector
[Link]
Quiz 5
Which of the following WLC deployments supports the greatest number of APs?
a) Embedded
b) Cloud-based
c) Mobility Express
d) Unified
[Link]