The Cisco Wireless LAN Controller Configuration

A distribution system port connects the controller to a neighbor switch and serves as the data path between these two devices. This chapter discusses a few common methods on the models that have these options.

Cisco 4402 controllers have two Gigabit Ethernet distribution system ports, each of which is capable of managing up to 48 access points (AP). The Cisco 4404 controllers have four Gigabit Ethernet distribution system ports, each of which is capable of managing up to 48 APs per port. The 4404-25, 4404-50, and 4404-100 models allow a total of 25, 50, or 100 APs to join the controller.The Gigabit Ethernet ports on the 4402 and 4404 controllers accept these SX/LC/T small form-factor plug-in (SFP) modules:

• 1000BASE-SX SFP module which provide a 1000-Mbps wired connection to a network through an 850 nm (SX) fiber-optic link using an LC physical connector.

• 1000BASE-LX SFP module which provide a 1000-Mbps wired connection to a network through a 1300nm (LX/LH) fiber-optic link using an LC physical connector.

• 1000BASE-T SFP module which provide a 1000-Mbps wired connection to a network through a copper link using an RJ-45 physical connector.

The Cisco 5508 controllers have eight Gigabit Ethernet distribution system ports through which the controller can manage multiple APs. The 5508-12, 5508-25, 5508-50, 5508-100 and 5508-250 models allow for 12, 25, 50, 100 or 250 APs to join the controller. Cisco 5508 controllers have no restrictions on the number of APs per port. However, Cisco recommends using link aggregation (LAG) or configuring dynamic AP-Manager interfaces on each Gigabit Ethernet port to automatically balance the load. If more than 100 APs are connected to the 5500 series controller make sure that more than one Gigabit Ethernet interface is connected to the upstream switch. The Gigabit Ethernet ports on the 5508 controllers accept these SX/LC/T small form-factor plug-in (SFP) modules:

• 1000BASE-SX SFP module, which provide a 1000-Mbps wired connection to a network through an 850nM (SX) fiber-optic link using an LC physical connector

• 1000BASE-LX SFP module, which provide a 1000-Mbps wired connection to a network through a 1300nM(LX/LH) fiber-optic link using an LC physical connector

• 1000BASE-T SFP module, which provide a 1000-Mbps wired connection to a network through a copper link using an RJ-45 physical connector

The Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series Switch Wireless Integrated Services Module (WiSM) and the Cisco 7600 Series Router WiSM have eight internal Gigabit Ethernet distribution system ports (ports 1 through that connect the switch or router and the integrated controller.These internal ports are located on the backplane of the switch or router and are not visible on the front panel Through these ports the controller can support up to 300 APs.

The controller network module within the Cisco 28/37/38xx Series WiSM can support up to 6812 or 25 APs (and up to 256, 256, 350or 350 clients respectively), depending on the version of the network module. The network module supports these APs through a Fast Ethernet distribution system port (on the NM-AIR-WLC6-K9 6-access-point version) or a Gigabit Ethernet distribution system port (on the 8-, 12-, and 25-access-point versions and on the NME-AIR-WLC6-K9 6-access-point version) that connects the router and the integrated controller. This port is located on the router backplane and is not visible on the front panel.The Fast Ethernet port operates at speeds up to 100 Mbps, and the Gigabit Ethernet port operates at speeds up to 1 Gbps.

The Catalyst 3750G integrated Wireless LAN Controller(WLC) switch has two internal Gigabit Ethernet distribution system ports (ports 27 and 28) that connect the switch and the integrated controller.These internal ports are located on the switch backplane and are not visible on the front panel Each port is capable of managing up to 48 APs However, Cisco recommends no more than 25 APs per port due to bandwidth constraints. The -S25 and -$50 models allow a total of 25 or 50 APs to join the controller.

Each distribution system port is, by default, an 802.1 Q VLAN trunk port. The VLAN trunking characteristics of the port are not configurable. Some controllers support LAG, which bundles all the distribution system ports of the controller into a single 802.3ad port channel. Cisco 4400 series controllers support LAG in software Releases 3.2 and later; Cisco 5500 series controllers Support LAG in software Releases 6.0 and later; and LAG is enabled automatically on the controllers within the Cisco WiSM and the Catalyst 3750G integrated WLC switch.

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