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Configuring APs 209
Nortel WLAN—Security Switch 2300 Series Configuration Guide
Establishing connectivity on the network
When an AP is first powered on, its bootloader obtains an IP address for the AP. The IP address is either obtained
through DHCP (the default) or can be statically configured on the AP.
How a distributed AP obtains an IP address through DHCP
By default, a distributed AP obtains its IP address through DHCP. The AP brings up the link on the AP’s port 1 and
attempts the boot process outlined below.
1 The AP sends a DHCP Discover message from the AP’s port 1 to the broadcast address.
2 If a DHCP server is present on the subnet or through a router configured to relay DHCP, the server replies
with a unicast DHCP Offer message. The Offer message must contain the following parameters:
● IP address for the AP
● Domain name of the network
● IP address of the network’s DNS server
● IP address of the subnet’s default router (gateway)
Optionally, the DHCP Offer message can also contain a list of WSS IP addresses or hostnames, in the
Option 43 field.
3 The AP broadcasts a DHCP Request to the DHCP servers, and receives an Ack from a DHCP server. The
AP then configures its network connection with the information contained in the Ack message from that
server.
Static IP address configuration for distributed APs
In cases where DHCP is not available, you can manually assign IP address information to a Distributed AP. This infor-
mation is configured through the CLI.
You can configure the following information for a Distributed AP:
A IP address, subnet mask, default router, and whether the configured static IP address information is
enabled for the AP.
B The IP address of a suitable WSS for the AP to use as a boot device.
C The fully qualified domain name of a WSS to use as a boot device, and the IP address of a DNS server
used to resolve the WSS’s name.
These items are referred to by letter in the description of how the AP contacts a WSS in “How a distributed AP contacts
a WSS (statically configured address)” (page 211). If the AP does not have static IP address information configured, or
its static IP configuration is disabled, then the AP obtains its IP address through DHCP.
Contacting a WSS
After the AP has an IP address, it attempts to contact a WSS on the network. The method used for contacting a WSS
depends on whether the AP’s IP address was obtained through DHCP or was configured statically.
How a distributed AP contacts a WSS (DHCP-obtained address)
1 If the DHCP Offer message contained WSS IP addresses or hostnames in the Option 43 field, the AP
proceeds as follows: