Conductor Election and Virtual Controller
Instant does not require an external Mobility Controller to regulate and manage the Wi-Fi Wi-Fi is a technology that allows electronic devices to connect to a WLAN network, mainly using the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz radio bands. Wi-Fi can apply to products that use any 802.11 standard. network. Instead, every Instant AP in the same broadcast domain automatically organizes together to create a virtual controller for the network. The virtual controller represents a control interface that regulates and manages a Wi-Fi Wi-Fi is a technology that allows electronic devices to connect to a WLAN network, mainly using the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz radio bands. Wi-Fi can apply to products that use any 802.11 standard. network at a single installation location, performing configuration and firmware management of all its member access points. The virtual controller architecture also ensures that a single AP sets up and manages the VPN Virtual Private Network. VPN enables secure access to a corporate network when located remotely. It enables a computer to send and receive data across shared or public networks as if it were directly connected to the private network, while benefiting from the functionality, security, and management policies of the private network. This is done by establishing a virtual point-to-point connection through the use of dedicated connections, encryption, or a combination of the two. tunnel
The main capabilities supported by the virtual controller are listed below:
- Acts as a central point of configuration. The configuration is distributed to other Instant APs in a network.
- Provides DHCP Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol. A network protocol that enables a server to automatically assign an IP address to an IP-enabled device from a defined range of numbers configured for a given network. servers to the cluster.
- Provides VPN Virtual Private Network. VPN enables secure access to a corporate network when located remotely. It enables a computer to send and receive data across shared or public networks as if it were directly connected to the private network, while benefiting from the functionality, security, and management policies of the private network. This is done by establishing a virtual point-to-point connection through the use of dedicated connections, encryption, or a combination of the two. tunnels to a Mobility Controller.
- Provides Central, AirWave, and Activate interaction.
Conductor Election Protocol
The Conductor Election Protocol enables the Instant network to dynamically elect an Instant AP to take on a virtual controller role and allow graceful failover to a new virtual controller when the existing virtual controller is not available. The election beacons are broadcast and unicast L2 frames are used between the virtual controller and the member Instant APs. This protocol ensures stability of the network during initial startup or when the virtual controller goes down by allowing only one Instant AP to self-elect as a virtual controller. When an existing virtual controller is down, a new virtual controller is elected by the conductor election protocol. This protocol is initiated by any non-virtual controller Instant AP that no longer receives beacon frames from an active virtual controller.
An Instant AP is elected as a conductor by one of the following methods:
- Enforced—In this method, Instant APs in preferred, 3G Third Generation of Wireless Mobile Telecommunications Technology. See W-CDMA./4G Fourth Generation of Wireless Mobile Telecommunications Technology. See LTE. uplink, mesh portal, or stand-alone mode are elected as the conductor. However Instant APs in mesh point, or hierarchy down side mode are not elected as the conductor.
- Random Intervals—In this method, a quick Instant AP election takes place when the Instant APs boot. A re-election takes place when the existing conductor Instant AP is down. This results in random election of a conductor Instant AP.
- Versus Policy—This is a method by which multiple Instant APs in a cluster are competing with each other to become a conductor. The Instant AP with higher priority, higher uptime or a bigger MAC Media Access Control. A MAC address is a unique identifier assigned to network interfaces for communications on a network. address becomes the conductor. The Instant AP with lesser priority, lesser uptime or a smaller MAC Media Access Control. A MAC address is a unique identifier assigned to network interfaces for communications on a network. address becomes the member.
Preference to an Instant AP with 3G/4G Card
The Conductor Election Protocol prefers the Instant AP with a 3G Third Generation of Wireless Mobile Telecommunications Technology. See W-CDMA./4G Fourth Generation of Wireless Mobile Telecommunications Technology. See LTE. card when electing a virtual controller for the Instant network during the initial setup.
The virtual controller is selected based on the following criteria:
- If there is more than one Instant AP with 3G Third Generation of Wireless Mobile Telecommunications Technology. See W-CDMA./4G Fourth Generation of Wireless Mobile Telecommunications Technology. See LTE. cards, one of these Instant APs is dynamically elected as the virtual controller.
- When an Instant AP without 3G Third Generation of Wireless Mobile Telecommunications Technology. See W-CDMA./4G Fourth Generation of Wireless Mobile Telecommunications Technology. See LTE. card is elected as the virtual controller but is up for less than 5 minutes, another Instant AP with 3G Third Generation of Wireless Mobile Telecommunications Technology. See W-CDMA./4G Fourth Generation of Wireless Mobile Telecommunications Technology. See LTE. card in the network is elected as the virtual controller to replace it and the previous virtual controller reboots.
- When an Instant AP without 3G Third Generation of Wireless Mobile Telecommunications Technology. See W-CDMA./4G Fourth Generation of Wireless Mobile Telecommunications Technology. See LTE. card is already elected as the virtual controller and is up for more than 5 minutes, the virtual controller will not be replaced until it goes down.
Preference to an Instant AP with Non-Default IP
The Conductor Election Protocol prefers an Instant AP with non-default IP when electing a virtual controller for the Instant network during initial startup. If there are more than one Instant APs with non-default IPs in the network, all Instant APs with default IP will automatically reboot and the DHCP Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol. A network protocol that enables a server to automatically assign an IP address to an IP-enabled device from a defined range of numbers configured for a given network. process is used to assign new IP addresses.
Viewing Conductor Election Details
The following CLI Command-Line Interface. A console interface with a command line shell that allows users to execute text input as commands and convert these commands to appropriate functions. command is used to verify the status of an Instant AP and conductor election details:
(Instant AP)# show election statistics
(Instant AP)# show summary support
Manual Provisioning of Conductor Instant AP
In most cases, the conductor election process automatically determines the best Instant AP that can perform the role of virtual controller, which will apply its image and configuration to all other Instant APs in the same Instant AP management VLAN Virtual Local Area Network. In computer networking, a single Layer 2 network may be partitioned to create multiple distinct broadcast domains, which are mutually isolated so that packets can only pass between them through one or more routers; such a domain is referred to as a Virtual Local Area Network, Virtual LAN, or VLAN.. When the virtual controller goes down, a new virtual controller is elected.
Provisioning an Instant AP as a Conductor Instant AP
The following procedure describes how to provision an Instant AP as a conductor Instant AP:
- Navigate to the page.
- Select the Instant AP from the list and click .
- Expand .
- Toggle the switch to enable or disable the option.
- Click .
The following CLI Command-Line Interface. A console interface with a command line shell that allows users to execute text input as commands and convert these commands to appropriate functions. command provisions an Instant AP as a conductor Instant AP:
(Instant AP)# iap-conductor
The following CLI Command-Line Interface. A console interface with a command line shell that allows users to execute text input as commands and convert these commands to appropriate functions. command is verifies if the Instant AP is provisioned as conductor Instant AP:
(Instant AP)# show ap-env
Antenna Type:Internal
Iap_conductor:1
Only one Instant AP in a cluster can be configured as the preferred conductor.