ZyXEL Communications NWA3550 - Manual (Page 52)

Chapter 4 Management Mode
NWA3550 User’s Guide
52
4.1.1 CAPWAP Discovery and Management
The link between CAPWAP-enabled access points proceeds as follows:
1 An AP in managed AP mode joins a wired network (receives a dynamic IP address).
2 The AP sends out a management request, looking for an AP in CAPWAP AP controller
mode.
3 If there is an AP controller on the network, it receives the management request. If the AP
controller is in Manual mode it adds the details of the AP to its Unmanaged Access
Points list, and you decide which available APs to manage. If the AP is in Always
Accept mode, it automatically adds the AP to its Managed Access Points list and
provides the managed AP with default configuration information, as well as securely
transmitting the DTLS (Datagram Transport Layer Security) pre-shared key. The
managed AP is ready for association with wireless clients.
4.1.2 CAPWAP and DHCP
CAPWAP managed APs must be DHCP clients, supplied with an IP address by a DHCP server
on your network.
Furthermore, the AP controller must have a static IP address; it cannot be a DHCP client.
4.1.3 CAPWAP and IP Subnets
By default, CAPWAP works only between devices with IP addresses in the same subnet (see
the appendices for information on IP addresses and subnetting).
However, you can configure CAPWAP to operate between devices with IP addresses in
different subnets by doing the following.
• Activate DHCP option 43 on your network’s DHCP server.
• Configure DHCP option 43 with the IP address of the CAPWAP AP controller on your
network.
DHCP Option 43 allows the CAPWAP management request (from the AP in managed AP
mode) to reach the AP controller in a different subnet, as shown in the following figure.