Release Notes for Cisco Aironet
340 and 500 Series Wireless Bridges
and 4800 Series Access Points, Version 8.80
June 06, 2002
These release notes describe features and caveats for Cisco Aironet 340 and 500 Series Wireless Bridges
and 4800 Series Access Points running firmware version 8.80.
Contents
•
Introduction, page 2
•
System Requirements, page 2
•
Upgrading to a New Firmware Release, page 2
•
Caveats, page 4
•
Troubleshooting, page 5
•
Documentation Updates, page 5
•
Related Documentation, page 7
•
Obtaining Documentation and Submitting a Service Request, page 7
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Copyright © 2002. Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.
Introduction
Introduction
Cisco Aironet Access Points contain wireless LAN transceivers that can act as the center point of a
standalone wireless network or as the connection point between wireless and wired networks. Cisco
Aironet Bridges are wireless LAN transceivers that connect multiple remote networks into a single LAN.
System Requirements
You must have a 340 or 500 series bridge or a 4800 series access point to install firmware version 8.80.
Version Supported
Your product must have firmware version 7.0 or later to upgrade to firmware version 8.80.
Upgrading to a New Firmware Release
Determining the Firmware Version
The firmware version number appears in the top left corner of the screen in the browser-based
management system. To view the browser-based management system, type the device’s IP address in the
Internet browser address line.
Upgrade Procedure
The bridges and access points support several methods to upgrade the firmware. This document provides
instructions for using either the Internet browser or the serial console port to upgrade the firmware.
Obtaining the Latest Firmware
To obtain the latest firmware image file, follow the instructions below:
Step 1
Obtain the bridge firmware (version 8.80) from the Cisco Software Center:
http://www.cisco.com/cisco/software/navigator.html
Step 2
Click the link for your access point or bridge (340 series or 4800 series) listed in the access point and
bridge section.
Step 3
In the Filename column, click the image file for your access point or bridge (firmware version 8.80).
Follow the instructions for saving the file to your local drive.
Introduction
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Upgrading to a New Firmware Release
Upgrading Firmware Using an Internet Browser
For bridges or access points with firmware version 8.65 or newer, follow these steps to upgrade the
firmware using your Internet browser:
Step 1
Use the IP address of the bridge or access point with your Internet browser to access and open the
management system.
Step 2
When the management system opens, click Allow Config Changes in the top left corner of the page.
Step 3
Click Load in the Diagnostics column near the top of the page.
Step 4
In the Value column, click Browse. Find and select the new firmware file you saved on your local drive.
Step 5
In the Value column, click Send. The new firmware is loaded and the bridge or access point reboots.
After approximately 30 seconds, click Home to return to the Main Menu screen.
Caution
Do not turn off power to the bridge or access point until the Main Menu screen re-appears. Removing
power during the firmware upgrade can result in a non-operational unit.
The firmware version number is visible in the upper left corner of the Main Menu screen.
Upgrading Firmware Using the Serial Port
For bridges or access points with any firmware version, you can use the serial console port to upgrade
the firmware. This section provides instructions for using the serial console port and Microsoft’s
HyperTerminal to load the firmware; other terminal emulator programs are similar.
Follow the steps below to upgrade the firmware:
Step 1
Connect a straight-through DB9 serial cable to your PC’s serial port and the serial console port on your
bridge or access point.
Step 2
Open your terminal emulator program.
Step 3
Enter these settings for the connection into your terminal emulator program:
•
Bits per second (baud rate): 9600
•
Data bits: 8
•
Parity: No parity
•
Stop bits: 1
•
Flow control: Xon/Xoff or None
Step 4
Connect the power cable to the bridge or access point and press the power button. The bridge or access
point Main Menu screen displays.
Step 5
From the Main Menu screen, enter the number for the Diagnostics selection.
Step 6
From the Diagnostics Menu screen, enter the number for the Load selection.
Step 7
From the Diagnostics Load Menu screen, enter the number for the Xmodem serial port load selection.
Step 8
Enter y to the Are you sure [y/n]? prompt.
Step 9
On your terminal emulator, select Send File from the Transfer menu option.
Upgrade Procedure
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Caveats
Step 10
From the terminal emulator Send File screen, perform the following steps:
a.
Click Browse on the Filename parameter line and browse to the firmware image file (filename.450)
on your local hard drive.
b.
Select Xmodem from the Protocol drop-down options.
c.
Click Send to transfer the firmware file to your bridge or access point. The file transfer takes
approximately 5 minutes at 9600 bps.
After a successful load, the bridge or access point reboots. When the power cycle is complete, the
firmware version number is visible in the upper left corner of the Main Menu screen.
Caveats
This section lists resolved and open software issues in firmware version 8.80.
Getting Bug Information on Cisco.com
If you are a registered Cisco user, you can use the Cisco TAC Software Bug Toolkit, which consists of
three tools (Bug Navigator, Bug Watcher, and Search by Bug ID Number) that help you identify existing
bugs (or caveats) in Cisco software products.
Access the TAC Software Bug Toolkit at the following URL:
http://tools.cisco.com/Support/BugToolKit/
Closed Caveats
The following caveats have been closed in firmware version 8.80:
Note
A workaround indicates the firmware was not revised, but a solution is available by following the
included instructions.
•
CSCdt47390—Staleout time is not in the manual.
•
CSCdv53838—The bridge crashes while running the signal strength test.
•
CSCdv07929—The Distribute Configuration feature fails to distribute the configuration to other
units when you select newer for How to control distributions.
Workaround: Select any or password for How to control distributions to make sure all units receive
the configuration.
•
CSCdx00684—Duplicate 5 mW power entries are displayed in the radio power table.
•
CSCdx07113—Activity by Frequency does not display noise levels for the radio channels.
•
CSCdx55449—Mixed Encryption type does not work correctly.
Caveats
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Troubleshooting
Troubleshooting
For the most up-to-date information on troubleshooting and frequently asked questions (FAQs), select
Wireless Technologies under Top Issues on the Cisco TAC web site located at the following URL:
http://www.cisco.com/cisco/web/support/index.html
Documentation Updates
This section describes errors, omissions, and changes in user documentation for 340 and 500 series
bridges and the 4800 series access points.
Reset to Factory Defaults in Case of Lost Password
If you forget the password that allows you to configure the bridge or access point through the console
port, you might need to completely reset the configuration. Follow these steps to delete the current
configuration and return all settings to the factory defaults:
Step 1
Use a straight-through cable with 9-pin male to 9-pin female connectors to connect the COM 1 or COM
2 port on your computer to the RS-232 port on the bridge or access point. You can select the Reset
option only through the console port.
Step 2
Open a terminal emulation program on your computer.
Note
These instructions describe HyperTeminal; other programs are similar.
Step 3
In the Connection Description window, enter a name and select an icon for the connection and click
OK.
Step 4
In the Connect To window, select the port to which the cable is connected and click OK.
Step 5
In the Port Settings window, enter the following settings:
•
Bits per second (baud rate): 9600
•
Data bits: 8
•
Parity: No parity
•
Stop bits: 1
•
Flow control: Xon/Xoff or None
Step 6
Click OK and press Enter.
Step 7
When the Main Menu screen appears, reboot the bridge or access point by turning the unit off and then
turning it back on.
Step 8
When the bridge or access point reboots and the Main Menu screen reappears, type 2 to select Reset and
press Enter.
Note
Step 9
The Reset option appears only if you enable password protection for console write privileges.
Type yes and press Enter to confirm the command.
Troubleshooting
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Documentation Updates
Note
Step 10
The Reset command is valid for only 2 minutes immediately after the bridge or access point reboots.
If you do not enter and confirm the reset command during that 2 minutes, reboot the unit again.
After the unit reboots, you must reconfigure the bridge or access point options.
Repeater Mode Encryption Options
The Encryption option sets encryption parameters on all data packets except association packets and
some control packets. With firmware version 8.80, when the bridge or access point is placed in repeater
mode by setting the Root parameter to off, the Encryption options are off, on, mixed_on, or mixed_off.
The bridge or access point must also have encryption active and a key set properly. The following is an
explanation of each repeater mode encryption option:
•
Off—This is the default setting that turns off all encryption. The bridge or access point cannot
communicate with devices that use WEP.
•
On—This setting requires all data transfers to be encrypted. The bridge or access point
communicates only with devices that use WEP.
•
Mixed_on—This setting indicates that the bridge or access point always uses WEP when
communicating with the root bridge or access point, but the root bridge or root access point
communicates with all devices whether or not they use WEP.
•
Mixed_off—This setting indicates that the bridge or access point does not use WEP when
communicating with the root bridge, but the root bridge or root access point communicates with all
devices whether or not they use WEP.
To set the repeater mode encryption parameters using the serial interface, follow these steps:
Step 1
In the Main Menu, enter 1 to select the Configuration menu.
Step 2
In the Configuration menu, enter 1 to select the Radio menu.
Step 3
In the Radio menu, verify that Root is set to off to specify repeater mode.
Step 4
In the Radio menu, enter 6 to select the I80211 menu.
Step 5
In the I80211 menu, enter 3 to select the Privacy menu.
Step 6
In the Privacy menu, enter 1 to select the Encryption option.
Step 7
Enter the encryption option (off, on, mixed_on, or mixed_off) that the bridge or access point will use
and press Enter.
Note
The WEP key you use to transmit data must be set to exactly the same value on all devices
that will communicate with each other.
Documentation Updates
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Related Documentation
Related Documentation
For more information, refer to the following documents:
•
Quick Start Guide: Cisco Aironet 340 Series Wireless Bridges
•
Using the Cisco Aironet 340 Series Wireless Bridges
•
Mounting Instructions for the Cisco Aironet 340 Series Wireless Bridges
You can obtain the related documents on the Cisco web site at the following URL:
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/hw/wireless/ps441/tsd_products_support_eol_series_home.html
Obtaining Documentation and Submitting a Service Request
For information on obtaining documentation, submitting a service request, and gathering additional
information, see the monthly What’s New in Cisco Product Documentation, which also lists all new and
revised Cisco technical documentation, at:
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/general/whatsnew/whatsnew.html
Subscribe to the What’s New in Cisco Product Documentation as an RSS feed and set content to be
delivered directly to your desktop using a reader application. The RSS feeds are a free service. Cisco currently
supports RSS Version 2.0.
Related Documentation
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Related Documentation
This document is to be used in conjunction with the documents listed in the “Related Documentation” section.
Cisco and the Cisco Logo are trademarks of Cisco Systems, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and other countries. A listing of Cisco's trademarks
can be found at www.cisco.com/go/trademarks. Third party trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The use of the word
partner does not imply a partnership relationship between Cisco and any other company. (1005R)
Copyright © 2002, Cisco Systems, Inc.
All rights reserved.
Related Documentation
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