User Manual

9
Aerohive Networks
Connecting to HiveManager
By default, a HiveAP acts as a DHCP client, and gets its network settings automatically from a DHCP server. (You can
also configure it with static network settings through the CLI. See "Using the Virtual Access Console" on page 10.)
After a HiveAP has its network settings, it then acts as a CAPWAP client and sends CAPWAP Discovery messages until
HiveManager, acting as the CAPWAP server, responds. CAPWAP (Control and Provisioning of Wireless Access Points) is
a protocol that access points use to contact and communicate with a management device and
When a HiveAP goes online for the first time without any specific CAPWAP server configuration entered manually or
received as a DHCP option, it progresses through the cycle of CAPWAP connection attempts shown in Figure 5.
Figure 5 Connecting to HiveManager
If a HiveAP forms a CAPWAP connection with the redirection server and its serial number of MAC address has been
assigned to a previously created VHM, to a physical HiveManager appliance, or to a HiveManager Virtual Appliance,
the redirection server automatically redirects the CAPWAP connection to that HiveManager instance. The
redirection server does this by sending the HiveAP the HiveManager domain name or IP address as its new CAPWAP
server. If the HiveAP is currently using HTTP and it will be redirected to a HiveManager Online VHM, the redirection
server also sends it the configuration needed to continue using HTTP. Similarly, if the HiveAP is accessing the
network through an HTTP proxy server, the redirection server also saves those settings on the HiveAP so it can reach
the HiveManager Online VHM using HTTP through the HTTP proxy server.
If the redirection server must redirect the HiveAP to a standalone HiveManager appliance or HiveManager Virtual
Appliance, then you must configure the connection settings on the redirection server that you want it to push to the
HiveAP to make that connection. The HiveAP first uses whatever settings are configured on it to reach the
redirection server, which might be on the other side of an HTTP proxy server or firewall that only permits outbound
HTTP traffic. Then the redirection server might supply the HiveAP with different settings so that the HiveAP can
reach a standalone HiveManager instance, which might be on the same side of the HTTP proxy server or firewall as
the HiveAP and therefore requires different connection parameters.
If the HiveAP serial number or MAC address is in the redirection server but the VHM has not yet been created or the
connection settings of the standalone HiveManager have not yet been configured on the redirection server, then the
HiveAP remains in the redirection server. The HiveManager admin must manually reassign it later to the appropriate
HiveManager.
(b) If the DNS server cannot resolve
the domain name to an IP address,
the HiveAP broadcasts CAPWAP
Discovery messages on its
local subnet. If HiveManager
is on the local network and
responds, they form a
secure CAPWAP connection.
(c) If the first two searches for a
local HiveManager produce no
results, the HiveAP tries to
contact HiveManager Online at
redirector.aerohive.com:12222.
If the Aerohive redirection server
has a serial number for that HiveAP
in its ACL, it responds and they form
a secure CAPWAP connection. If the
HiveAP cannot make a CAPWAP
connection to HiveManager Online on UDP
port 12222, it tries to reach it on TCP port
80. If this is unsuccessful, the HiveAP
returns to the initial search through a DNS
lookup and repeats the cycle.
(a) The HiveAP tries to connect to
HiveManager using the default
domain name
“hivemanager.<local_domain>”,
where “<local_domain>” is the
domain name that a DHCP server
supplied to the HiveAP and 12222 is
the UDP port number. If a DNS
server has been configured to
resolve that domain name to an IP
address, the HiveAP and
HiveManager then form a secure
CAPWAP connection on port 12222.
If the HiveAP cannot make a
CAPWAP connection to
HiveManager on port 12222, it tries
to reach it by using TCP port 80:
hivemanager.<local_domain>:80.
HiveManager
or
HiveManager Virtual
Appliance
HiveManager Online
c
a
b