Specifications

AP Overview
9-10 Configuring Access Points
Loading and Activating an Operational Image
AnAP’soperationalimageisthesoftwa rethatallowsittofunctiononthenetworkasawireless
accesspoint.AspartoftheAPbootprocess,anoperationalimageisloadedintotheAP’sRAM
andactivated.TheAPstorescopiesofitsoperationalimagelocally,initsinternalflash
memory. 
TheAPcaneitherloadthelocallystoredimage,oritcandownloadanoperationalimagefromthe
RoamAboutSwitchtowhichithasconnected.
AftertheAPestablishesaconnectiontoanRoamAboutSwitch,theAP’sbootloaderdeterminesif
theRoamAboutSwitchpermitstheAPtoloadalocal
imageoriftheimageshouldbe
downloadedfromtheRoamAboutSwitch.
TheAPloadsitslocalimageonlyiftheRoamAboutSwitchisrunningMSSVersion5.0orlater,
andtheRoamAb outSwitchdoesnothaveanewerAPimagethantheonestoredlocallyontheAP.
If
theRoamAboutSwitchisnotrunningMSSVersion5.0orlater,ortheRoamA boutSwitch hasa
newerversionoftheAPimagethantheversionintheAP’slocalstorage,theAPdownloadsthe
operationalimagefromtheRoamAboutSwitch.
Thebootloaderalsocomparestheversionofthelocalimage
totheversionavailablefromthe
RoamAboutSwitch.Ifthetwoversionsdonotmatch,theimageisdownloadedfromthe
RoamAboutSwitch,sothattheAP’slocalimagematchestheversionfromtheRoamAboutSwitch.
AfteranoperationalimageisdownloadedfromtheRoamAboutSwitch,itiscopiedintothe
AP’s
flashmemory.TheAPthenreboots,copyingthedownloadedoperationalimagefromitsflash
memoryintoRAM.
Obtaining Configuration Information from the RBT Switch
OncetheAPloadsanoperationalimage,eitherfromlocalstorageordownloadedfroman
RoamAboutSwitch,theAPreceivesconfigurationinformationfromtheRoamAboutSwitchto
whichithasconnected.ThisinformationincludescommandsthatactivatetheradiosontheAP,
regulatepowerlevels,assignSSIDs,andsoon.
After
theAPreceivestheconfigurationinformationfromtheRoa m AboutSwitch,itisthen
operationalonthenetworkasawirelessaccesspoint.
AP Boot Examples
ThefollowingfiguresshowAPbootexamples:
• Figure 9‐1onpage 9‐2showsanexampleofthebootprocessforanAPconnectedthrougha
Layer 2network.
• Figure 9‐2onpage 9‐11showsanexampleofthebootprocessforadual‐homedAPthathas
onedirectconnectiontoan
RoamAboutSwitchandanindirectconnectionthroughaLayer 2
network.
• Figure 9‐3onpage 9‐12showsanexampleofthebootprocessforanAPconnectedthrougha
Layer 3network.
• Figure 9‐4onpage 9‐13showsanexampleofthebootprocessforanAPthathasbeen
configuredwith
staticIPinformation.