WLAN Troubleshooting
Firmware

There can be many single points of failure when installing and troubleshooting a WLAN. If access to an AP or bridge through the Ethernet port is possible, then there is little need to troubleshoot the wired LAN. The problem is most likely with the AP, bridge, or client.

Begin by checking the firmware. Occasionally, a problem with the radio signal can be traced to a problem in the firmware on the communicating devices. Cisco Aironet firmware and driver software version updates are primarily used for problem resolution and stability enhancement. Therefore, it is advisable to use the most recent version of driver or firmware with the WLAN products. If a radio communication problem is encountered with the WLAN, ensure that each component is running the most current version of its firmware or driver.

From the System Software Version Page, an administrator can verify the system software details . The description of the information is shown in Figure .

Use the Software Upgrade > HTTP Upgrade page to install a newer version of IOS software, insert the correct path and filename of the new system software tar file . Go to Cisco.com and download the newest system software version to a local drive. Click Browse, locate the new system software file, and click Upload to copy the file to the access point. The process is shown in Figure .

From the Software Upgrade > TFTP Upgrade page, enter the name or IP address of the TFTP server in the TFTP File Server field that is storing the new software . Next, insert the correct path and filename of the new system image tar file. Go to Cisco.com and download the newest system software version to a TFTP server. Enter the TFTP server name and the filename of the system software file. Click Upload to copy the new file to the access point. The process is shown in Figure .

From a VxWorks Cisco Services Page, it is possible to check the current system and radio firmware as well as upgrade firmware through the browser or FTP server .

Using the IOS CLI, image and configuration files can be managed via FTP, TFTP, and RCP. First, check the system image using either command from the user or privileged Exec mode.

AP>show version 
AP>show flash 

To upload or archive an image file, the GUI method is recommended. To use the IOS CLI method, see the link below.

For the client, loading new firmware is as easy as copying a file under Windows. From the Aironet Client Utility (ACU) main window, click Load Firmware button. Then select the path to the location of the new firmware image file, highlight the file, and click Open .


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