New CCIE Wireless Version 3

Folks,

Looks like Cisco has finally updated CCIE Wireless to Version 3.

You will definitely need to know ISE (1.3), Prime (2.2) and MSE. They also have added a "DIAG" module that is 1hour with no devices and 7hours dedicated with devices for the CCIE Wireless Lab.

If anyone find out where we can get sample lab prep guides, please feel free to post in my comment section.

Go to Cisco website for more info:

https://learningnetwork.cisco.com/community/certifications/ccie_wireless/written_exam

**NOTE** The following info (below) was taken from Cisco.com. All Official documentation is on Ciscos website listed (link above.)

CCIE Wireless

Written and Lab Exam Content Updates

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Introduction
The CCIE Wireless exam topics have been refreshed from version 2.0 to version 3.0. The new exam curriculum
comprises eight domains. The new segmentation into these eight domains was done to improve the logical
structure of the overall topics, as well as to align to our wireless portfolio.

Each domain lists specific tasks that we expect a minimally qualified candidate to perform. Note the exam topics
serve as a general guideline for the content likely to be included in your exam. However, other - related topics -
may also appear on any delivery of the exam. Some of the domains or tasks listed appear on both the Written and
the Lab exam, other domains or tasks appear only in the Written exam, like Planning & Designing WLAN
Technologies.
Domain comparison between CCIE Wireless v2.0 and CCIE Wireless v3.0
Below you can find a domain level comparison between the CCIE Wireless v2.0 and CCIE Wireless v3.0, based upon
domains.

    CCIE Wireless v2.0              


1.  Planning & Designing WLAN Technologies    
2.  Configure and Troubleshoot L2/L 3 Network Infrastructure to Support WLANs    
3.  Configure and Troubleshoot Infrastructure Application Services    
4.  Configure and Troubleshoot an Autonomous Deployment Model     
5.  Configure and Troubleshoot a Unified Deployment Model     
6.  Configure and Troubleshoot WCS    
7.  Configure and Troubleshoot WLAN Services    

    CCIE Wireless v3.0


1.  Planning & Designing WLAN Technologies    
2.  Configure and Troubleshoot the  network Infrastructure    
3.  Configure and Troubleshoot an Autonomous Deployment Model     
4.  Configure and Troubleshoot a Unified Deployment Model (Centralized)    
5.  Configure and Troubleshoot a Unified Deployment Model (Converged)    
6.  Configure and Troubleshoot Security & Identity Management    
7.  Configure and Troubleshoot Prime Infrastructure and MSE.       
8.  Configure and Troubleshoot WLAN media and application services

Compared to v2.0, no domains have been removed from the CCIE curriculum in v3.0. New domains were added,
re-named or re-shuffled slightly to include current technologies.  In v3.0, the Unified Deployment Model is split up
in Configure and Troubleshoot a Unified Deployment Model (Centralized) and Configure and Troubleshoot a
Unified Deployment Model (Converged), reflecting our current Wireless product portfolio.

A new module Configure and Troubleshoot Security & Identity Management was added, as policy management is
becoming more important. The Configure and Troubleshoot WCS module was replaced with Configure and
Troubleshoot Prime Infrastructure and MSE, adding our Prime Infrastructure solution.

 CCIE Wireless

Written and Lab Exam Content Updates




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CCIE Wireless v3.0 Changes
The decision to add, move or retire domains or tasks was based on the feedback received from Wireless Subject
Matter Experts during the Job Role Analysis and Job Task Analysis. The Exam Topics changes reflect both the
evolving Wireless enterprise environment as the evolving CCIE Wireless job role. Please refer to the actual Exam
Topics on for all topics covered in the updated CCIE Wireless Written and Lab exams v3.0.

Topics added to the CCIE Wireless Exam v3.0:

  Configure and troubleshoot stacking
  Configure and troubleshoot basic OSPFv3
  Configure and troubleshoot basic IPv6 EIGRP address families
  Configure and troubleshoot SXP/SGT
  Configure  and troubleshoot PSPF
  Configure and troubleshoot Flexconnect
  Configure and troubleshoot new mobility 
  ENTIRE DOMAIN: Configure and troubleshoot a Unified Deployment Model (Converged)
  Configure and troubleshoot client profiling and provisioning
  Configure and troubleshoot CoA
  Configure and troubleshoot basic sponsor policy (Guest)
  Implement and troubleshoot CMX
  Integrate ISE
  Integrate NetFlow
  Configure andf troubleshoot BDRL
  Configure and troubleshoot mDNS
  Configure and troubleshoot AVC and NetFlow

Topics removed from the CCIE Wireless Lab Exam v2.0:

  Configure and troubleshoot MFP
  Configure and troubleshoot peer-to-peer blocking
  Configure and troubleshoot IGMP snooping
  Configure and troubleshoot WDS (L2)
  Upgrade Autonomous to Unified
  Configure and troubleshoot H-REAP
  Implement local DHCP services for clients

As not only the Exam Topics were updated, but the hardware and software list was updated as well in v3.0, the
required implementation and troubleshooting skills changed significantly for some of the tasks, although the task
itself is identical compared to v2.0. Below a high level overview of what changed from a hardware and software
perspective, please refer to the Lab Equipment and Software List for more detailed information.


   CCIE Wireless

Written and Lab Exam Content Updates




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        CCIE Wireless v2.0  CCIE Wireless v3.0












CCIE Wireless Exam v3.0 Format
The exam number changed from 350-001 to 400-351. However the Written exam format essentially remains
identical.  The web-based delivery infrastructure supporting the new Lab exam is very similar to v2.0. The format of
the Lab exam itself however has changed significantly compared to v2.0. The Lab exam format has been updated in
analogy to other CCIE tracks to include a Diagnostic module. 

As a result, the CCIE Wireless Lab v3.0 format today looks as follows:

  Part 1: Diagnostic module
  Part 2: Configuration & Troubleshooting module.



The new Diagnostic module, which has a length of 60 min, focuses on the skills required to properly diagnose
network issues, without having device access. The main objective of the Diagnostic module is to assess the skills
required to properly diagnose network issues. These skills include:

  Analyze
  Correlate 
  Discerning multiple sources of documentation (in example e-mail threads, network topology
diagrams, console outputs, logs, and even traffic captures.)

These activities are naturally part of the overall troubleshooting skills. They are designed as a separated Lab
module because the format of the items is significantly different. In the Troubleshooting component of the
Cisco 5500 WLC, CUWN software 8.0
Cisco 5700 WLC, IOS XE 3.6
Cisco Aironet 1600/3700 Series AP
Cisco Catalyst 4500-E Series Switches (Sup 8-E)
Cisco Catalyst 3650 Series Switches 
Cisco PI 2.2
Cisco ISE 1.3
Cisco 3300 Series MSE


Cisco 5500 WLC, CUWN software 7.0

Cisco Aironet 1040/1260/3500 Series AP
Cisco Catalyst 6500-E Series Switches (Sup 8-E)
Cisco Catalyst 2960/3560 Series Switches 
Cisco WCS
Cisco ACS
Cisco 3300 Series MSE

 CCIE Wireless

Written and Lab Exam Content Updates




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Configuration and Troubleshooting candidates need to be able troubleshoot and resolve networking issues on
actual devices. 

In the Diagnostic module candidates need to make choices between pre-defined options to either indicate:

  What the root cause of the issue is
  Where the issue is located in the diagram
  What critical piece of information allows us the identify what the root cause is
  What piece of information is missing to be able to identify the root cause

The Configuration and Troubleshooting module consists of one topology, similar as in CCIE Wireless v2.0. The
length of the Configuration and Troubleshooting module is seven hours. This module provides a real life enterprise
wireless scenario, including wireless client access. At the beginning of the module, the candidate has a full
overview of the entire module; and can make a choice of working on items in sequence or not, depending on
his/her comfort level, the overall scenario and question interdependencies.

The Diagnostic and Configuration and Troubleshooting modules in the Lab exam are delivered in a fixed sequence:
you start the day with the 1 hour Diagnostic module, which is followed by the 7 hours Configuration and
Troubleshooting module. The entire Lab exam lasts up to eight hours. Note that you are not allowed to go back
and forth between modules. 
Diagnostic Module

For the Diagnostic module, no device access is provided. Candidates are provided various pieces of information (in
example emails, show and/or debug outputs, network diagrams etc. in analogy to in example information that is
provided to a wireless support engineer that is assisting a customer finding the root cause of a network issue, or in
analogy to information that is provided by a colleague who is stuck in a troubleshooting a network issue. 

Within the Diagnostic module, the items are presented in a similar format as within the written exam. The module
includes multiple-choice (single answer or multiple answers), drag-and-drop style items, or even point-and-click
style items. The major difference between the written exam and the Diagnostic module is that the items in the
Diagnostic module (called troubleshoot tickets) contain a set of documents that the candidate must consult in
order to be able to understand and identify the root cause of the issue presented. Candidates need to analyze and
correlate information (after discerning between valuable and worthless pieces of information) in order to make a
right choice among the pre-defined options provided.

The troubleshoot tickets will not require candidates to type in order to provide the answer. All tickets will be close-
ended (as opposed to open-ended) so grading will be deterministic, ensuring a fair and consistent scoring process. 
The new module allows us to grant credit to candidates who are able to accurately identify the root cause of a
networking issue, but fail to resolve it within specific constraints (as in the Configuration and Troubleshooting
module).
 CCIE Wireless

Written and Lab Exam Content Updates
 



Cisco and Cisco logo are trademarks or registered of Cisco and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and other countries. To view a l ist of Cisco trademarks, go to this URL:
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Real-life experience is certainly the best training to prepare for this module. Candidates with limited experience
should focus on discovering, practicing and applying efficient and effective troubleshooting methodologies that are
used for any realistic networking challenge.

Passing Criteria
In order to pass the Lab exam, the candidate must meet both the following conditions:
  The minimum cut-score of the each individual module must be achieved.
  The total score of both modules together must be higher as the minimum value of the combined cut-score.





The reason of these criteria is to prevent a candidate from passing the Lab exam while failing or even bypassing
one of the two modules. 

The point value(s) of each item in both modules is known to the candidate. Note points are only granted when all
requirements and sometimes restrictions of the item are met. There is no partial scoring for any items.



The Cisco Learning Network is a social learning network designed for networking professionals across the globe. It
hosts all official information regarding to Cisco Certifications, including the exam topics.

Please visit learningnetwork.cisco.com for more information regards to CCIE Wireless certification program.

1.0 Plan and Design 802.11 Wireless Technologies	25%	Show Details
2.0 Configure and Troubleshoot L2/L 3 Network Infrastructure to Support WLANs	7%	Show Details
3.0 Configure and Troubleshoot Infrastructure Application Services	14%	Show Details
4.0 Configure and Troubleshoot an Autonomous Deployment Model	7%	Show Details
5.0 Configure and Troubleshoot a Unified Deployment Model	21%	Show Details
6.0 Configure and Troubleshoot WCS	12%	Show Details
7.0 Configure and Troubleshoot WLAN Services	14%	Show Details

Introduction to Wireless

Introduction to Wireless!

This probably should have been my 2nd post after the "Intro" post but its never too late to create a post on introduction to wireless.

Quick overview of what you will learn:

*         What is Wireless?

*         WPAN/WLAN/WMAN/WWAN

*         Standalone AP and Controller based AP

*         802.11a/b/g/n and 802.11a/c

*         2.4 GHz

*         5.0 GHz

*         Interference

*         Why Wireless Skills Matter

*         Different Types of Cisco Access Points

Lets define wireless:

       Wireless is: Not using wires to send and receive electronic signals: sending and receiving electronic signals by using radio waves.

Lets define Radio Waves:

Radio Waves are: An electromagnetic wave that is used for sending signals through the air without using wires.

4 Common Types of Wireless Networks you will hear about:

*        WPAN – Wireless Personal Area Network

•      Works in a very small area (5 to 10 meters)

•      Mice, keyboards, headsets that connect to your computer

•      Think of Bluetooth

*        WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network)

•      Works typically around an area of under 100 meters

•      Think of the wireless network you have at your house or office

*        WMAN -Wireless Metro Area Network

•      Low budget, bridging network.

•      Alternative to T1 or 3 point to point leased lines. 

*        WWAN (Wireless Wide Area Network)

•      Cellular service providers – Example: AT&T nationwide GSM cellular Network.

2 types of access point modes you will hear about:

v  Access Point in:

•       Standalone Mode – No WLC

•      Router (layer 3)

•      Switch (layer 2)

•      Wireless Access Point standalone

•      End Devices (Wireless phone, ipad, laptop, etc)

•      Access Point – Lightweight Access Points –
(LWAPP/CAPWAP – Controller Mode)

•      Router (layer 3)

•      Switch (layer 2)

•      Wireless Access Point (LAP)

•      Wireless LAN Controller

•      End Devices (Wireless phone, ipad, laptop, etc)

We still need the wireless NIC on the client side for everything to complete the list of component
for a wireless network.

Be familiar with the following terms:

v  IBSS (Independent Basic Service Set) – Ad Hoc

•      Wireless NICs and other devices can communicate directly without the need for an AP.

•      Peer to Peer

v  BSS (Basic Service Set) – The area/cell defined by the wireless signal served by the AP.

•      It might be referred to as BSA.

•      Single AP

v  ESS (Extended Service Set) –

•      Most common in a corporate environment

•      All access points to the same SSID

•      Roaming ability takes place

v  SSID (Service Set Identifier ) – Unique 32-character identifier

Now lets go over 802.11a/b/g/n:

*         Narrow band and spread spectrum are the two main ways of sending a signal

*         802.11a operate at:

*         5.0GHz band

*         Uses OFDM with modulation formats that are available: BPSK, QPSK, 16-QAM, 64-QAM

*         802.11b operate at:

*         2.4GHz band

*         Uses DSS (Direct-sequence spread spectrum) with CCK or PBCC modulation formats.

*         802.11g operate at:

*         2.4GHz band

*         Uses either OFDM or DSS and the modulation formats are set according to the data rate.

*         802.11n operate at:

*         Can operate at both 2.4GHz and 5.0GHz band

*         Uses DSSS but prefers OFDM (Orthogonal frequency division multiplexing)

*         MIMO + OFDM

*         802.11a/c operate at:              

*         5.0GHz band with support for backwards compatibility with other 802.11n technologies operating in the same band. MIMO + OFDM

*         802.11ac AP Support up to 8 data streams (Each stream at 433Mbps)

*         Max speed 1.3Gbps

*         Samsung Galaxy S4 chipset only supports 1 single stream (up to 433Mbps in speed)        

Its always a good idea to understand the basics above. Don't worry too much about the modulation 
techniques just yet!

Now lets take a look at 5.0Ghz

2 terms that you should understand are:

v  RSSI – Received signal strength indicator

•       The measure of signal strength that arrives at the receiving device.

•       The lower the number to 0dBm would indicate a stronger signal

•       Grade value from 0 to 255 with each grade value is an equivalent dBm (decibels to a milliwatt) value.

•       The scale will be different from one card vendor to another.

•       Anything above SNR of -72dBm would mean the client is far away or signal is weaker

v  SNR – Signal to Noise Ratio

•       Comparison of the amount of signal as compared to the surrounding noise.

•       The higher the SNR the better. (Anything between 25dB to 40dB SNR is very good signal)

Now lets talk about types of interference's that can weaken or disrupt your wireless signal:

*         Types of signal interference:

•       Physical interference – Easier to see.

•       A cordless phone sitting next to an AP.

•       Plants and Trees

•       Microwave ovens

•       Hidden physical interference – difficult to mitigate. Think about: What is inside those walls?

•       An Exterior wall that consists of brick and thick insulation can cause interference and its not easy to see.

•       Lead paint

•       Bulletproof glass (you might think nothing of it but the degree of attenuation is high )

•       Channel interference – Other wireless devices on an overlapping channel.

•       Neighbor APs using channels that is interfering with the AP channel that ones own is on. 

So what happens when there is interference? Well, the wireless signal range is degraded, 
data throughput decreases and you may end up having complete signal drops or intermittent signal 
drops.

Why do wireless skills matter?

Wireless as grown tremendously over the years. Not many people know how to properly design, 
configure and manage a wireless infrastructure. It is an advantage to be not only good but great
with managing a wireless network. As more and more wireless devices come into a network, it
will be up to you as a wireless engineer to train, maintain, support your staff with ease if you
take the time to learn and understand the art of wireless!

I highly recommend going with Cisco because when it comes to wireless deployments because
Cisco gets the job done! Feel free to correct any mistakes I've made or ask me any questions. 
Please check out my twitter and instagram! Most images are courtesy of Cisco, Apple, Wiki,
Ciscolive. I strongly encourage you to visit and register for free at www.ciscolive.com if you 
want to learn more. The site offers free resources from industry experts like myself. 

Thank you for visiting!!!


Cisco 3700 Access Points (802.11ac)

Cisco 3600 Access points (support for 802.11AC with module)

Cisco 2700 Access points (3x4, 802.11ac)

Cisco 1600 Acces points (entry-level)

Wireless LAN Controller (WLC) Software Upgrade 5508/2504/vWLC

This post is for those of you that are not sure how to upgrade the wireless code using the GUI (I will do another post on how to do it via CLI). Reading this post will give you almost a step-by-step process on how to upgrade a WLC code on a 5508 (its very similar if you have a Cisco Wireless 2504 or virtual WLC (vWLC) controller as well)

The following questions will be answered after reading this post:

1. When its a brand new controller without any configuration, how do I update the code?

2. Where is the service port on a 5508 WLC and how do I use it?

3. How do I upgrade primary or secondary wireless code using GUI and a TFTP server?

4. How do I switch between primary image and backup image?


Step 1.

When you first boot up a Cisco 5508 while being consoled in, you will notice the controller go through its boot up process and you will most likely notice on the screen that reads "Press <ESC> now to access the Boot Menu..."

Now, if you have not configured the new WLC yet, you might be tempted to check out what the menu is all about.

It will look something like this:

============================================================
 Boot Loader Menu
============================================================

 1. Run primary image (7.0.241.7) - Active
 2. Run backup image (7.0.241.7)
 3. Change active boot image
 4. Clear configuration
 5. Format FLASH Drive
 6. Manually update images

------------------------------------------------------------

Here you will notice you can change the boot up to run primary or backup image. Clear the configuration, format FLASH drive or manually update images.

You might think, "hey I can manually update the image". Think again...

If you go through option 6, this is what it would look like:

Enter selection: 6
Launching...
init started: BusyBox v1.6.0 (2010-05-13 17:50:10 EDT) multi-call binary
starting pid 683, tty '': '/etc/init.d/rcS'
Use DHCP for ip configuration (Y/n)? n
Enter switch IP address: 192.168.1.3
Enter switch netmask: 255.255.255.0
Enter switch gateway: 192.168.1.1
Enter TFTP server IP address: 192.168.1.2

You have entered:
     IP Address     : 192.168.1.3
     Netmask        : 255.255.255.0
     Gateway        : 192.168.1.1
     Server Ip Addr : 192.168.1.2

Is this correct(y/N)? y

!!! WARNING updating using .aes or unapproved files will disable this unit !!!

Do you want to update RTOS (y/N)? y

Do you want to update Primary Or Secondary Image (P/s)? P

Enter filename for RTOS update: AIR-CT5500-K9-7-4-110-0.aes
Error updating RTOS, Invalid image type!
Do you want to update an AP image (y/N)? n
AP Images Not Updated
Done.  Restarting...
Restarting system.


You should NEVER try to update RTOS using .aes file.

This menu does not seem to give you the ability to upgrade the WLC code itself. It does give you the ability to update RTOS and AP image.

SO what do you do at this point?

Go through the WLC AUTO-INSTALL wizard and configure the controller.

When you get to this step:
Service Interface IP Address Configuration [static][DHCP]: static
Service Interface IP Address: 192.168.1.3
Service Interface Netmask: 255.255.255.0

....
Management Interface IP Address: 192.168.2.3
Management Interface Netmask: 255.255.255.0
Management Interface Default Router: 192.168.2.1
Management Interface VLAN Identifier (0 = untagged):
Management Interface Port Num [1 to 8]: 1
Management Interface DHCP Server IP Address: 192.168.2.1


Configure a service port IP. This is useful if you need to upgrade the code before you actually put the WLC on your network. Some people need the ability to upgrade the code without having to rack and stack, connect it to the network by using just your laptop and the service port on the WLC.

Note: This IP has to be on a different network then your management IP address that you will configure.

Once your done with the wizard, hit Save.


Configuration saved!
Resetting system with new configuration...
Restarting system.

Step 2:

Once the WLC boots up, connect an ethernet cable from your laptop directly to the service port.

On your laptop/pc, make sure you go into your IPv4 settings and put your laptop on the same network as your service port.

Example:
Laptop/PC 
IP address: 192.168.1.2
Subnet mask:255.255.255.0
default gateway:192.168.1.1 

Step 3:
Once you are connected, just open a web browser and browse to the management IP that you had configured earlier in the AUTO-INSTALL in  Step. 1

Step 4:

You will notice the software version currently on it at 7.0.241.7.

We will use the GUI to upgrade it to 7.4.110.0 and then to 7.4.121 (I am aware you can upgrade straight to 7.4.121 from the code this has which is 7.0.241.7 but I wanted to show how to have two different codes on primary and secondary boot)






Step 5:

Click on COMMANDS
Click on Download File
Choose "code" from drop down
Choose TFTP
Launch your TFTP server ( I used tftpd64)

 

You will notice that RTOS to flash disk is being written. I believe this is the best way to upgrade the WLC code as well as RTOS as the .aes file contains the file to update RTOS.

Step 6:
Once the file has been uploaded to the WLC and the WLC update is complete, you will get this prompt below. (Be patient because sometimes this process can take a while so don't navigate to other pages in the GUI)

Click where it says "Click Here" to get redirected.

Step 7:
Click Save and Reboot

Step 8:
Once the WLC reboots, you will see the code has been upgraded to 7.4.110.0 and you will see the backup image as 7.0.241.7 (Click on COMMANDS and then Click on "Config Boot" to see the backup image.)

In this page, you can have the WLC boot on either primary code or secondary by simply changing the 'config boot image' drop down to either Primary or Secondary and hitting save and reboot.

If you were to upload 7.4.121.0 code, it will back the primary image as backup image and the newly uploaded image as primary image.

Note: Be aware that when you upgrade the WLC code, your APs will go down and will start upgrading to the newer code. This tutorial is meant for a brand new setup of a WLC that is not on the network yet. I will perhaps post a tutorial on how to pre-stage APs in Cisco Prime at a later post.

Step 9:
Upgrade to code 7.4.121.0 the same way I upgraded to 7.4.121.0.

Step 10:

If you ever want to blow out your configuration since you had used the AUTO INSTALL wizard just to get things up and running to upgrade the WLC code, you can simply clear out all the configs except for the code by doing the following:

After you are done upgrading the code that you want on the WLC and after it restarts, console in and issue the following command:

Recover-Config

And you are done! Now you have the stable code of 7.4.121.0 and its ready to be configured correctly with the correct IP, etc and put on the network.

Thats all folks'! Now you know how to upgrade a WLC 5508 to a newer code, how to boot to either primary or secondary code, what the Boot Loader Menu is all about, and how to use the service port on a 5508 wireless controller.

Feel free to comment me with any errors or positive feedback!