5760 Session Timeout: To Infinity and beyond!

If you're familiar with the advanced tab while configuring a WLAN  on a Cisco (Airespace) WLC, you've probably seen the Session Timeout checkbox and corresponding timer value.

This timer is used to setup how long a wireless user can remain connected before reauthentication is required.
While deploying a 5760 to match an existing 4400 controller, I attempted to disable the session timeout, but to no avail.  Let's look at my simple WLAN I have configured:

How I Study: A cloud-enabled strategy to gain understanding

As a wireless engineer, I try really hard to embrace Mobility.  Even in my studies, Mobility is something I focus on.  I felt it was time to describe my self-learning process of study after showing some engineers at work some of the ways I use mobility to enhance my study process.  The problem with learning is that you need to do things to reinforce what you are learning.

“I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand." -Confucius

The point of studying and taking certs is to raise your understanding in a particular technology set.  Since this is self study, you can replace "hear" with "read."  Remembering is not the goal, but an understanding of the technology and how it fits into networking as a whole.  Adding mobility to this really stretches most study methods.

Cisco Prime Infrastructure: Bug ID CSCud39395 Logins not Processed

A couple weeks ago I ran into an issue with Prime Infrastructure 1.2 where it was not responding to a login request.  It just sat there working on the login request but would never respond with a success or failure.

After stopping the NCS software, it would not start again.  I was presented with a failure and told to check the launchout.log

So I performed the Backup-logs and untar'd the file.  Here is what I was receiving in the file.

Starting Health Monitor as a primary
Checking for Port 8082 availability... OK
truststore used is /opt/CSCOlumos/conf/truststore
truststore used is /opt/CSCOlumos/conf/truststore
Starting Health Montior Web Server...
Health Monitor Web Server Started.
Starting Health Monitor Server...
Health Monitor Server Started.
Starting Remoting Service: Reporting Server
Checking for running servers.
00:00 Check complete. No servers running.
Starting Server ... 
 Start failed. Initiating shutdown. Please check logs/Startup.log.

Powershell Module to Backup configs

One of my FAVORITE tools is powershell.  It's quick, easy to write and easy to reuse.
The esteemed Mr @BlakeKrone was asking for a script to backup configs off of a Cisco Switch.

To use this module, you have to run over and grab SharpSSH, a .Net implementation of JSCH.  I've used this in projects as far back as 2008.  It's a great library and very easy to implement in C#, VB.net or Powershell.  Just throw it in the same folder with the module and update the path in the script.

Building of my CCIE Lab

For those who don't know, I've been building my home Wireless lab for the better part of 2 years.  It started off as a 4402 load to me from a customer who had traded it in on an upgrade to a 5508.  Between some gear off ebay, some loaners from coworkers and clients alike it has grown.  In the last part of 2012, my employer purchased some equipment for lab up and demo purposes which currently resides in the lab.  I'm very thankful to my employer for sponsoring this effort, and various other individuals who have donated equipment.

Below is a list of what the lab consists of today, I'll amend the post as thing change dramatically.

Network Equipment
1x Cisco 2811 running CME
1x Cisco 3550 24 POE running IP Services
1x Cisco 3560cg 8 POE running IP Base
1x Cisco 2504-5 WLC
1x Cisco 2106 WLC
1x Cisco 5508-12 WLC
1x Cisco 881W


Access Points
1x Cisco 3602i
1x Cisco 1262
2x Cisco 3502i
1x Cisco 1142
3x Cisco 1242
1x Cisco 1042
2x Cisco 1131


Virtualization:
1x Dell Precision Workstation T5500:  Quad Core, 30GB of Ram,
   - 2x 512GB Drives
   - 2x 250GB Drives
   - ESXi 5.1

Software
1x Cisco ACS 5.2 VM
1x Cisco WCS 7.0 VM
1x Cisco Prime Infrastructure 1.2 VM
1x Cisco MSE 7.4 VM
1x Cisco vWLC 7.4 VM
1x Cisco ISE 1.1.2 VM
1x MS 2008r2 Domain Controller

Clients:
2x Windows 7 x64 Clients VM
1x WinXP x86 Clients VM
1x Backtrack Linux 5r3
1x GNS3 Workbench
1x Apple TV Gen2

Misc:
10 varied USB wireless adapters
 - Dynamically mapped to wireless clients via ESXi


Management:
1x Cyclades TS-3000 Terminal Server for OOB management

1x Windows 7 x64 Management Station (VM)

A very special thanks to @DevinAkin and @Aerohive for their donations, which not specifically listed in the "lab" equipment are in use, well tested and utilized.

Howto convert a Cisco Sniffer AP capture for Metageek's EyePA

One of the limitations of EyePA is that it only supports a direct WLAN Packet capture through AirPCap or through another type of raw wireless packet capture.  Specifically, it needs to have the radiotap headers or the regular 802.11 headers.

Cisco uses the Airopeek encapsulation and to further complicate matters, the packet is encapsulated inside a UDP packet.  If you want to know how to configure a Lightweight AP as a Sniffer, here is a great guide:  https://supportforums.cisco.com/docs/DOC-19214

So now that we have our Cisco.pcap file, we can see that EyePA won't open the file:

After a few hours of research I stumbled onto a tool called AiroXtractor.   http://micky.ibh.net/~liske/airoxtractor/

Since this is a linux program, power up your BackTrack linux or whatever your favorite distro is.
You can download AiroXtractor with the following command:
wget http://micky.ibh.net/debian/pool/stable/main/airoxtractor/airoxtractor_0.1.tar.gz

Extract the files with:

tar xzvf ./airoxtractor_0.1.tar.gz

Run airoxtractor

./airoxtractor/airoxtractor --in=<pathtocapture>/Cisco.pcap --out=<pathtodestination>/EyePA.pcap

Let's look at our capture now:

Once the program finishes, you should now have a capable packet for EyePA. 

Just to be clear, I did not write this software.  I credit the original owner over at http://micky.ibh.net/~liske/airoxtractor/

I'd also like to throw a shout-out to the team at Metageek and specifically Trent.  It's their software that makes this all happen.

How to remove backup repositories in NCS

Ran into this during an NCS install today, and just wanted to pass along the request.  The request was to delete backup repositories, both from testing and from the original WCS to NCS migration.

The basic structure follows this:

configure
no repository <repository name>

This is case sensitive

Example:

test-NCS/testadmin# conf
Enter configuration commands, one per line.  End with CNTL/Z.
test-NCS/testadmin(config)# no repository wcs-ftp-repo
test-NCS/testadmin(config)# exit
test-NCS/testadmin#

While this is not in the configuration guide, Cisco did do a good job of making an intuitive CLI for the linux appliance.