MSM7xx Controllers Configuration Guide v6.4.0

provision discovery settings on the AP. For more information on using custom names, see
“Provisioning discovery” (page 175).
◦ Specific IP discovery: This method needs to be used when you do not have control over
the DHCP and DNS servers and no domain is registered to the controller. For example,
if the connection to the controller is routed over the public Internet.
Controller
AP
102.27.3.42 35.12.33.57
Provisioned to discover
the controller at the
address 102.27.3.42
For discovery to succeed, the AP must be provisioned with the controller IP address. See
“Provisioning discovery” (page 175).
• When working with a controller team, APs should be provisioned to discover all controllers
that make up the team, not just the team manager. This is required for proper fail-over operation.
Discovery priority
Each controller or controller team that receives a discovery request sends the requesting AP a
discovery reply. If the AP authentication option is enabled, the AP needs to be authenticated first.
Requests from unauthenticated APs are ignored.
If an AP receives discovery replies from multiple controllers, the AP selects the controller that has
the highest discovery priority setting (1 is the highest priority setting, 16 is the lowest priority setting).
If that controller is already managing the maximum number of controlled APs, the AP will choose
the controller with the next highest priority.
Non-teamed controllers are always higher priority than controller teams. Therefore, if your network
contains both controller teams and non-teamed controllers, APs first attempt to establish a secure
management tunnel with discovered non-teamed controllers in order of their discovery priority.
Only if all non-teamed controllers are already managing the maximum number of controlled APs
will the AP then consider controller teams in the order of their priority.
The following table shows how discovery would occur for several teamed and non-teamed
controllers.
Actual order of discovery by APsConfigured discovery priority settingController or Team
11Controller 1
22Controller 2
33Controller 3
41Team 1
52Team 2
63Team 3
If two controllers have the same priority setting, the AP will appear on the Overview > Discovered
APs page of both controllers with a Diagnostic value of Priority Conflict (See “Viewing all discovered
APs” (page 155)). To resolve the conflict, change the priority setting of one of the controllers on its
Discovery page.
Discovery priority is set on a controller using the Discovery priority of this controller option on the
Controller >> Management > Device Discovery page.
152 Working with controlled APs