Nortel 2350 Mode D'Emploi

212 Configuring APs

NN47250-500 (320657-F Version 02.01)

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If the AP receives a response to the broadcast Find WSS message, then the process continues using 
the procedure described under 

, 

starting with 

.

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If there is no response to the broadcast Find WSS message, the WSS continues broadcasting the 
Find WSS message for a period of time. If still no response is received, then the process skips to 

If Items A and C are specified, the AP sends a DNS request to resolve the fully qualified domain name of 
the WSS. If the DNS server is not on the local subnet, the AP uses the default router address to contact the 
DNS server.

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If there is no response from the DNS server, then the process skips to 

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If there is a response from the DNS server, then the AP sends a Find WSS message to the WSS. 

❍

If a response is received from the WSS, then the AP sends a unicast message to the WSS, to 
request an operational image. 

❍

If a response is not received from the WSS, then the process skips to 

If the AP cannot reach the WSS using the static IP address information, then the AP attempts to boot 
using the default boot process; that is, by contacting a DHCP server, as described in 

. If the default AP boot process does not succeed, 

then the AP again attempts to boot using its statically configured IP information. The AP alternates 
between the two boot processes until the WSS is contacted. 

If the default AP boot process is successful, but the DHCP response does not include a DNS server 
address, then the IP address of the DNS server specified as part of Item C is used.

An AP’s operational image is the software 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 oper-
ational 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 WSS to which it has connected.

After the AP establishes a connection to a WSS, the AP’s bootloader determines if the WSS permits the AP to load a 
local image or if the image should be downloaded from the WSS. 

The AP loads its local image only if the WSS is running WSS Software Version 5.0 or later, and the WSS does not have 
a newer AP image than the one stored locally on the AP. If the WSS is not running WSS Software Version 5.0 or later, 
or the WSS has a newer version of the AP image than the version in the AP’s local storage, the AP downloads the oper-
ational image from the WSS.

The bootloader also compares the version of the local image to the version available from the WSS. If the two versions 
do not match, the image is downloaded from the WSS, so that the AP’s local image matches the version from the WSS.

After an operational image is downloaded from the WSS, it is copied into the AP’s flash memory. The AP then reboots, 
copying the downloaded operational image from its flash memory into RAM.

Once the AP loads an operational image, either from local storage or downloaded from a WSS, the AP receives configu-
ration information from the WSS to which it has connected. This information includes commands that activate the radios 
on the AP, regulate power levels, assign SSIDs, and so on.