Access Point Conversion (LAP to AAP and vice versa)

First of all we must know about Access Point images 🙂

Remember some facts/clue about images:
Autonomous image: k9w7
Lightweight image: k9w8
To know more about AP images, please visit my post: Understanding AP images.

Make sure the autonomous access points must be running Cisco IOS Release 12.3(7) JA or later to perform the lightweight mode conversion. If necessary, upgrade the access point to Cisco IOS Release 12.3(7)JA or later.

Now we will see how to convert from LAP to AAP

Lightweight to Autonomous Conversion:

Step1: Download the software from cisco.com
Here is the screenshot:

Start TFTP server and put the IOS image (k9w7) in TFTP root directory.

I have this image: c1240-k9w7-mx.124-25d.JA2
Step2: Connect PC and AP with an Ethernet cable. Make sure that both AP and PC should be in same subnet.
Step3: Run this commands on AP:

 AP588d.0903.e31c # debug lwapp console cli or debug capwap console cli » this command is necessary to enter in config mode.
 AP588d.0903.e31c # config t
 AP588d.0903.e31c (confg)# int fa 0
 AP588d.0903.e31c (confg-if)# ip addr 10.0.0.5 (same subnet as that of the PC)
 AP588d.0903.e31c (confg-if)# end

My PC IP address is 10.0.0.1/24
Try to ping from AP to PC.

 AP588d.0903.e31c#ping 10.0.0.1
 Type escape sequence to abort.
 Sending 5, 100-byte ICMP Echos to 10.0.0.1, timeout is 2 seconds:
 !!!!!
 Success rate is 100 percent (5/5), round-trip min/avg/max = 1/1/1 ms
 AP588d.0903.e31c#

Then run this command:

 AP588d.0903.e31c# archive download-sw /force-reload /overwrite tftp://10.0.0.1/ c1240-k9w7-mx.124-25d.JA2.tar
 examining image...
 Loading c1240-k9w7-tar.124-25d.JA2.tar from 10.0.0.1 (via FastEthernet0): !
 extracting info (286 bytes)
 Image info:
 Version Suffix: k9w7-.124-25d.JA2
 Image Name: c1240-k9w7-mx.124-25d.JA2
 Version Directory: c1240-k9w7-mx.124-25d.JA2
 Ios Image Size: 5007872
 Total Image Size: 5755392
 Image Feature: WIRELESS LAN
 Image Family: C1240
 Wireless Switch Management Version: 7.0.94.21
 Extracting files...

To verify image on AP, run this command:

 AP# sh version
 Cisco IOS Software, C1240 Software (C1240-K9W7-M), Version 12.4(25d)JA2, RELEASE
 SOFTWARE (fc1)
 Technical Support: http://www.cisco.com/techsupport
 Copyright (c) 1986-2012 by Cisco Systems, Inc.
 Compiled Wed 12-Sep-12 01:52 by prod_rel_team
 ROM: Bootstrap program is C1240 boot loader
 BOOTLDR: C1240 Boot Loader (C1240-BOOT-M) Version 12.4(13d)JA, RELEASE SOFTWARE
 (fc2)
 ap uptime is 2 minutes
 System returned to ROM by power-on
 System image file is "flash:/c1240-k9w7-mx.124-25d.JA2/c1240-k9w7-mx.124-25d.JA2"

Autonomous to Lightweight Conversion

Step1: Download the software from cisco.com
First off all, we need to obtain the recovery image for a given access point. This is obtained through cisco.com > Download and then we can enter the AP number.
Choose to download Lightweight AP IOS Software.
Example for1240AP, I already have a recovery image “1240-rcvk9w8-tar.123-11JX1.tar”
You can download it from here, check this pic:

Step2: If there is enough space then Move the software image file to access Point via TFTP By using this command:

 AP# copy tftp://10.0.0.1/1240-rcvk9w8-tar.123-11JX1.tar flash:/

Step3: Install the image on AP
*** Be aware, in this case we will loose the configuration of AP so don’t forget to backup the config before applying new Image.

Or if we have the image on TFTP root directory then From the Access Point CLI runs the command

 AP# archive download-sw /overwrite /reload tftp ://10.0.0.1/c1240-rcvk9w8-tar.123-11JX1.tar
 examining image...
 Loading c1240-rcvk9w8-tar.123-11JX1.tar from 10.0.0.1 (via BVI1): !
 extracting info (273 bytes)
 Image info:
 Version Suffix: rcvk9w8-
 Image Name: c1240-rcvk9w8-mx
 Version Directory: c1240-rcvk9w8-mx
 Ios Image Size: 1874432
 Total Image Size: 1874432
 Image Feature: WIRELESS LAN|LWAPP|RECOVERY
 Image Family: C1240
 Wireless Switch Management Version: 3.0.51.0
 Extracting files...
 c1240-rcvk9w8-mx/ (directory) 0 (bytes)
 extracting c1240-rcvk9w8-mx/c1240-rcvk9w8-mx (1865438 bytes)!!!!!!!
 extracting c1240-rcvk9w8-mx/info (273 bytes)
 extracting info.ver (273 bytes)
 [OK - 1873920 bytes]
 Deleting current version: flash:/c1240-k9w7-mx.124-25d.JA2...done.
 New software image installed in flash:/c1240-rcvk9w8-mx
 Configuring system to use new image...done.
 Requested system reload skipped due to unsaved config changes.
 archive download: takes 32 seconds

Issue the command and wait for reboot

The Access Point will download the file and overwrite the existing image file (/overwrite) in the flash and then reboot (/reload) into LWAPP mode. If the reload does not happen, enter the reload command manually.

ap#reload
 System configuration has been modified. Save? [yes/no]: no
 Proceed with reload? [confirm]
 *Mar 1 02:19:31.529: %SYS-5-RELOAD: Reload requested by console. Reload Reason:
 Reload Command.Xmodem file system is available.
 flashfs[0]: 8 files, 4 directories
 flashfs[0]: 0 orphaned files, 0 orphaned directories
 flashfs[0]: Total bytes: 15998976
 flashfs[0]: Bytes used: 6974464
 flashfs[0]: Bytes available: 9024512
 flashfs[0]: flashfs fsck took 29 seconds.
 Base ethernet MAC Address: 58:8d:09:03:e3:1c
 Initializing ethernet port 0...
 Reset ethernet port 0...
 Reset done!
 ethernet link up, 100 mbps, full-duplex
 Ethernet port 0 initialized: link is up
 Loading "flash:/c1240-rcvk9w8-mx/c1240-rcvk9w8-mx"...###########################
 ################################################################################
 ##################################################################
 File "flash:/c1240-rcvk9w8-mx/c1240-rcvk9w8-mx" uncompressed and installed, entr
 y point: 0x3000
 executing...

Do the verification:

AP588d.0903.e31c#sh version
 Cisco IOS Software, C1240 Software (C1240-RCVK9W8-M), Version 12.3(11)JX1, RELEA
 SE SOFTWARE (fc1)
 Technical Support: http://www.cisco.com/techsupport
 Copyright (c) 1986-2006 by Cisco Systems, Inc.
 Compiled Mon 17-Jul-06 11:44 by alnguyen
 ROM: Bootstrap program is C1240 boot loader
 BOOTLDR: C1240 Boot Loader (C1240-BOOT-M) Version 12.4(13d)JA, RELEASE SOFTWARE
 (fc2)
 AP588d.0903.e31c uptime is 1 minute
 System returned to ROM by reload
 System image file is "flash:/c1240-rcvk9w8-mx/c1240-rcvk9w8-mx"