How to convert Cisco LAP to Autonomous AP

Ever needed to convert a Cisco LAP to Autonomous AP? I did, and this is how I did it;

(if you don’t want to read it all, see the short version here)

1. Boot up the LAP (in my case, a 1142 running 12.4(21a)JA, c1140-rcvk9w8-mx). CLI via console is not available before the AP receives an IP-address via DHCP, so make sure it does. However, you don’t want it to receive and IP-address on a segment where a WLAN-controller (WLC, WiSM/WiSM2) is available, as you don’t want it to join that. In my case, I just did it at home, where I had no WLC.
2. Once it gets an IP-address, you can login via the console.

   AP1234.5678.abcd>en
   Password: Cisco
   AP1234.5678.abcd#
   

   The default password is ‘Cisco’ (without the quotes).

3. The logical thing now would just be to copy the new non-LAP IOS software, right?

   AP1234.5678.abcd#copy ?
   % Unrecognized command
   

   Well, no, not that easy. A lot of the features in the CLI on an AP running LAP IOS software has been removed/disabled, such as the ‘copy’-command.

   On some versions of IOS, the new software has to be copied from configuration mode, so let’s try that;

   AP1234.5678.abcd#conf t 
                     ^
   % Invalid input detected at '^' marker.
   

   No, that’s been disabled as well. Let’s try to work around these, by enabling a lot more commands. Try one of the following, depending on what version of IOS the AP is running;

   AP1234.5678.abcd#debug lwapp console cli
   LWAPP console CLI allow/disallow debugging is on
   

   AP1234.5678.abcd#debug capwap console cli
   CAPWAP console CLI allow/disallow debugging is on
   

   (In my case, with the 1142, the latter was the one that works)

   This command makes us able to use the ‘copy’-command, and to enter configuration mode.

   Depending on what version of IOS the AP is running, you might want to do the following to make the AP able to accept the non-LAP IOS software later on;

   AP1234.5678.abcd#debug lwapp client no-reload 
   LWAPP ignore internal reload debugging is on
   AP1234.5678.abcd#debug capwap client no-reload 
   CAPWAP ignore internal reload debugging is on
   

4. Download new non-LAP IOS software is done in one of two ways, again depending on what version of IOS the AP is running. Either this;

   AP1234.5678.abcd#conf t
   Enter configuration commands, one per line.  End with CNTL/Z.
   AP1234.5678.abcd#archive download-sw /overwrite /reload tftp://10.10.10.10/c1140-k9w7-tar.124-25d.JA1.tar
   

   or this;

   AP1234.5678.abcd#archive tar /xtract tftp://10.10.10.10/c1140-k9w7-tar.124-25d.JA1.tar flash: 
   <long list of files extracted>
   

   (In my case, with the 1142, the latter was the one that works)

5. Delete old IOS, and reload AP.

   AP1234.5678.abcd#sh flash
   
   Directory of flash:/
   
       2  -rwx           0   Mar 1 2002 00:12:58 +00:00  config.txt
       3  -rwx          76   Mar 1 2002 00:12:39 +00:00  private-multiple-fs
       4  -rwx         178   Mar 1 2002 00:12:39 +00:00  env_vars
       5  drwx         384   Mar 1 2002 00:44:17 +00:00  c1140-k9w7-mx.124-25d.JA1
       7  drwx         128   Mar 1 2002 00:11:21 +00:00  c1140-rcvk9w8-mx
   
   32385024 bytes total (24365568 bytes free)
   AP1234.5678.abcd#delete /force /recursive flash:c1140-rcvk9w8-mx
   AP1234.5678.abcd#reload
   
   System configuration has been modified. Save? [yes/no]: no
   Proceed with reload? [confirm]
   

6. Done. You’re now running an AP with non-LAP IOS software.

   ap#sh boot | i BOOT
   BOOT path-list:      flash:c1140-k9w7-tar.124-25d.JA1.tar
   ap#sh ver | i RELEASE
   Cisco IOS Software, C1140 Software (C1140-K9W7-M), Version 12.4(25d)JA1, RELEASE SOFTWARE (fc1)
   BOOTLDR: C1140 Boot Loader (C1140-BOOT-M) Version 12.4(23c)JA3, RELEASE SOFTWARE (fc1)
   ap#
   

The summary
The following should work in most cases, at least on newer APs;

debug capwap console cli
debug capwap client no-reload
archive tar /xtract tftp://10.10.10.10/c1140-k9w7-tar.124-25d.JA1.tar flash:
delete /force /recursive flash:c1140-rcvk9w8-mx
reload