Understanding the Behavior of FlexConnect AP in Standalone Mode

D.

In a branch office deployment, a FlexConnect access point (AP) can be configured to operate in standalone mode, where it continues to provide wireless connectivity to local clients even if it loses connection to the Wireless LAN Controller (WLC). This is achieved by enabling FlexConnect local switching, which allows the AP to forward client traffic directly to the local network instead of tunneling it back to the WLC for processing.

However, it has been noted that in this scenario, if the FlexConnect AP loses connection to the WLC, all clients are disconnected and the SSID is no longer advertised. This behavior can be caused by several settings, as listed in the exam question:

A. ISE NAC is enabled: This setting is unlikely to be the cause of the issue, as it relates to the use of Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) for Network Access Control (NAC). It is not directly related to the behavior of the FlexConnect AP in standalone mode.

B. 802.11r Fast Transition is enabled: This setting could potentially be the cause of the issue. Fast Transition is a feature that enables seamless and secure roaming between access points in a wireless network, by minimizing the time it takes for a client to reauthenticate and reassociate with a new AP. However, in some cases, it can cause connectivity issues if not configured properly. It is possible that enabling Fast Transition on the FlexConnect AP is causing it to disconnect clients and stop advertising the SSID when it loses connection to the WLC.

C. Client Exclusion is enabled: This setting is unlikely to be the cause of the issue, as it is a mechanism for temporarily blocking clients from connecting to the wireless network based on certain criteria (e.g. excessive retries or authentication failures). It does not affect the behavior of the FlexConnect AP in standalone mode.

D. FlexConnect Local Auth is disabled: This setting could potentially be the cause of the issue. FlexConnect Local Auth allows the FlexConnect AP to authenticate clients locally, without the need for communication with the WLC. If it is disabled, the AP may rely on the WLC for client authentication, which could cause connectivity issues when the AP loses connection to the WLC. However, it is also possible that Local Auth is not necessary if the branch office deployment uses a different authentication method, such as a local RADIUS server.

Overall, it is difficult to determine the exact cause of the issue without further information about the configuration and network topology. However, based on the options provided, 802.11r Fast Transition and FlexConnect Local Auth are the most likely settings to investigate.