Listed below are the user documents that support this release:

• Cisco IoT FND 4.3.1 and Later with Integrated Application Management with Postgres and Influx Database Deployment on an OVA, VMware ESXi 5.5/6.0

• Cisco IoT FND Deployment on an Open Virtual Appliance, VMware ESXi 5.5/6.0/6.5

• Cisco IoT Field Network Director Installation Guide-Oracle Deployment, Releases 4.3.x and Later

• Cisco IoT Field Network Director User Guide, Release 4.8.x

• Release Notes for Cisco Resilient Mesh Release 6.3

• Release Notes for Cisco Resilient Mesh Release 6.2

• Cisco Connected Grid WPAN Module for CGR 1000 Series Installation and Cisco Resilient Mesh Configuration Guide (Cisco IOS)

Please refer to the Cisco IoT Field Network Director data sheet for an extensive list of the product capabilities and the required licenses to support specific platforms management by the IoT FND application.

Note	IoT FND was previously named Connected Grid Network Management System (CG-NMS) for releases 2.x and 1.x.

The IoT Field Network Director (IoT FND) is a software platform that helps to enable a clear separation between communications network management and operational applications such as distribution management systems, outage management systems, and meter data management in utilities.

Through the browser-based interface, use the software to manage a multi-service network of routers or a combination of routers and endpoint devices such as:

• The IP 67-rated Cisco Catalyst IR8100 Heavy-Duty Series routers is a modular, secure, rugged and outdoor router that is suitable for harsh physical environments. It has multiple WAN (LTE, LTE-Advanced, LTE Advanced Pro, 5G Sub-6GHz1, RJ45/SFP Ethernet) and storage options. The router supports wireless and wired connectivity such as 5G, public, or private LTE, Wi-SUN, LoRaWAN, and has more connectivity options making it more adaptable. It runs on Cisco IOS XE and Cisco IOS XE provides both autonomous and controller (SD-WAN) mode support.

• Cisco 1101 Series Integrated Services Routers (ISRs) with Cisco IOS XE Software combine Internet access, comprehensive security, and wireless services (LTE Advanced 3.0 wireless WAN and 802.11ac wireless LAN) in a single, high-performance device. The Cisco 1101 Series ISRs are well-suited for deployment as Customer Premises Equipment (CPE) in enterprise branch offices, in service provider managed environments as well as smaller form factor and M2M use cases.

• Cisco 800 Series Industrial Integrated Services Routers (IR800s) are ruggedized small-form factor cellular routers for mobile/vehicle applications. IR829 includes Wi-Fi providing connectivity in non-carpeted IT spaces, industrials, utilities, transportation, infrastructure, industrial M2M application, asset monitoring, Smart Grid, and utility applications. These devices are referred to as FARs in this document and identified by product ID (for example, IR800) on the Field Devices page. You can use IoT FND to manage the following IR800 models: IR809 and IR829.

• Cisco 800 Series Integrated Services Routers (C800s) are used in most networks as edge routers or gateways to provide WAN connectivity (cellular, satellite over Ethernet, and Wi-Fi) to an end device (energy-distribution automation devices, other verticals such as ATMs, and mobile deployments). These devices are referred to as FARs in this document and identified by product ID (for example, C800 or C819) on the Field Devices page.

• Cisco 500 Series Wireless Personal Area Network (WPAN) Industrial Routers (IR500) supply RF mesh connectivity to IPv6 and serial Internet of Things (IoT) devices (for example, recloser control, cap bank control, voltage regulator controls, and other remote terminal units).

• The Cisco Wireless Gateway for LoRaWAN (IXM-LPWA-800, IXM-LPWA-900) can be a standalone product that connects to Ethernet switches or routers or connects to LAN ports of the Cisco 800 Series Industrial Integrated Services Routers. This gateway can be configured as a radio interface of the Cisco Industrial Routers 809 and 829. One or multiple gateways are connected to the LAN port(s) of the IR809 or IR829 via Ethernet or VLANs with encrypted links. Through this configuration, it provides LoRaWAN radio access while the IR809 or IR829 offer backhaul support for Gigabit Ethernet (electrical or fiber), 4G/LTE, or Wi-Fi.

• Cisco Interface Module for LoRaWAN is an extension module for the industrial routers, Cisco IR809 and IR829, and serves as a carrier-grade gateway for outdoor deployments. The module provides unlicensed low-power wide area (LPWA) wireless connectivity for a range of Internet of Things (IoT) use cases such as asset tracking, water and gas metering, street lighting, smart parking/building/agriculture, and environment monitoring. There are two models supported, which are differentiated by their band support (863-870 MHz ISM or 902-928 MHz ISM). The module is identified by product ID (for example, IXM-LORA-800-H-V2).

• Cisco 800 Series Access Points are integrated with C800 and IR829 platforms. These access points are referred to as FARs in this document and identified by product ID (for example, AP800).

• Cisco ASR 1000 Series Aggregation Services Routers (ASRs) and Cisco 4000 Series Integrated Service Routers (ISRs) are referred to as head-end routers or HERs in this document.

• Cisco IPv6 RF mesh endpoints (smart meters and range extenders).

Note

CGRs, C800, IR800s, IR500s, and other types of mesh endpoint devices can coexist on a network, but cannot be in the same device group or firmware management group. Refer to the following sections in the IoT Field Network Director User Guide for more information: Creating Device Groups, Working with Mesh Endpoint Firware Images, and Configuring Firware Group Settings.

The software features enterprise-class fault, configuration, accounting, performance, and security (FCAPS) functionality, as defined in the OSI Network Management reference model.

• Configuration Management — Cisco IoT FND facilitates configuration of large numbers of Cisco FAR, HER, gateways and endpoints. Use Cisco IoT FND to bulk-configure devices by placing them into configuration groups, editing settings in a configuration template, and then pushing the configuration to all devices in the group.

• Device Management — Cisco IoT FND displays easy-to-read tabular views of extensive information generated by devices, allowing you to monitor your network for errors. Cisco IoT FND provides integrated Geographic Information System (GIS) map-based visualization of FAN devices such as routers and smart meters.

• Firmware Management — Cisco IoT FND serves as a repository for Cisco CGR, Cisco C800s, Cisco IR800, IR500, and mesh endpoint firmware images. Use Cisco IoT FND to upgrade the firmware on groups of similar devices by loading the firmware image file onto the Cisco IoT FND server, and then uploading the image to the devices in the group. Once uploaded, use IoT FND to install the firmware image directly on the devices.

• Zero Touch Deployment — Ease of deployment at scale with Zero-Touch Deployment (ZTD) of gateways and routers.

• Tunnel Provisioning — Protects data exchanged between Cisco ASRs and Cisco CGRs and C800s, and prevents unauthorized access to Cisco CGRs to provide secure communication between devices. Cisco IoT FND can execute CLI commands to provision secure tunnels between Cisco CGRs, Cisco C800s, Cisco IR800s and Cisco ASRs. Use Cisco IoT FND to bulk-configure tunnel provisioning using groups.

• IPv6 RPL Tree Polling — The IPv6 Routing Protocol for Low-power and Lossy Networks (RPL) finds neighbors and establishes routes using ICMPv6 message exchanges. RPL manages routes based on the relative position of the endpoint to the CGR that is the root of the routing tree. RPL tree polling is available through the mesh nodes and CGR periodic updates. The RPL tree represents the mesh topology, which is useful for troubleshooting. IoT FND maintains a periodically updated snapshot of the RPL tree.

• Dynamic Multipoint VPN and Flex VPN — For Cisco C800 devices and Cisco IR800 devices, DMVPN and Flex VPN do not require IoT FND to apply device-specific tunnel configuration to the HER during tunnel provisioning. HER tunnel provisioning is only required for site-to-site VPN tunnels.

• Dual PHY Support — IoT FND can communicate with devices that support Dual PHY (RF and PLC) traffic. IoT FND identifies CGRs running Dual PHY, enables configuration to masters and slaves, and collects metrics from masters. IoT FND also manages security keys for Dual PHY CGRs. On the mesh side, IoT FND identifies Dual PHY nodes using unique hardware IDs, enables configuration pushes and firmware updates, and collects metrics, including RF and PLC traffic ratios.

• Device Location Tracking — IoT FND displays real-time location and device location history for CGR1000, C800, IR1101, IR8100, IR800, and N2450 devices.

• Diagnostics and Troubleshooting — The IoT FND rule engine infrastructure provides effective monitoring of triage-based troubleshooting. Device troubleshooting runs on-demand device path trace and ping on any CGR, Cisco C800, Cisco IR800, range extender, or meter (mesh endpoints).

• High Availability — To ensure uninterrupted network management and monitoring, you can deploy the Cisco IoT FND solution in a High Availability (HA) configuration. By using clusters of load-balanced IoT FND servers and primary and standby IoT FND databases, Cisco IoT FND constantly monitors the health of the system, including connectivity within clusters and server resource usage. If a server cluster member or database becomes unavailable or a tunnel fails, another takes its place seamlessly. Additionally, you can add reliability to your IoT FND solution by configuring redundant tunnels between a Cisco CGR and multiple Cisco ASRs.

• Power Outage Notifications — Cisco Resilient Mesh Endpoints (RMEs) implement a power outage notification service to support timely and efficient reporting of power outages. In the event of a power outage, CGEs perform the necessary functions to conserve energy and notify neighboring nodes of the outage. FARs relay the power outage notification to IoT FND, which then issues push notifications to customers to relate information on the outage.

• Audit Logging — Logs access information for user activity for audit, regulatory compliance, and Security Event and Incident Management (SEIM) integration. This simplifies management and enhances compliance by integrated monitoring, reporting, and troubleshooting capabilities.

• North Bound APIs — Eases integration of existing utility applications such as outage management system (OMS), meter data management (MDM), trouble-ticketing systems, and manager-of-managers.

• Role-Based Access Controls — Integrates with enterprise security policies and role-based access control for AMI network devices.

• Event and Issue Management — Fault event collection, filtering, and correlation for communication network monitoring. IoT FND supports a variety of fault-event mechanisms for threshold-based rule processing, custom alarm generation, and alarm event processing. Faults display on a color-coded GIS-map view for various endpoints in the utility network. This allows operator-level custom, fault-event generation, processing, and forwarding to various utility applications such as an outage management system. Automatic issue tracking is based on the events collected.

Information in the following tables is relevant to Router Only deployments.

Since IoT FND is supported on a variety of Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 5 Update releases, the OpenSSH version that comes with a given release might be an older version with known security holes. Consequently, we recommend ensuring that OpenSSH on the RHEL IoT FND server is up to date. On initial installation, upgrade the OpenSSH package in the IoT FND server to RHEL version 8.6.

This section provides IoT FND upgrade information based on the current and target releases.

Note	Sometimes, firmware images are not displayed in GUI while upgrading the IoT FND from earlier versions to 4.8.x. To resolve this issue, we recommend that you clear the browser cache.

Note	Target Release versions allow upgrades from the two prior major releases and its maintenance releases unless the maintenance release was released after the target version.

If the current version is not within the two prior versions of the target release, then multiple upgrade hops are required to get to the target release. Use the table above to plan the upgrade paths.

The system must be upgraded to each intermediate version(s) followed by starting the IoT FND application and allowing it to stabilize. This allows the IoT FND application to perform necessary modifications of databases during startup. The ability to log on to IoT FND is the best indication of completion of these startup modifications.

Example:

If your network is running IoT FND 4.4.0-79 and your Target Release is 4.8.0-xxx, then your best upgrade path is:

• Upgrade 4.4.0-79 to 4.6.1-61 and then upgrade to 4.8.0-100.

Recommended steps for the multi-hop upgrade are:

1. Backup IoT FND 4.4.0-79 database.

2. Perform an upgrade to IoT FND 4.6.1-61 using the upgrade instructions in the Installation Guide.

3. Start IoT FND 4.6.1-61 and login to the IoT FND user interface and perform a quick sanity check.

4. Stop IoT FND 4.6.1-61 services.

5. Backup IoT FND 4.6.1-61 database.

6. Upgrade to IoT FND 4.8.0-xxx using the upgrade instructions in the Installation Guide.

7. Start IoT FND 4.8.0-xxx and log into the GUI.

Cisco recommends that you review this section before you begin working with IoT FND. These are known limitations, and there is not always a workaround for these issues. Some features might not work as documented, and some features might be affected by recent changes to the software.

Sudi 2099 has to be installed in FND and TPS for compatibility with newer versions of images for devices.

This section presents the open and resolved caveats in Cisco IoT FND releases and information on using the Bug Search Tool to view details on those caveats.

The following IoT FND releases are End of Life (EOL):

• Cisco IoT Field Network Director User Guide, Release 4.5.x

• Cisco IoT Field Network Director, Release 4.4.x

• Cisco IoT Field Network Director Release 4.3.x

• Cisco IoT Field Network Director Releases 4.1.x and 4.2.x

• Cisco IoT Device Manager

This section provides links to the Cisco IoT FND related products:

• Cisco 1000 Series Connected Grid Routers

• Cisco ASR 1000 Series Aggregation Services Routers Configuration Guide

• Cisco 5921 Embedded Services Router

• Cisco 3000 Series Industrial Compute Gateways (IC3000)

• Cisco ISR 4000 Series

• Cisco 800 Series Integrated Services Routers

• Cisco 800 Series Industrial Integrated Services Routers

• Cisco 800 Series Access Points

• Cisco 500 Series WPAN Industrial Routers

• Cisco LoRaWAN Interface Module Hardware Installation Guide

• Cisco Wireless Gateway for LoRaWAN