Summarized on October 29, 2026
Configuration Groups
In Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN, Configuration Groups streamline device management by grouping related features into modular profiles. This approach replaces the granular association of individual templates with a structured, intent-based configuration model.
- Transport & Management Profile: This profile manages the connectivity infrastructure.
- Transport VPN (VPN 0): Carries all control plane traffic via OMP sessions. To participate in the overlay, an interface must be configured as a tunnel with an IP address, administrative status enabled, a defined color, and an encapsulation type (IPsec or GRE).
- Management VPN (VPN 512): Handles out-of-band management traffic. It is configured by default on Cisco WAN Edge devices using the management interface (mgmt0) via DHCP and is restricted to local device access, meaning it is never advertised into the overlay.
- Service Profile: This profile manages traffic segmentation and user reachability.
- Service VPNs (1–511 and 513–65525): Carry data traffic across the overlay. Key configuration parameters include VPN identifiers, DNS settings, and local routing protocol integration (BGP, OSPF, or static routes).
- Route Advertisement: Service profiles define how local routes are advertised into OMP for distribution, including configurations for connected, static, and aggregate routes.
Policy Groups
Policy Groups build upon the foundation established by Configuration Groups. While Configuration Groups define how the device is structured and connected, Policy Groups are utilized to define how traffic is managed, prioritized, and secured. By applying Policy Groups, administrators can propagate consistent centralized and localized policies across multiple sites and devices, ensuring uniform service delivery throughout the SD-WAN fabric.
Traditional Configuration Method: Feature Templates
For environments not utilizing Configuration Groups, the traditional method involves manual assembly using Feature Templates:
- VPN Feature Templates: Created individually for VPN 0, VPN 512, and each service VPN.
- Interface Feature Templates: Created for specific physical or logical interfaces and attached to the corresponding VPN templates.
- Device Templates: These templates serve as the container that combines the individual VPN and interface feature templates to push a complete configuration to the WAN Edge device.