Cisco IQ Link Getting Started Guide

 
Updated June 30, 2026
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Introduction

Cisco IQTM provides customers with enhancements and features designed to improve asset visibility, deliver smarter insights across their environments, and streamline case management. In addition, AI features such as the AI Assistant optimizes operational outcomes and the Cisco IQ user experience by providing contextual understanding that empowers users to make proactive, informed decisions and streamlines processes for customer engagement and success.

Cisco IQ Link is a secure bridge between a customer’s network and Cisco IQ designed to unify telemetry and operational intelligence across diverse technology environments, enabling advanced AI-driven insights and granular control for partners and customers. Cisco IQ Link provides the following key benefits:

    • Single source of truth for all collector telemetry
      • Avoid a fragmented view of your assets landscape
    • More breadth and depth of collections
      • Includes controllers, multiple device architectures (Cisco and non-Cisco1), and integrations with Configuration Management Databases and IT Service Management platforms such as SolarWinds and ServiceNow1
    • More AI use cases and granular management capabilities for partners and customers
      • Fully integrated functionality for troubleshooting and automating workflows
      • Support for automated inventory and credentials management through APIs and Vault integrations for remote partner-managed scenarios, extending the platform1
      • Ability to support Resilient Infrastructure Services, Quantum Safe Assessments, and other advanced AI-augmented use cases1
    • Better end-user experience and scale
      • Customer-managed auto-updates with the ability to scale across a growing number of devices
      • Growing support for hypervisors and cloud-hosting platforms. VMware ESXi, Microsoft HyperV, and Redhat with Kernel-based Virtual Machine (KVM) are currently supported
    • Secure Local Enclave
      • Ability to collect data, process it locally, and securely orchestrate local workflows

1These features are part of the Cisco IQ roadmap.

Prerequisites

Ensure the following prerequisites are met before configuring and installing Cisco IQ Link.

Hardware and VM Resource Requirements

Cisco IQ Link offers multiple deployment sizes to support your environment’s scaling needs. Refer to the table below to select the appropriate resource configuration based on your planned device discovery count.

Resource 20K Devices 50K Devices
vCPU 16 32
RAM 28 GB 48GB
Storage (SSD) (Recommended for better performance) 600 GB 600GB
Collection Schedule 24 hours or more2
Supported Hypervisors

  • VMware ESXi v8.0 or later with VMware vSphere Web Client v8.0 or later

  • Hyper-V on Microsoft Server 2022 and 2025

  • KVM Hypervisor on RHEL v9.7

Server

  • Unified Computing System M6 or newer models

Additional Recommendation

  • Cisco recommends that you use thick provisioning. While it is possible to use thin provisioning, over-provisioning can lead to a lack of storage capacity which can then result in degradation and loss of service

  • It is highly recommended to place appliance disks on a volume backed by SSDs

  • Disk write speed must be greater than 70 megabytes per second

2Actual data collection times may vary depending on the network, number of devices targeted for discovery and environmental conditions.

If your device discovery count grows beyond your current deployment size, you must resize the Cisco IQ Link VM to meet the resource requirements for your new scale. See Hardware and VM Resource Requirements to determine the correct vCPU and RAM values for your target deployment size.

Note: To resize an existing VM, shut down the VM, change the resources (CPU and RAM) on the hypervisor, and then power it on. During boot, the system detects the resource change and automatically reconfigures itself for the available resources.

Network Requirements

Cisco IQ Link supports single network interface. The associated Virtual Machine (VM) host network must have connectivity to iq.cisco.com, either directly or through a proxy. If your network environment requires a proxy for connectivity to Cisco IQ, you must configure these settings during Cisco IQ Link installation.

IP Address and Hostname Requirements

The following IP address and hostname requirements must be met:

      • Available IPv4 address

      • Domain Name System (DNS): DNS simplifies system management by replacing numeric IP addresses with consistent, human-readable hostnames. This approach facilitates easier maintenance, seamless service integration, and reliable certificate validation in secure environments. Ensure that the IPv4 address is configured in your DNS with the following:

        • A Record: Maps the hostname (such as myciscoiqlink.mydomain.com) to the IPv4 address

        • Associated Pointer (PTR) record: Required to support reverse DNS lookups; if an IP address resolves to multiple hostnames, the first resolved hostname is used to access the UI

Notes:
• Ensure that the Fully Qualified Domain Names (FQDN) used for the installation adheres to RFC 1123 standards. The FQDN must be provided in lowercase and consist only of alphanumeric characters, hyphens, or dots, and must start and end with an alphanumeric character; failure to meet these formatting requirements will trigger an "Invalid value" error during the 'Configuring Kubernetes' phase of the installation.
• DHCP is not supported.

Connectivity Requirements from Cisco IQ Link to Cisco IQ SaaS

Cisco IQ Link instances in US, EMEA, or APJC regions must connect to their respective regional servers using one of the associated FQDN with TCP 443.

If using installer v1.1.1, you should connect using the following FQDNs:

      • US: us-west-2.iq.cisco.com

      • EMEA: eu-central-1.iq.cisco.com

      • APJC: ap-southeast-2.iq.cisco.com

If using installer v1.1.0, you should connect using the following FQDNs:

      • US: us-west-2.iq.cisco.com, ng.acs.agent.us.csco.cloud

      • EMEA: eu-central-1.iq.cisco.com, ng.acs.agent.emea.csco.cloud

      • APJC: ap-southeast-2.iq.cisco.com, ng.acs.agent.apjc.csco.cloud

Port Requirements from Cisco IQ Link to Customer Network Devices

The following table outlines the network ports required for Cisco IQ Link communication.

Port(s)

Protocol

Description

22

TCP

Used for Administrator CLI and Cisco Support debugging sessions

443

TCP

Used for communication between Cisco IQ Link UI and API

53, 123, 161

UDP

Used to send and receive DNS, Network Time Protocol (NTP), and Simple Network Management Protocol traffic

Supported Browsers

You must use the latest stable release of one of the following browsers to install and launch Cisco IQ Link:

      • Google Chrome

      • Microsoft Edge

      • Apple Safari

      • Mozilla Firefox

Note: Support is limited to current browser versions and older versions may not provide full functionality or may be unsupported as new updates are released.

Installing Cisco IQ Link VM

This section outlines the installation procedures for Cisco IQ Link VM. The current scope includes instructions for the following hypervisors:

      • VMware ESXi

      • Microsoft Hyper-V Server

      • Red Hat KVM

Installing Cisco IQ Link on VMware ESXi

Cisco IQ Link is distributed as a deployable VM contained in an Open Virtual Appliance (OVA) file format.

Note: The OVA must be deployed using VMware vCenter and cannot be directly deployed on ESXi servers.

        1. Log in to VMware vSphere Web Client with administrator credentials.

        2. Right-click on the appropriate vCenter object (datacenter, cluster, or ESXi host) and choose Deploy OVF Template.

        3. On the Deploy OVF Template wizard, choose the template page, specify the source location, and click Next. You can specify a URL or browse to any accessible location.

        4. On the OVF Template Details page, verify the OVF template details and click Next. No input is necessary.

        5. On the Select a name and location page, add or edit the Name and Location for the virtual appliance and click Next.

        6. On the Select a resource page, select the specific Host (ESX station), Cluster, or Resource Pool on which you want to deploy and click Next.

          Note: Each VM must be assigned to a specific host on clusters that are configured with vSphere HA or Manual mode vSphere DRS.

        7. On the Review details page, verify the OVA template details and click Next.

        8. On the Configuration page, choose a deployment configuration and click Next.

        9. On the Select storage page, choose the destination storage location for the VM files in the selected ESXi host and click Next.

        10. Choose the Disk Format for the VM virtual disks.

          Note: It is recommended to use thick provisioning. While it is possible to use thin provisioning, over-commitment of storage can lead to a lack of storage capacity resulting in degradation and loss of service.

        11. On the Select networks page, choose a source network and map it to a destination network, then click Next.

        12. On the Ready to Complete page, select Power On After Deployment and click Finish.

        13. Ensure that VMs are configured with the following additional settings by right-clicking the desired VM in VMware ESXi and clicking Edit Settings.

          • CPU: Select Low from the first Shares drop-down list

          • Memory: Check the Reserve all guest memory (All locked) check box

          • Set CPU and RAM based on your scale size. See Hardware and VM Resource Requirements for more details.

        14. In VMware ESXi, select the desired VM.

        15. Click the Summary tab.

        16. Click the displayed image or the Launch Console icon to launch the console.

        17. See Network Configuration for next steps.

Installing Cisco IQ Link on Microsoft Hyper-V Server

The Cisco IQ Link Hyper-V bundle from Cisco is delivered as a .tar.gz file. To install Cisco IQ Link on Hyper-V:

      1. Log in to Hyper-V Server Manager with administrator credentials.

      2. Extract the Cisco IQ Link package to the location defined by the Hyper-V Administrator to store all the virtual hard disks.
      3. Verify that all the disks from the original Cisco IQ .tar.gz are in the Virtual Hard Disks folder.

      4. From the Actions pane of Hyper-V Manager, choose New > Virtual Machine and click Next.

      5. Enter the Name you want to assign to the Cisco IQ Link VM and click Next.
      6. Choose Generation 2 and click Next.
      7. Enter the memory value based on the recommended memory size and click Next.
      8. Verify Use Dynamic Memory remains unchecked.
      9. Choose the appropriate network adapter for your Cisco IQ Link VM and click Next
      10. Add the provided Cisco IQ Link virtual hard disk, ensuring disk one (1) is the first disk and click Next.
      11. Verify the selections in the Summary and click Finish. Hyper-V displays the newly created Cisco IQ Link VM.
      12. Right click the VM and choose Settings.
      13. Under Security, uncheck the Enable Secure Boot check box.
      14. Add the other two (2) virtual hard disks to the VM by repeating the same steps used for adding the first hard disk.
      15. In the Advanced Features under the Network Adapter, verify that the Enable device naming is selected.
      16. Set the number of processors to the recommended vCPUs as listed in Hardware and VM Resource Requirements.
      17. In the Actions pane, select Start to power on the VM.
      18. In the Actions pane, select Connect to connect to the VM. The VM Connection console is displayed.

      19. See Network Configuration for more details.

Installing Cisco IQ Link on KVM Hypervisor

Ensure that the following supported requirements are met before installing Cisco IQ Link on KVM.

      • RHEL host OS

      • Administrative access on the Red Hat server

To install Cisco IQ Link on a KVM Hypervisor, VM Manager is required.

      1. Log in to Red Hat host OS server with administrator credentials.
      2. Download and extract the Cisco IQ Link package on the host.
      3. Launch the Virtual Machine Manager (VMM) client.

      4. Choose File > New Virtual Machine on the menu to install a new Cisco IQ Link VM.

      5. Choose Import existing disk image and click Forward.
      6. Under Provide the existing storage path, click Browse.
      7. Create a new storage pool using the path where you extracted the Cisco IQ Link package.
      8. Choose the first disk of the Cisco IQ Link from the storage pool created on the previous step and click Choose Volume.
      9. Under Choose an operating system type and version, choose AlmaLinux 9 and click Forward.
      10. Under Choose Memory and CPU settings, enter details based on your scale size and click Forward. See Hardware and VM Resource Requirements for more details.

      11. In the dialog box, complete the following configuration:

        1. Under Ready to begin the installation, enter a Name for the Cisco IQ Link instance.

        2. Click the Customize configuration before install option.

        3. Under Network selection, ensure that you select the appropriate virtual network.

      12. Click Finish to complete the addition of the first disk.

      13. Add the remaining two (2) disks by following the steps below:

        1. On the VMM console, click Add Hardware.

        2. Under Storage, ensure that the Select or create custom storage check box is checked and click Manage.

        3. Browse to select the second disk of the Cisco IQ Link file that you have extracted on your system.

        4. Click Choose volume.

      14. Repeat the same (Add Hardware) steps to add the third Cisco IQ Link disk.

      15. Ensure all disk Bus Types are SCSI.

      16. Click Finish.

      17. Under the Overview section, choose UEFI for Firmware.

      18. Click Begin installation.

      19. On the VMM console, customize the password configuration and IP properties.

      20. See Network Configuration for next steps.

Network Configuration

      1. Launch Cisco IQ Link from VM console.

        Log InLog In

      2. Log in to the console using the default network credentials by entering “admin” for both the login name and password. The main menu displays.

        Note: The default credentials are provided for initial setup only as there is no data to protect at this stage of installation.

        Main MenuMain Menu

      3. Enter “1” and press Enter to configure network settings.

      4. Provide the following network settings:

        Note: Users can press Enter to use detected values where available.

        • IP address

        • Gateway IP

        • DNS IP list

        • Search domain

        • NTP server list

        Note: Inputting multiple NTP servers using a comma-separated format is supported.

      5. Configure the NTP authentication by pressing N to proceed without an authentication method

        OR

        Press Y and enter the corresponding number of an option listed below:

        • Traditional key-based authentication: Uses provided credentials for secure time synchronization; after selecting this option, enter a valid algorithm and a hex key

        • Network Time Security (NTS): Uses the NTS protocol to provide secure NTP communication

        Note: NTP information can be validated in the UI after installation by navigating to System Settings.

        NTP Validation in UINTP Validation in UI

      6. Enter and confirm a password after reviewing the on-screen password requirements.

      7. Review the summary and press Y to continue. Setup can take a few minutes.

      8. Once a success message is received, press Enter to return to the main menu.

Network settings are now configured, but Cisco IQ Link has not yet been installed. It is recommended to return to vCenter and take a Snapshot of the new VM for future reference. At this point, you can also initiate a Secure Shell connection using the newly configured IP address and credentials.

This completes manual configuration of Cisco IQ Link.

Installing Cisco IQ Link

Before you begin: The Cisco IQ Link installation process begins within Cisco IQ. Ensure you have already initiated the Cisco IQ Link instance addition in Cisco IQ (by navigating to Home > System Settings > Data Connectors > Add Cisco IQ Link). For more context, see Adding Cisco IQ Link Instances in the Cisco IQ Getting Started Guide. This guide is your primary resource for the complete end-to-end deployment workflow.

To install Cisco IQ Link:

      1. Navigate to the Cisco IQ Link installer web interface (received after configuring Cisco IQ Link in VMs). The Cisco IQ Link Installer page displays.

        Cisco IQ Link InstallerCisco IQ Link Installer

      2. Select an applicable region from the Region drop-down list. The following options are available:

        • AMER

        • APJC

        • EMEA

      3. Click Start. The Check Internet Connectivity tab displays.

        Check Internet ConnectivityCheck Internet Connectivity

      4. If proxy configuration is required, enter the Proxy/hostname IP.

      5. Enter the Port number.

      6. Turn on the Enable Authentication toggle button if required.

        1. Enter Username.

        2. Enter Password.

      7. Click Test Connectivity. Internet connectivity is verified.
        Verify Internet ConnectivityVerify Internet Connectivity

      8. Click Next. The Connect Cisco IQ Link tab displays with the Device ID and Claim code.

        Note: Device ID and Claim code are required to connect to Cisco IQ in a later step. They remain valid for five (5) minutes, after which they automatically refresh.

        Connect Cisco IQ LinkConnect Cisco IQ Link

      9. Navigate back to Cisco IQ and ensure you are still on the Add Cisco IQ Link page.

        Add Cisco IQ LinkAdd Cisco IQ Link

      10. Check the I am ready to pair with an installed Cisco IQ Link check box.

      11. Click Next.

        Name Your Cisco IQ LinkName Your Cisco IQ Link

      12. Enter a unique name for the Cisco IQ Link instance in the Name field.

      13. Click Next.

        Deploy and PairDeploy and Pair

      14. Enter the Device ID and Claim code (provided in the Cisco IQ Link installer).

      15. Click Submit. You are redirected to the Data Connectors page.

        Data ConnectorsData Connectors

      16. Navigate back to the Cisco IQ Link Installer web page. The Check network requirements page displays.

        Check Network RequirementsCheck Network Requirements

      17. Click Next. The Configure Internal Network tab displays.

        Configure Internal NetworkConfigure Internal Network

      18. Enter the Internal network IP.

        Note: The specified IP range is reserved for internal Cisco IQ Link communication. To prevent connectivity issues, ensure this range does not overlap with external devices (for example, DNS, NTP, or data sources). Any external device assigned an IP within this range is unreachable by Cisco IQ Link.

      19. Click Next. The Installation result page displays.

        Installation ResultInstallation Result
        Once the installation is complete, the Cisco IQ login opens in the browser. You can log in using the admin user and password credentials used during the Network configuration.
        Cisco IQ Link LoginCisco IQ Link Login

      20. Log into Cisco IQ Link. The Home page displays.

        Cisco IQ Link Successful InstallationCisco IQ Link Successful Installation

Note: From here onwards, you can add Connections from Cisco IQ Link by navigating to System Settings > Connection Management. See the Cisco IQ Link Operations Guide to learn more about Cisco IQ Link features. 

Revision History

Revision Publish Date Comments
2.0
June 30, 2026
v1.1.1
1.0
April 23, 2026
Initial Release

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