Cisco Recommended SD-WAN Software Versions for Controllers and WAN Edge Routers

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Updated:August 9, 2023
Document ID:215676

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    Introduction

    This document provides guidance to customers on how to find the most suitable SD-WAN software for Cisco SD-WAN controllers and Edge routers, which includes vEdge and Cisco IOS® XE SD-WAN devices. The information in this document is not meant to be exhaustive and is intended to serve as a general guide to customers, especially in cases of mass deployments/upgrades. Beyond these recommendations, if customers are required to run a release to utilize newer software features or hardware, the recommendation is to select Extended Maintenance release trains wherever possible.

    Background Information

    It covers these software/components:

    • vManage
    • Controllers (vBond, vSmart hosted in private and public clouds)
    • Viptela OS (for vEdge100, vEdge1000, vEdge2000, vEdge5000, vEdge-Cloud, and ISR1100-4G/6G)
    • Cisco IOS XE SD-WAN

    Cisco performs extensive internal testing and then evaluates software quality after publishing for general availability before making a recommended release. It includes the review of any new defects filed or found against the release, severity or impact of those, as well as general field feedback. This evaluation happens for each new release.

    Cisco SD-WAN Software Support Lifecycle

    Each Cisco SD-WAN software release is classified as either a Standard Maintenance release or an Extended Maintenance release. This applies to WAN Edge and controller software.

    Standard Maintenance Release - A sustaining support lifetime of 12 months from First Customer Shipment (FCS) with scheduled rebuilds. Examples are Cisco IOS XE Software Releases 16.9, 16.11, 17.2, 17.4, 17.5, 17.7 and 17.8 For controllers/vEdges, examples are 18.3, 19.1, 20.1, 20.4, 20.5, 20.7 and 20.8

    Extended Maintenance Release - A sustaining support lifetime of 36 months from FCS with scheduled rebuilds. Examples are Cisco IOS XE Software Releases 16.10, 16.12, 17.3, 17.6 and 17.9 For controllers/vEdges, examples are 18.4, 19.2, 20.3, 20.6 and 20.9

    Release 18.4/16.10 was the first Extended Maintenance SD-WAN release. Starting from Release 19.2/16.12 every subsequent third release will be an Extended Maintenance release (for example, 19.2/16.12, 17.3/20.3, 17.6/20.6)

    Given that Standard Maintenance releases have much shorter support lifetimes whereas Extended Maintenance releases have longer support with more scheduled rebuilds / bug fixes, it is recommended that customers stay on Extended Maintenance releases wherever possible.

    Current Releases Overview

    SD-WAN Releases on CCO

    Releases Controllers/vEdge5k, ISR 1100 and vEdge cloud vEdge 100b, vEdge 100m, vEdge 1000, vEdge 2000 Routers Cisco IOS XE SD-WAN

    Recommended releases marked on CCO.

    20.6.5.2, 20.9.4

    vManage: 20.6.5.5, 20.9.4.1

    20.6.5.2

    20.9.4*

    17.6.5, 17.9.4

    Other releases available on CCO.

    20.12.1

    20.11.1, 20.11.1.1
    20.10.1, 20.10.1.1
    20.9.1,20.9.2,20.9.3, 20.9.3.1

    20.8.1

    20.7.2, 20.7.1.1, 20.7.1

    20.6.5.4,20.6.5.2, 20.6.5.1, 20.6.5, 20.6.4, 20.6.4.1 20.6.3.1, 20.6.3, 20.6.3.2, 20.6.2.2, 20.6.2.1, 20.6.2, 20.6.1, 20.6.1.2 

    20.5.1.2, 20.5.1.1, 20.5.1

    20.4.2.2, 20.4.2.1, 20.4.2, 20.4.1.2

    20.3.8,20.3.7,20.3.6,20.3.5, 20.3.4.2, 20.3.4.1, 20.3.4, 20.3.3.1, 20.3.3, 20.3.2.1, 20.3.2

    20.1.2, 20.1.12

    19.2.4, 19.2.31, 19.2.3

    18.4.5, 18.4.6

    20.9.3,20.9.3.1*

    20.6.5.3,20.6.5.4,20.6.5.5, 20.6.4.1,20.6.3.3,20.6.3.2, 20.6.1.2 20.4.2.3

    20.3.8,20.3.7.2,20.3.7.2

    * Only for vEdge-2000

    17.12.2

    17.11.1a
    17.10.1a
    17.9.3a

    17.8.1a

    17.7.1a

    17.6.3a,17.6.1,17.6.2,17.6.3,17.6.4

    17.5.1a

    17.4.1a, 17.4.1b

    17.3.8,17.3.7,17.3.6,17.3.5,17.3.4a,17.3.3, 17.3.2, 17.3.1a

    17.2.2, 17.2.1v, 17.2.1r

    16.12.5, 16.12.4

    16.10.6, 16.10.5

    Deferred releases.

    Customers will not be able to download.

    20.4.1,20.4.1.1

    20.3.1

    20.1.1, 20.1.1.1

    19.3.0

    19.2.2, 19.2.1, 19.2.099, 19.2.097, 19.2.0

    19.1.0

    18.4.4, 18.4.303, 18.4.302, 18.4.3, 18.4.1, 18.4.0

    18.3.7, 18.3.6, 18.3.5, 18.3.4, 18.3.3.1, 18.3.1, 18.3.0

    17.2.10, 17.2.9, 17.2.8, 17.2.7, 17.2.6, 17.2.5, 17.2.4

    20.6.5.1, 20.6.5, 20.6.4, 20.6.3.1, 20.6.3, 20.6.2.2,20.6.2, 20.6.1
    20.4.2.2, 20.4.2.1, 20.4.2, 20.4.1.2, 20.4.1,20.4.1.1
    20.3.5, 20.3.4.2, 20.3.4.1, 20.3.4, 20.3.3.1, 20.3.3, 20.3.2.1, 20.3.2, 20.3.1
    20.1.2, 20.1.1, 20.1.1.1, 20.1.12
    19.3.0
    19.2.31, 19.2.3, 19.2.2, 19.2.1, 19.2.099, 19.2.097, 19.2.0
    19.1.0
    18.4.6,18.4.5, 18.4.4, 18.4.303, 18.4.302, 18.4.3, 18.4.1, 18.4.0
    18.3.7, 18.3.6, 18.3.5, 18.3.4, 18.3.3.1, 18.3.1, 18.3.0
    17.2.10, 17.2.9, 17.2.8, 17.2.7, 17.2.6, 17.2.5, 17.2.4

    NA

    NA

    NA

    16.12.3, 16.12.2r, 16.12.1e, 16.12.1d, 16.12.1b

    16.11.1a

    16.10.4, 16.10.3, 16.10.3a, 16.10.3b, 16.10.2, 16.10.1

    16.9.4, 16.9.3, 16.9.2, 16.9.1

    NA

    Release 20.12 Controllers Builds

    Release Number What the Release Supports

    20.12.1

    First release for 20.12 train

    Cisco IOS XE SD-WAN 17.12

    Release Number What the Release Supports

    17.12.1a

    First release for 17.12 train

    Release 20.11 Controllers Builds

    Release Number What the Release Supports

    20.11.1

    First release for 20.11 train

    20.11.1.1

    Interim rebuild with a fix for CSCwf28118

    20.11.1.2

    Interim rebuild for vManage only with fixes for CSCwf76218 and CSCwf82344

    Cisco IOS XE SD-WAN 17.11

    Release Number What the Release Supports

    17.11.1a

    First release for 17.11 train

    Release 20.10 Controllers Builds

    Release Number What the Release Supports

    20.10.1

    First release for 20.10 train

    20.10.1.1

    Interim rebuild with a fix for CSCwf28118

    20.10.1.2

    Interim rebuild for vManage only with fixes for CSCwf76218 and CSCwf82344

    Cisco IOS XE SD-WAN 17.10

    Release Number What the Release Supports

    17.10.1a

    First release for 17.10 train

    Release 20.9 Controllers and vEdge Cloud, vEdge 5000, ISR1100 Series, vEdge 2000 Device Builds

    Release Number What the Release Supports

    20.9.1

    First release for 20.9 train

    20.9.2

    1st Rebuild

    20.9.3

    2nd Rebuild

    20.9.3.1

    Interim rebuild with a fix for CSCwf28118

    20.9.3.2

    Interim rebuild for vManage only with fixes for CSCwf76218 and CSCwf82344

    20.9.4

    3rd Rebuild

    20.9.4.1

    Interim rebuild for vManage only with a fix for 

    CSCwh22202

    Cisco IOS XE SD-WAN 17.9

    Release Number What the Release Supports

    17.9.1a

    First release for 17.9 train

    17.9.2a

    1st Rebuild

    17.9.3a

    2nd Rebuild

    17.9.4

    3rd Rebuild

    Release 20.8 Controllers and vEdge Cloud, vEdge 5000, ISR1100 Series, vEdge 2000 Device Builds

    Release Number What the Release Supports

    20.8.1

    First release for 20.8 train

    Cisco IOS XE SD-WAN 17.8

    Release Number What the Release Supports

    17.8.1a

    First release for 17.8 train

    Release 20.7 Controllers and vEdge Cloud, vEdge 5000, ISR1100 Series, vEdge 2000 Device Builds

    Release Number What the Release Supports

    20.7.1

    First release for 20.7 train

    20.7.1.1

    First interim rebuild of 20.7.1

    20.7.2

    Second release for 20.7 train

    Cisco IOS XE SD-WAN 17.7

    Release Number What the Release Supports

    17.7.1a

    First release for 17.7 train

    Release 20.6 Controllers and vEdge Device Builds

    Release Number What the Release Supports

    20.6.1

    First release for 20.6 train

    20.6.1.2

    Interim rebuild with a fix for CSCwf28118

    20.6.2

    Second release for 20.6 train

    20.6.2.1

    First interim rebuild of 20.6.2 (with Log4Shell vulnerability fixes)

    20.6.2.2

    Second interim rebuild of 20.6.2

    20.6.3

    Third release for 20.6 train

    20.6.3.2

    Interim rebuild with a fix for CSCwf28118

    20.6.3.4

    Interim rebuild for vManage only with fixes for CSCwf76218 and CSCwf82344

    20.6.4

    Fourth Release for 20.6 Train

    20.6.4.1

    Interim rebuild with a fix for CSCwf28118

    20.6.5 (20.6.5.1 vmanage)

    Fifth Release for 20.6 Train

    20.6.5.2

    Interim rebuild with a fix for CSCwf28118

    20.6.5.4

    Interim rebuild with a fix for CSCwf34096

    20.6.5.5

    Interim rebuild for vManage only with fixes for CSCwf76218 and CSCwf82344

    Cisco IOS XE SD-WAN 17.6

    Release Number What the Release Supports

    17.6.1a

    First release for 17.6 train

    17.6.2

    Second release for 17.6 train

    17.6.3a

    Third release for 17.6 train

    17.6.4a

    Fourth release for 17.6 train

    17.6.5a

    Fifth release for 17.6 train

    Cisco recommends Release 20.6.3/17.6.3a release for long-lived deployments. 20.6.3 software version is also recommend for vManage controller. It is marked as Cisco Suggested release based on software quality, stability, and longevity on the Software download page (CCO) as well. 

    Release 20.5 Controllers and vEdge Device Builds

    Release Number What the Release Supports

    20.5.1

    First release for 20.5 train

    20.5.1.1

    First interim rebuild of 20.5.1 (with Log4Shell vulnerability fixes)

    20.5.1.2

    Second interim rebuild of 20.5.1

    Cisco IOS XE SD-WAN 17.5

    Release Number What the Release Supports

    17.5.1a

    First release for 17.5 train

    Release 20.4 Controllers and vEdge Device Builds

    Release Number What the Release Supports

    20.4.1

    First release for 20.4 train

    20.4.1.1

    First interim rebuild of 20.4.1

    20.4.1.2

    Second interim rebuild of 20.4.1

    20.4.2

    Second release for 20.4 train

    20.4.2.1 

    First interim rebuild of 20.4.2 (with Log4Shell vulnerability fixes)

    20.4.2.2

    Second interim rebuild of 20.4.2

    20.4.2.3

    Interim rebuild with a fix for CSCwf28118

    Cisco IOS XE SD-WAN 17.4

    Release Number What the Release Supports

    17.4.1a

    First release for 17.4 train

    17.4.1b

    Second release for 17.4 train

    Release 20.3 Controllers and vEdge Device Builds

    Release Number What the Release Supports

    20.3.1

    First release for 20.3 train

    20.3.2

    Second release for 20.3 train

    20.3.2.1

    Interim release build for 20.3 train

    20.3.3

    Third release for 20.3 train

    20.3.3.1

    First interim rebuild of 20.3.3

    20.3.4

    Fouth release for 20.3 train

    20.3.4.1

    First interim rebuild of 20.3.4 (with Log4Shell vulnerability fixes)

    20.3.4.2

    Second interim rebuild of 20.3.4

    20.3.5

    Fith release for 20.3 train

    20.3.6

    Sixth release for 20.3 train

    20.3.7

    Seventh release for 20.3 train

    20.3.7.1

    Interim rebuild with a fix for CSCwf28118

    20.3.8

    Eighth release for 20.3 train

    Cisco IOS XE SD-WAN 17.3

    Release Number What the Release Supports

    17.3.1a

    First release for 17.3 train

    17.3.2

    Second release for 17.3 train 

    17.3.3

    Third release for 17.3 train

    17.3.4a

    Fouth release for 17.3 train

    17.3.5

    Fith release for 17.3 train

    17.3.6

    Sixth release for 17.3 train

    17.3.7

    Seventh release for 17.3 train

    17.3.8

    Eighth release for 17.3 train

    Release 20.3.2/17.3.2 is the first release to support Cat 83xx/85xx platforms.

    Release 20.1 Controllers and vEdge Device Builds

    Release Number What the Release Supports

    20.1.1

    First release for 20.1 train

    20.1.1.1

    Rebuild for vManage only

    20.1.12

    Interim rebuild preceding 20.1.2 (in fact should be read as 20.1.1.2)

    20.1.2

    Second release for 20.1 train

    Cisco IOS XE SD-WAN 17.2

    Release Number What the Release Supports

    17.2.1r

    First release for 17.2 train

    17.2.1v

    Interim rebuild

    17.2.2

    Second release for 17.2 train

    Release 19.2 Controllers and vEdge Device Builds

    Release Number What the Release Supports

    19.2.099

    First release for 19.2 train

    19.2.1

    Hardened release for 19.2 train

    19.2.2

    2nd Rebuild in Hardened release

    19.2.3

    3rd Rebuild in Hardened release

    19.2.31

    Interim release with critical bug fixes

    19.2.4

    4th Rebuild in Hardened release

    Cisco IOS XE SD-WAN 16.12

    Release Number What the Release Supports

    16.12.1d

    First release for 16.12.x train

    16.12.2r

    Hardened release for 16.12.x train

    16.12.3

    2nd Rebuild in Hardened release

    16.12.4

    3rd Rebuild in Hardened Release.

    16.12.5

    4th Rebuild in Hardened Release

    Release 18.4 Controllers and vEdge Device Builds

    Release Number What the Release Supports

    18.4.1

    First release for 18.4.x train

    18.4.2

    2nd Rebuild

    18.4.3

    3rd Rebuild

    18.4.4

    4th Rebuild

    18.4.5

    5th Rebuild and Hardened Release

    18.4.6

    6th Rebuild

    Cisco IOS XE SD-WAN 16.10

    Release Number What the Release Supports

    16.10.1

    First release for 16.10 train

    16.10.2

    2nd Rebuild

    16.10.3

    3rd Rebuild

    16.10.4

    4th Rebuild

    16.10.5

    5th Rebuild

    16.10.6

    6th Rebuild

    Cisco SD-WAN Hardware Compatibility Matrix

    The most up to date information on Cisco SD-WAN Hardware Compatibility Matrix is integrated into the Release Notes. See the Release Notes link in the Related Information section.

    List of Resolved and Open Defects

    The list of Resolved and Open Defects is integrated with the Release Notes. See the Release Notes link in the Related Information section.

    Related Information

    Revision History

    Revision Publish Date Comments
    8.0
    09-Aug-2023
    vManage 20.6.5.5 release is now recommended
    7.0
    13-Apr-2023
    20.6.5.1 vManage release is recommended now, 17.6.5 is recommended for WAN Edge routers running IOS-XE. 20.6.5 is recommended for vEdge
    6.0
    28-Nov-2022
    20.6.3.1 vMananage recommeded release added, 20.9.1/17.9.1a added
    5.0
    22-Apr-2022
    Latest releases were added. 17.3.5/20.3.5 is a recommended software release now.
    4.0
    02-Feb-2022
    Latest releases were added. vManage controller recommended was changed to 20.3.4.2
    3.0
    03-Dec-2021
    17.6.2/20.6.2 release information was added
    2.0
    20-Oct-2021
    Added new recommended stable long-term version for Edge routers and vManage controllers.
    1.0
    25-Jun-2020
    Initial Release
    TAC Authored

    Contributed by Cisco Engineers

    • Eugene Khabarov
      Cisco Engineering
    • Nilesh Vilasrao Khade
      Cisco Engineering
    • Hemant Maena
      Cisco Engineering

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