Cisco Crosswork Network Controller 7.2.x Administration Guide

Tasks to complete for initial setup

Updated: August 14, 2026

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This section lists the essential steps and resources you need to complete the initial setup of the Crosswork Network Controller, guiding you through each activity and providing references for additional assistance.

This topic guides you through preparing the system for use when deploying Crosswork Network Controller, whether as a cluster or a single VM.

This table lists the topics to refer to for assistance when performing each of the following tasks. If you have completed the recommended planning steps outlined in the Core features in Crosswork Network Controller, you should have all the information required to complete each step in this workflow.

Note

This workflow assumes that you have already installed Crosswork Network Controller based on the instructions in the latest version of the Cisco Crosswork Network Controller 7.2.x Installation Guide .

Table 1. Tasks to complete to get started with Crosswork Network Controller
Step	Action
1. Ensure that your devices are configured properly for communication and telemetry.	Refer to the guidelines and sample configurations in Configuration prerequisites for new devices.
2. Create user accounts and user roles.	Follow the steps in Manage Users and Create User Roles.
3. Create credential profiles.	Follow the steps in Manage credential profiles.
4. Add the provider(s).	Follow the steps in Providers and Add a provider. Note In case of the single VM deployment of Crosswork Network Controller Advantage tier, the embedded NSO provider is already added and configured during the deployment.
5. Validate communications with the provider(s).	Check on the provider's reachability using the steps in Get provider details.
6. Import or create tags.	To import them: Import tags. To create them: Create tags.
7. Onboard your devices.	See Add and Configure Devices. For more information, see the Cisco Crosswork Network Controller 7.2.x Device Lifecycle Management guide.
8. Setup Crosswork Data Gateway	For cluster deployment, follow the steps in Crosswork Data Gateway Setup, Management, and Troubleshooting. For single VM deployment, follow the steps in Embedded Collectors in Single VM Deployments.
9. Validate Crosswork Network Controller communications with devices.	Review the Devices window. All the devices you have onboarded should be reachable. Click to investigate any device whose Reachability State is marked as (unreachable), (degraded), or (unknown). For more information, see the Cisco Crosswork Network Controller 7.2.x Device Lifecycle Management guide.
10. (Optional) Enable source IP for auditing.	If you want to log the user's IP address for auditing and accounting, see Configure AAA settings.
11. (Optional) Create additional user accounts and user roles.	Follow the steps in Manage Users and Create User Roles.
12. (Optional) Import or create additional credential profiles and providers.	To import providers: Import providers. To add providers: Add a provider.
13. (Optional) Group your devices logically as per your requirement.	Follow the steps in Use Device Groups to Filter your Topology Map.
14. (Optional) Set display preferences for your topology.	Follow the steps in Upload internal map files for offline use.

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