Cellular Interfaces for SD-Routing Devices, Release 17.18.x
What’s new and changed
This table lists the features available with the current release.
Cisco IOS XE release | Feature name | Description | Supported platforms |
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Cisco IOS XE 17.18.1a |
ConfigureCellular Band Select for SD-Routing devices |
This feature introduces support to configure cellular band select using Feature Parcels in Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager. Selection of frequency bands optimize the device connection. |
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Reset cellular profile for SD-Routing devices |
This feature introduces support to reset the cellular network settings associated with a specific profile. |
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Collect crash dump data for SD-Routing devices |
This feature introduces support to configure collection of crash dump data on the device. |
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Enable diagnostic monitoring log capture for SD-Routing devices |
This feature introduces enabling diagnostic monitoring log capture for devices with cellular interfaces using Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager. |
Cellular Band Select for cellular interfaces
From Cisco IOS XE 17.18.1a release, you can select specific frequency bands for device connection on SD-Routing devices. This allows an optimized connection based on location and network availability. By default, this option is disabled. When disabled, the device by default connects to frequency bands depending on the modem type and carrier network.
Reset cellular profile
A cellular profile contains information on how a device accesses a cellular network, specifies network parameters like APN (Access Point Name) and authentication credentials for different carriers or situations.
From Cisco IOS XE 17.18.1a release, the cellular <slot number> lte profile reset command can be used to completely clear the cellular network settings associated with a specific profile and restore the settings to factory default.
Collect modem crash dump data
When a modem crashes, it reboots by default without collecting crash dump data. To understand the cause of the crash, you can record a full crash dump on the modem.
From Cisco IOS XE 17.18.1a release, you can configure a modem to collect crash dump data using the lte modem crash-action auto-collect command. When the auto collect option is enabled, the modem stays in boot-and-hold mode until crash data is collected and then reboots itself. The crash data is stored in the device bootflash which can be used for troubleshooting.
Enable diagnostic monitoring log capture
Diagnostic monitoring logs help with troubleshooting and analyzing the data connectivity or performance issues with a device.
From Cisco IOS XE 17.18.1a release, you can enable diagnostic monitoring log capture for devices with cellular interfaces using the Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager.
Automatic Dialer support for cellular interfaces
The cellular data connection is now automatically configured for a single LTE interface without manually configuring the dialer interface using CLI Configuration Group. However, you can optionally configure additional dialer interfaces on the device using the CLI Add-on template.
Benefits
- The cellular band select can optimize signal strength, enhance network stability and data speeds by selecting specific radio frequency bands within the cellular network.
- The diagnostic monitoring logs can be captured for devices with cellular interfaces for troubleshooting using the Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager.
- The cellular data connection is now automatically established for a single LTE interface without configuring the dialer interface. Additional interfaces can be configured using the CLI Add-on template.
- The cellular profile can now be reset using a single command on CLI Configuration.
- Configuring auto collection of crash dump data using a command on CLI Configuration enables the modem to stay in boot-and-hold mode and collect the crash dump data before rebooting.
Limitations
In Cisco IOS XE 17.16.1a release, though you can configure Tracker and Tracker Group objects for the Cellular Interface, it does not track the status of the Cellular Interface.
Workflow to set up cellular interfaces for SD-Routing devices
These are the different stages in configuring cellular support for SD-routing devices:
- Configure a Transport and Management profile that includes a Global VRF and configure one or more cellular interfaces.
- Configure a cellular controller that hosts the cellular profile, GPS and Cellular Band Select.
- Optionally configure Dialer support for additional LTE interfaces through CLI Add-on template. By default, a single LTE interface is configured.
- Associate the deploy the configuration group that contains the Transport and management profile and the CLI-Add on template.
- Configure security for the SIM to prevent unauthorised access to the cellular network.
- Monitor the cellular network for any errors.
- Enable diagnostic monitoring log capture.
- Troubleshoot the cellular interface.
- Reset a cellular profile.
Steps to configure cellular interfaces using Feature Parcels | To know more |
Configure Global VRF | Configure the Global VRF in the Transport and Management Profile to set up a transport path for the cellular network. For more information, see Configure Global VRF. |
Configure Cellular Interface | Configure a cellular interface to connect to a cellular network to enable LTE connectivity. For more information, see Configure Cellular Interface. |
Configure a Cellular Controller | Configure the cellular controller for each LTE module. A cellular controller manages and controls cellular network connections acting as a central hub for managing multiple cellular devices or connections within a network. For more information, see Configure Cellular Controller. |
Configure Cellular Profile | A cellular profile contains details like the Access Point Name (APN), authentication type, and preferred network bands, essentially creating a specific configuration for accessing mobile data on a cellular network depending on the user's needs or service provider. For more information, see Configure Cellular Profile. |
Configure Cellular GPS | Configure the GPS details to determine the positioning of the device. For more information, see Configure GPS. |
Configure Cellular Band Select |
Configure Cellular Band Select to optimize the connectivity of the device. For more information, see Configure Cellular Band Select. |
Optionally Configure Dialer support | Dialer configuration controls how data is sent and received over a dial-up connection. For more information, see Configure Dialer support |
Associate and deploy the configuration group | Provision all the configuration to one or more devices. For more information, see Associate and deploy the configuration group |
Configure security for the SIM card | Configure security by using the SIM lock feature and prevent unauthorised access to the network. For more information, see Configure security for the SIM card |
Monitor the cellular network | Monitor cellular connectivity to ensure there are no errors in the network.For more information, For more information see,Monitor cellular connectivity |
Enable diagnostic monitoring log capture for devices with cellular interface |
Capture the diagnostic monitoring log for troubleshooting. For more information, see Enable Diagnostic log capture using Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager. For more information see, |
Troubleshoot the cellular interface |
Enable modem crash data collection on the device. For more information, For more information see, Troubleshoot cellular interfaces for SD-Routing devices using Cisco SD-WAN Manager. |
Reset the cellular profile |
Reset a cellular profile to factory default settings. For more information, see Configure Cellular Profile Reset. |

Configure Cellular Interfaces for SD-Routing devices using Cisco SD-WAN Manager
This section describes the various steps involved in configuring Cellular Support using Feature Parcels in Cisco SD-WAN Manager.
Ensure that the SD-Routing device has a software version of Cisco IOS XE 17.16.1a.
Configure Global VRF
This task provides details on how to configure the Global VRF in the Transport and Management Profile to set up transport for the network.
Step 1 | On the Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager, select SD Routing . . Select the solution type as | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Step 2 | Select a configuration group from the list that is displayed. Create a new Transport and Management profile or select an existing profile. Select the profile, click Edit. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Step 3 | Select Global VRF. Click Add New to configure the Global VRF. Specify a name to identify the Global VRF. Optionally, add a description for the Global VRF. To specify a value for the parameters required for configuring a Global VRF, choose Global, or Device Specific from the drop-down list.
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Step 4 | Click Save. |
What's next
Configure Cellular Interface.
Configure Cellular Interface
Configure a Cellular Interface to connect to a network and enable LTE connectivity. This task covers details on how to configure the Cellular Interface.
Step 1 | On the Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager, select SD Routing. . Select the solution type as | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Step 2 | Select a Configuration Group from the list that is displayed. Create a new Transport and Management profile or select an existing profile. Select the profile, click Edit. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Step 3 | Select the Global VRF created as part of the steps in Configure Global VRF. Click + to add a feature. Select Cellular Interface. Select Add New. Specify a name to identify the Cellular Interface. Enter details to configure the Cellular Interface. To specify a value for the parameters required for configuring a Global VRF, choose Global, or Device Specific from the drop-down list.
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Step 4 | Click Save. Repeat the process to create additional cellular interfaces. |
What's next
Configure Cellular Controller.
Configure Cellular Controller
A Cellular Controller manages and controls cellular network connections acting as a central hub for managing multiple cellular devices or connections within a network.
This task covers details on how to configure the Cellular Controller for each LTE module.
Step 1 | On the Cisco SD-WAN Manager, select SD Routing. . Select the solution type as | ||||||||||||
Step 2 | Select a configuration group created earlier. Select the Transport and Management profile created in Configure Global VRF. Select Add New Feature. Select Cellular Controller. Select Add New. Enter a name and description to identify the Cellular Controller. To specify a value for the parameters required for configuring a Global VRF, choose Global, or Device Specific from the drop-down list.
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Step 3 | Click Save. Repeat the process to create additional cellular controllers. |
What's next
Configure Cellular Profile.
Configure Cellular Profile
A Cellular Profile contains details like the Access Point Name (APN), authentication type, and preferred network bands, essentially creating a specific configuration for accessing mobile data on a cellular network depending on the user's needs or service provider.
This task covers details on how to configure a Cellular Profile that contains the Access Point Name (APN) to the base station.
Step 1 | On the Cisco SD-WAN Manager, select SD Routing. . Select the solution type as | ||||||||||||||||||||
Step 2 | Select a configuration group from the list that is displayed. Select the Transport and Management profile created in Configure Global VRF click Edit. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Step 3 | Select the Cellular Controller created earlier, click +, select Cellular Profile. Select + Add New. Enter a name and description for the Cellular Profile. Specify these details: To specify a value for the parameters required for configuring a Global VRF, choose Global, or Device Specific from the drop-down list.
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Step 4 | Click Save. Repeat the process to create additional cellular profiles. |
What's next
Configure GPS.
Configure GPS
This task covers details on how to configure the GPS details for the LTE module to determine the positioning of the device.
Step 1 | On the Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager, select SD Routing. . Select the solution type as | ||||||||||||||
Step 2 | Select a configuration group from the list that is displayed. Select the Transport and Management profile created in Configure Global VRF, click Edit. | ||||||||||||||
Step 3 | Select the Cellular Controller created earlier, click +, select GPS. Select + Add New. Enter a name and description for the GPS profile. Specify these details:
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Step 4 | Click Save. Repeat the process to create additional GPS profiles. |
What's next
Configure Cellular Band Select.
Configure Cellular Band Select
Band selection allows you to configure the frequency range on your device to communicate with the network depending on coverage and signal quality.
This task covers details on how to configure band selection to optimize the connectivity of the device.
Step 1 | On the Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager, select SD Routing. . Select the solution type as | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Step 2 | Select a configuration group from the list that is displayed. Select the Transport and Management profile created in Configure Global VRF, click Edit. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Step 3 | Select the Cellular Controller created earlier, click +, select Cellular Band Select. Select + Add New. Enter a name and description for the Cellular Band Select profile. Specify these details: To specify a value for the parameters required for configuring a Global VRF, choose Global, or Device Specific from the drop-down list.
To specify a value for the parameters required for configuring a Global VRF, choose Global, or Device Specific from the drop-down list.
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Step 4 | Click Save. |
What's next
Configure Dialer interface using CLI Add-on Profile
Configure Dialer Interface using CLI-Add on template
A dialer interface is a virtual interface that stores and projects protocol configuration information that is common to all the LTE channels. This virtual interface controls how data is sent and received over a dial-up connection.
From release 17.18.1a, the cellular data connection is automatically configured for a single LTE interface without configuring a dialer interface.
Use these steps to optionally configure additional LTE interfaces on the device using the CLI Add-on template.
Step 1 | On the Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager, select Create Configuration Group. Specify a name and description and select the CLI Configuration Group checkbox. |
Step 2 | In the Config Preview pane, enter these commands to configure additional dialer interfaces.
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Step 3 | Modify the parameters as per your requirement. Click Save and Done. |
Associate and deploy the Configuration Group to an SD-Routing device
Before you begin
Step 1 | On Cisco SD-WAN Manager, select the Configuration Group created earlier. |
Step 2 | Click + Add and select the devices from the list. Click Save to attach the configuration group to the selected devices. |
Step 3 | To provision the configuration changes, click Deploy.
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Configure security for the SIM card
After configuring the Cellular Interface and Cellular Controller for SD-Routing devices, you may need to unlock the SIM card if a lock is set with a PIN. If you prefer, you can unlock the SIM card and remove the set PIN to make sure that the SIM automatically powers up and connects to the cellular network. If the SIM is in unlocked state, it remains unlocked even after the LTE firmware is upgraded or the device is rebooted.
Set a PIN to lock or unlock the SIM card
The PIN that is used to lock or unlock the SIM card should be configured using the lte sim authenticate 0 slot 0/1 command in a CLI configuration group or a CLI Add-On Profile in Cisco SD-WAN Manager. This PIN is used by Cisco IOS XE software to instantiate the SIM card.
Use these commands to lock or unlock a SIM card. These commands can be executed using
terminal in the Cisco SD-WAN Manager.Use command | To | Example |
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cellular interface lte sim change-pin current pin new pin | Change the PIN of the SIM card if it is in a unlocked state. The new PIN - a code (4 to 8 digits long) is provided by your service provider to lock or unlock the SIM card. | cellular 0/1/0 lte sim lock 1111 1234 |
cellular slot lte sim {lock | unlock} pin | Locks or unlocks the SIM card using a PIN. When the SIM card is in a locked state, it is important that the correct PIN is entered to unlock the SIM card. |
cellular 0/1/0lte sim lock 1111 cellular 0/1/0 lte sim lock 1111 |
Monitor cellular connectivity for SD-Routing devices using Cisco SD-WAN Manager
Monitoring cellular WAN deployments offer critical insights into functioning of cellular WAN deployments. This section provides details on how to monitor cellular connectivity.
Monitor cellular connectivity using commands
Execute show sd-routing control connection history command using terminal in Cisco SD-WAN Manager to display details of control connections and to view history of control connections from cellular interfaces.
Monitor cellular connectivity using the Monitor dashboard
Step 1 | On the Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager, choose . Select a device from the list. |
Step 2 | Select Cellular to view information such as:
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Diagnostic Monitoring Log Capture for cellular interfaces using Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager
Diagnostic Monitoring is a log capturing method that provides information about data transactions between a modem and a cellular network. This data helps to analyze or troubleshoot the data connectivity or performance issues of a cellular device.
From Cisco IOS XE 17.18 release, you can enable Diagnostic Monitoring log capture for cellular devices using the Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager.
Before you begin
Ensure that Data Stream is enabled under in Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager.
This task covers details on how to capture Diagnostic Monitoring logs using the Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager.
Step 1 | On the Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager, choose . | ||||||||||||||||
Step 2 | Select a device from the list and go to Troubleshooting. | ||||||||||||||||
Step 3 | Click Diagnostic Monitoring Log Capture from the Log dashlet. | ||||||||||||||||
Step 4 | Choose a cellular Interface for VPN from the drop-down list. | ||||||||||||||||
Step 5 | Click Start to enable the log collection. The log capture can be monitored using the automated workflow:
The table lists advanced settings, including options to enable modem radio reset, enable screen rotation, and enable the auto stop timer for log capture.
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Step 6 | Download the log to your device. These logs are in the binary format which can be used for troubleshooting and analysis. The file format of the log file:<IP address><YYYYMMDD>-<xxxxxx>-dmlog.tar.gz. where,
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What to do next
Troubleshoot cellular interfaces for SD-Routing devices using Cisco SD-WAN Manager
This section provides troubleshooting information on cellular interfaces for SD-routing devices.
Enable auto collect for modem crash data
Use these steps to configure collection of crash dump data using Tools > SSH terminal in Cisco SD-WAN Manager.
Before you begin
Ensure that the modem is in unlocked state before enabling the auto collection of modem crash data.
Step 1 | conf t Enters the global configuration mode. |
Step 2 | controller cellular x/x/x Enters cellular controller configuration mode. |
Step 3 | lte modem crash-action auto-collect Enables the auto collection of crash dump data before reboot. |
The crash dump data is collected in the device bootflash. The file format for the crash dump data will be Modem_Crashdump_YYYYMMDD-xxxxxx.tar.gz.
Example
Device# conf t
Device(config)# controller cellular x/x/x
Device(config)# lte modem crash-action auto-collect
Configure Cellular Profile Reset
A cellular profile contains information on how a device accesses a cellular network, specifies network parameters like APN (Access Point Name) and authentication credentials for different carriers or situations.
The cellular reset profile command can be used to completely clear the cellular network settings associated with a specific profile and restore the settings to factory default.
Execute cellular <slot number> lte profile reset command using terminal in Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager to restore the default profile.
cellular 0/2/0 lte profile reset
Cellular profile reset command is not supported when generic firmware is active.