Details configuration procedures for the VPN Interface T1/E1, covering methods to configure interfaces and T1/E1 controllers using configuration groups and templates.
Use one of these methods to configure VPN interface T1/E1:
Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Interfaces Configuration Guide, Releases 26.x and Later
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Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Interfaces Configuration Guide, Releases 26.x and Later
Updated: April 24, 2026
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Log inDetails configuration procedures for the VPN Interface T1/E1, covering methods to configure interfaces and T1/E1 controllers using configuration groups and templates.
Use one of these methods to configure VPN interface T1/E1:
Follow these steps to configure VPN interface T1/E1 using a configuration group.
On the Configuration > Configuration Groups page, choose SD-WAN as the solution type.
From the Cisco SD-WAN Manager menu, choose Configuration > Configuration Groups.
Create and configure the Transport VPN feature in a Transport and Management Profile.
Create and configure the T1 and E1 feature for the VPN interface.
|
Parameter Name |
Description |
|---|---|
|
Shutdown |
Click No to enable the interface. |
|
Interface name* |
Enter a name for the interface. The name should be in the following format: serial slot / subslot / port : channel-group You must also configure a number for the channel group in the T1/E1 Controller feature configuration template. |
|
Description |
Enter a description for the interface. |
|
More Settings |
|
|
IPv4 Address* |
Enter an IPv4 address. |
|
IPv6 Address* |
Enter an IPv6 address. |
|
Bandwidth |
For transmitted traffic, set the bandwidth above which to generate notifications. Range: 1 through (232 / 2) – 1 kbps |
|
Bandwidth Downstream |
For received traffic, set the bandwidth above which to generate notifications. Range: 1 through (232 / 2) – 1 kbps |
|
Clock Rate |
Specify a value for the clock rate. Range: 1200 through 800000 |
|
Encapsulation |
Choose an encapsulation method for traffic that crosses a WAN link.
|
|
Parameter Name |
Description |
|---|---|
|
Tunnel Interface* |
From the drop-down list, select Global. Click On to create a tunnel interface. |
|
Per-tunnel QoS |
From the drop-down list, select Global. Click On to create per-tunnel QoS. You can apply a Quality of Service (QoS) policy on individual tunnels, and is only supported for hub-to-spoke network topologies. |
|
Color |
From the drop-down list, select Global. Select a color for the TLOC. The color typically used for cellular interface tunnels is lte. |
|
Color Description |
Enter a description associated to the TLOC color. |
|
Groups |
From the drop-down list, select Global. Enter the list of groups in the field. |
|
Border |
From the drop-down list, select Global. Click On to set TLOC as border TLOC. |
|
Maximum Control Connections |
Set the maximum number of Cisco SD-WAN Controller that the WAN tunnel interface can connect to. To have the tunnel establish no control connections, set the number to 0. Range: 0 through 8 Default: 2 |
|
Validator As Stun Server |
Click On to enable Session Traversal Utilities for NAT (STUN) to allow the tunnel interface to discover its public IP address and port number when the router is located behind a NAT. |
|
Exclude Control Group List |
Set the identifiers of one or more Cisco SD-WAN Controller groups that this tunnel is not allows to establish control connections with. Range: 0 through 100 |
|
Manager Connection Preference |
Set the preference for using the tunnel to exchange control traffic with Cisco SD-WAN Manager. Range: 0 through 9 Default: 5 If the edge device has two or more cellular interfaces, you can minimize the amount of traffic between Cisco SD-WAN Manager and the cellular interfaces by setting one of the interfaces to be the preferred one to use when sending updates to the Cisco SD-WAN Manager and receiving configurations from the Cisco SD-WAN Manager. To have a tunnel interface never connect to Cisco SD-WAN Manager, set the number to 0. At least one tunnel interface on the edge device must have a nonzero Cisco SD-WAN Manager connection preference. |
|
Port Hop |
From the drop-down list, select Global. Click Off to allow port hopping on tunnel interface. Default: On, which disallows port hopping on tunnel interface. |
|
Low-Bandwidth Link |
Click On to set the tunnel interface as a low-bandwidth link. Default: Off |
|
Tunnel TCP MSS |
TCP MSS affects any packet that contains an initial TCP header that flows through the router. When configured, TCP MSS is examined against the MSS exchanged in the three-way handshake. The MSS in the header is lowered if the configured TCP MSS setting is lower than the MSS in the header. If the MSS header value is already lower than the TCP MSS, the packets flow through unmodified. The host at the end of the tunnel uses the lower setting of the two hosts. If the TCP MSS is to be configured, it should be set at 40 bytes lower than the minimum path MTU. Specify the MSS of TPC SYN packets passing through the Cisco IOS XE Catalyst SD-WAN device. By default, the MSS is dynamically adjusted based on the interface or tunnel MTU such that TCP SYN packets are never fragmented. Range: 552 through 1460 bytes Default: None |
|
Clear-Dont-Fragment |
Configure Clear-Dont-Fragment for packets that arrive at an interface that has Don't Fragment configured. If these packets are larger than what MTU allows, they are dropped. If you clear the Don't Fragment bit, the packets are fragmented and sent. Click On to clear the Dont Fragment bit in the IPv4 packet header for packets being transmitted out of the interface. When the Dont Fragment bit is cleared, packets larger than the MTU of the interface are fragmented before being sent. Note |
|
Network Broadcast |
From the drop-down list, select Global. Click On to accept and respond to network-prefix-directed broadcasts. Enable this parameter only if the Directed Broadcast is enabled on the LAN interface feature template. Default: Off |
|
Allow Service |
Click On or Off for each service to allow or disallow the service on the cellular interface. |
|
Encapsulation |
|
|
Add Encapsulation |
From the drop-down list, select Global and choose from one of the two encapsulation methods:
|
|
Preference |
From the drop-down list, select Global and enter a value to set the preference for directing traffic to the tunnel. A higher value is preferred over a lower value. Range: 0 through 4294967295 Default: 0 |
|
Weight |
From the drop-down list, select Global and enter a value to set weight for balancing traffic across multiple TLOCs. A higher value sends more traffic to the tunnel. Range: 1 through 255 Default: 1 |
|
Advanced Options |
|
|
Carrier |
From the drop-down list, select Globaland select the carrier name or private network identifier to associate with the tunnel. Values: carrier1, carrier2, carrier3, carrier4, carrier5, carrier6, carrier7, carrier8, default. Default: default |
|
Bind Loopback Tunnel |
Enter the name of a physical interface to bind to a loopback interface. The interface name has the following format: ge slot/port. |
|
Last-Resort Circuit |
From the drop-down list, select Global and click On to use the tunnel interface as the circuit of last resort. By default, it is disabled. Note |
|
NAT Refresh Interval |
Set the interval between NAT refresh packets sent on a DTLS or TLS WAN transport connection. Range: 1 through 60 seconds Default: 5 seconds |
|
Hello Interval |
Enter the interval between Hello packets sent on a DTLS or TLS WAN transport connection. Range: 100 through 10000 milliseconds Default: 1000 milliseconds (1 second) |
|
Hello Tolerance |
Enter the time to wait for a Hello packet on a DTLS or TLS WAN transport connection before declaring that transport tunnel to be down. Range: 12 through 60 seconds Default: 12 seconds The default hello interval is 1000 milliseconds, and it can be a time in the range 100 through 600000 milliseconds (10 minutes). The default hello tolerance is 12 seconds, and it can be a time in the range 12 through 600 seconds (10 minutes). To reduce outgoing control packets on a TLOC, it is recommended that on the tunnel interface you set the hello interval to 60000 milliseconds (10 minutes) and the hello tolerance to 600 seconds (10 minutes) and include the no track-transport disable regular checking of the DTLS connection between the edge device and the controller. For a tunnel connection between a edge device and any controller device, the tunnel uses the hello interval and tolerance times configured on the edge device. This choice is made to minimize the traffic sent over the tunnel, to allow for situations where the cost of a link is a function of the amount of traffic traversing the link. The hello interval and tolerance times are chosen separately for each tunnel between a edge device and a controller device. Another step taken to minimize the amount of control plane traffic is to not send or receive OMP control traffic over a cellular interface when other interfaces are available. This behavior is inherent in the software and is not configurable. |
|
Parameter Name |
Description |
|---|---|
|
Shaping rate |
Configure the aggreate traffic transmission rate on the interface to be less than line rate, in kilobits per second (kbps). |
|
ACL |
|
|
Select ACL IPv4 Ingress |
Enter the name of an IPv4 access list to packets being received on the interface. |
|
Select ACL IPv4 Egress |
Enter the name of an IPv4 access list to packets being transmitted on the interface. |
|
Select ACL IPv6 Ingress |
Enter the name of an IPv6 access list to packets being received on the interface. |
|
Select ACL IPv6 Egress |
Enter the name of an IPv6 access list to packets being transmitted on the interface. |
|
Parameter Name |
Description |
|---|---|
|
TCP MSS |
Enter the maximum segment size (MSS) of TPC SYN packets passing through the router. By default, the MSS is dynamically adjusted based on the interface or tunnel MTU such that TCP SYN packets are never fragmented. Range: 500 through 1460 bytes Default: 536 |
|
MTU |
Enter the path MTU discovery on the interface, to allow the router to determine the largest MTU size supported without requiring packet fragmentation. Default: 1500 |
|
IP MTU |
Enter the maximum MTU size of packets on the interface.
Range: 576 through 9216 Default: 1500 |
|
TLOC Extension |
Enter the name of a physical interface on the same router that connects to the WAN transport. This configuration binds this service-side interface to the WAN transport, by enabling a device to access the opposite WAN transport connected to the neighbouring device using a TLOC-extension interface. |
Also see Deploy a configuration group.
Follow these steps to configure T1 or E1 controller using a configuration group.
On the Configuration > Configuration Groups page, choose SD-WAN as the solution type.
From the Cisco SD-WAN Manager menu, choose Configuration > Configuration Groups.
Create and configure the T1 or E1 network interface module (NIM) parameters in a Transport and Management Profile.
|
Parameter Name |
Description |
|---|---|
|
Slot* |
Enter the number of the slot in slot/subslot/port format, where the T1 NIM is installed. For example, 0/1/0. |
|
Description |
Enter a description for the controller. |
|
Framing |
It is an optional field. Enter the T1 frame type:
|
|
Line Code |
It is an optional field. Select the line encoding to use to send T1 frames:
|
|
Cable Length |
Select the cable length to configure the attenuation
There is no default length. |
|
Clock Source |
Select the clock source:
|
|
Parameter Name |
Description |
|---|---|
|
Slot* |
Enter the number of the slot in slot/subslot/port format, where the E1 NIM is installed. For example, 0/1/0. |
|
Description |
Enter a description for the controller. |
|
Framing |
Enter the E1 frame type:
|
|
Line Code |
Choose the line encoding to use to send E1 frames:
|
|
Clock Source |
Choose the clock source:
|
|
Parameter Name |
Description |
|---|---|
|
Add Channel Group |
To configure the serial WAN on the E1 interface, enter a channel group number and a value for the timeslot.
|
Also see Deploy a configuration group.
Follow these steps to configure VPN interface T1/E1 using a feature template.
Use the VPN Interface T1/E1 template for Cisco Catalyst SD-WANs running the Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN software.
To configure the T1/E1 interfaces in a VPN using Cisco SD-WAN Manager templates:
Create a VPN Interface T1/E1 feature template to configure T1/E1 interface parameters, as described in this article.
Create a T1/E1 Controller template to configure the T1 or E1 network interface module (NIM) parameters.
Create a VPN feature template to configure VPN parameters.
From the Cisco SD-WAN Manager menu, choose Configuration > Templates.
Click Feature Templates.
In Cisco vManage Release 20.7.x and earlier releases, Feature Templates is titled Feature.
Under Additional VPN 0 Templates, located to the right of the screen, click VPN Interface T1/E1 Serial.
In the Service VPN drop-down list, enter the number of the service VPN. Under Additional VPN Templates, located to the right of the screen, click VPN Interface T1/E1 Serial.
Configure the following parameters in the VPN Interface T1/E1 Serial template.
|
Parameter Name |
Description |
|---|---|
|
Shutdown* |
Click No to enable the interface. |
|
Interface name* |
Enter a name for the interface. The name should be in the format serial slot / subslot / port : channel-group . You must also configure a number for the channel group in the T1/E1 Controller feature configuration template. |
|
Description |
Enter a description for the interface. |
|
IPv4 Address* |
Enter an IPv4 address. |
|
IPv6 Address* |
Enter an IPv6 address. |
|
Bandwidth Upstream |
For transmitted traffic, set the bandwidth above which to generate notifications. Range: 1 through (232 / 2) – 1 kbps |
|
Bandwidth Downstream |
For received traffic, set the bandwidth above which to generate notifications. Range: 1 through (232 / 2) – 1 kbps |
|
IP MTU |
Specify the maximum MTU size of packets on the interface. Range: 576 through 1804 Default: 1500 bytes |
|
Parameter Name |
Description |
|---|---|
|
Tunnel Interface |
Click On to create a tunnel interface. |
|
Color |
Select a color for the TLOC. |
|
Color Description |
Minimum supported release: Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager Release 20.18.1 Enter a description associated to the TLOC color. |
|
Control Connection |
By default, Control Conection is set to On, which establishes a control connection for the TLOC. If the router has multiple TLOCs, click No to have the tunnel not establish control connection for the TLOC. Note |
|
Maximum Control Connections |
Specify the maximum number of Cisco SD-WAN Controllers that the WAN tunnel interface can connect to. To have the tunnel establish no control connections, set the number to 0. Range: 0 through 8 Default: 2 |
|
Cisco SD-WAN Validator As STUN Server |
Click On to enable Session Traversal Utilities for NAT (STUN) to allow the tunnel interface to discover its public IP address and port number when the router is located behind a NAT. |
|
Exclude Controller Group List |
Set the Cisco SD-WAN Controllers that the tunnel interface is not allowed to connect to. Range: 0 through 100 |
|
Cisco SD-WAN Manager Connection Preference |
Set the preference for using a tunnel interface to exchange control traffic with the Cisco SD-WAN Manager NMS. Range: 0 through 8 Default: 5 |
|
Full Port Hop |
Minimum release: Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager Release 20.18.1 Enable full port hopping at the TLOC level to allow devices to establish connections with controllers by switching to the next port if the current port is blocked or non-functional. Default: Disabled |
|
Port Hop |
Click On to enable port hopping, or click Off to disable it. When a router is behind a NAT, port hopping rotates through a pool of preselected OMP port numbers (called base ports) to establish DTLS connections with other routers when a connection attempt is unsuccessful. The default base ports are 12346, 12366, 12386, 12406, and 12426. To modify the base ports, set a port offset value. Default: Enabled Starting from Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager Release 20.18.1, this field is deprecated. Instead use the Full Port Hop option. See the Full Port Hop field. |
|
Low-Bandwidth Link |
Select to characterize the tunnel interface as a low-bandwidth link. |
|
Tunnel TCP MSS |
TCP MSS affects any packet that contains an initial TCP header that flows through the router. When configured, TCP MSS is examined against the MSS exchanged in the three-way handshake. The MSS in the header is lowered if the configured TCP MSS setting is lower than the MSS in the header. If the MSS header value is already lower than the TCP MSS, the packets flow through unmodified. The host at the end of the tunnel uses the lower setting of the two hosts. If the TCP MSS is to be configured, it should be set at 40 bytes lower than the minimum path MTU. Specify the MSS of TPC SYN packets passing through the Cisco IOS XE Catalyst SD-WAN device. By default, the MSS is dynamically adjusted based on the interface or tunnel MTU such that TCP SYN packets are never fragmented. Range: 552 to 1460 bytes Default: None |
|
Clear-Dont-Fragment |
Configure Clear-Dont-Fragment for packets that arrive at an interface that has Dont Fragment configured. If these packets are larger than what MTU allows, they are dropped. If you clear the Don't Fragment bit, the packets are fragmented and sent. Click On to clear the Dont Fragment bit in the IPv4 packet header for packets being transmitted out of the interface. When the Dont Fragment bit is cleared, packets larger than the MTU of the interface are fragmented before being sent. Note |
|
Allow Service |
Select On or Off for each service to allow or disallow the service on the interface. |
Follow these steps to configure T1 or E1 controller using a feature template.
Use the T1/E1 Controller template for Cisco IOS XE Catalyst SD-WAN devices running the Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN software.
To configure the T1/E1 interfaces in a VPN using Cisco SD-WAN Manager templates:
Create a T1/E1 Controller template to configure the T1 or E1 network interface module (NIM) parameters, as described in this article.
Create a VPN Interface T1/E1 feature template to configure T1/E1 interface parameters.
Create a VPN feature template to configure VPN parameters.
From the Cisco SD-WAN Manager menu, choose Configuration > Templates.
Click Feature Templates.
In Cisco vManage Release 20.7.x and earlier releases, Feature Templates is titled Feature.
Under Additional VPN 0 Templates, located to the right of the screen, click VPN Interface T1/E1.
Configure the following T1 or E1 controller parameters.
|
Parameter Name |
Description |
|---|---|
|
Slot* |
Enter the number of the slot in slot/subslot/port format, where the T1 NIM is installed. For example, 0/1/0. |
|
Framing* |
Enter the T1 frame type:
|
|
Line Code |
Select the line encoding to use to send T1 frames:
|
|
Clock Source |
Select the clock source:
|
|
Line Mode |
If you choose the Line clock source, select whether the line is a primary or a secondary line. |
|
Description |
Enter a description for the controller. |
|
Channel Group |
Enter the number of the channel group. If you do so, you must enter a time slot in the Time Slot field. Range: 0 through 30 |
|
Time Slot |
Enter the time slot or time slots that are part of the channel group. Range: 1 through 24 |
|
Cable Length |
Select the cable length to configure the attenuation
There is no default length. |
|
Length |
If you specify a value in the Cable Length Field, enter the length of the cable. For short cables, the length values can be:
For long cables, the length values can be:
|
|
Parameter Name |
Description |
|---|---|
|
Slot* |
Enter the number of the slot in slot/subslot/port format, where the E1 NIM is installed. For example, 0/1/0. |
|
Framing* |
Enter the E1 frame type:
|
|
Line Code* |
Select the line encoding to use to send E1 frames:
|
|
Clock Source |
Select the clock source:
|
|
Line Mode |
If you choose the Line clock source, select whether the line is a primary or secondary line. If you configure both a primary and a secondary line, if the primary line fails, the PLL automatically switches to the secondary line. When the PLL on the primary line becomes active again, the PLL automatically switches back to the primary line. |
|
Description |
Enter a description for the controller. |
|
Channel Group |
To configure the serial WAN on the E1 interface, enter a channel group number. Range: 0 through 30 |
|
Time Slot |
For a channel group, configure the timeslot. Range: 1 through 31 |
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