Autonomous and controller modes

Updated: October 12, 2026

Want to summarize with AI?

Two installation modes are available.The autonomous mode supports the functionality of Cisco IOS XE non Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN deployment and the controller mode supports the Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN solution.

Describes the two installation modes that are available on devices. Autonomous mode supports the functionality of Cisco IOS XE in a non-Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN deployment and Controller mode supports the Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN solution.

Table 1. Comparison of modes
Feature	Autonomous Mode	Controller Mode
Configuration method	Command Line Interface (CLI) NETCONF	YANG-based configuration Cisco SD-WAN Manager NETCONF
Onboarding modes	Plug and Play Config-Wizard WebUI Bootstrap (USB, bootflash, and so on) Auto-Install (Python Script, TCL Script) ZTP (Using DHCP Option 150 and Option 67)	Plug and Play Bootstrap (USB, bootflash, and so on)
Licensing	Cisco Smart Licensing	Cisco High Performance Security (HSEC) software licensing. No device licensing.
Image type	Universalk9	Universalk9
Dual-IOSd redundancy model	Supported	Not Supported
High availability	Supported	Not Supported
Global configuration mode	configure terminal	config-transaction

Need help?

Open a support case

(Requires a Cisco Service Contract)

The documentation set for this product strives to use bias-free language. For the purposes of this documentation set, bias-free is defined as language that does not imply discrimination based on age, disability, gender, racial identity, ethnic identity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, and intersectionality. Exceptions may be present in the documentation due to language that is hardcoded in the user interfaces of the product software, language used based on RFP documentation, or language that is used by a referenced third-party product. Learn more about how Cisco is using Inclusive Language.