Quick Connect workflow for SD-WAN Manager

Updated: July 7, 2026

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This topic explains the Quick Connect workflow in SD-WAN Manager, which creates a basic day-0 configuration profile for Cisco IOS XE SD-WAN devices and establishes control and data plane access in your WAN.

The Quick Connect workflow is a process in SD-WAN Manager that:

creates a basic day-0 configuration profile for all Cisco IOS XE Catalyst SD-WAN device, regardless of device family or model,
establish control plane (and data plane) connectivity to your WAN, and
assigns system IP to newly onboarded devices.

Before starting the Quick Connect workflow, you must know about different methods for uploading devices for onboarding and assignment of System IP.

Device upload methods

The behavior of the Quick Connect workflow depends on how devices are uploaded to SD-WAN Manager. You can upload devices as part of the workflow or independently.

Devices can be uploaded to SD-WAN Manager in the following ways:

Using the auto sync option, where your Smart Account is synced with SD-WAN Manager . This option requires SD-WAN Manager to connect with the Cisco Plug n Play (PnP) portal.
Using the manual upload method, where you download the authorized serial number file of devices from the Cisco PnP portal and upload it to SD-WAN Manager.

For more information on auto sync option or manual upload method, refer to these sections Auto Sync for uploading device and Upload devices manually to SD-WAN Manager that follow.

System IP address assignment

The Quick Connect workflow assigns system IP addresses to newly onboarded devices in one of these ways:

Addresses are assigned from the system IP pool if:
- You have defined a system IP pool (see Create a system IP pool).
- System IP selection is set to Auto in the Quick Connect workflow.
Otherwise, IP addresses are entered manually during the Add and Review Device Configuration workflow step.

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