Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Routing Configuration Guide, Releases 26.x and Later

Configure BFD for routing protocols

Updated: September 28, 2026

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Explains how to enable BFD for routing protocols such as BGP, OSPF, OSPFv3, and EIGRP.

Use one of these methods to configure BFD for routing protocols:

Configure BFD for routing protocols using templates

Cisco SD-WAN Manager does not provide an independent template to configure BFD for routing protocols. However, you can register or deregister supported protocols to receive BFD packets by adding configurations through the CLI add-on template in Cisco SD-WAN Manager. Use the CLI add-on template to:

Add a single-hop BFD template and specify parameters such as timer, multiplier, and session mode.
Enable the BFD template under interfaces. You can add only one BFD template per interface.
Enable or disable BFD for supported routing protocols. The configuration steps differ for each protocol- BGP, EIGRP, OSPF, and OSPFv3.

Starting with release Cisco IOS XE Catalyst SD-WAN Release 17.15.1a, if SD-WAN mode is not configured for the tunnel interface, the BFDs become inactive for the tunnel interface.

Complete the tasks below to configure BFD for routing protocols using CLI commands.

Enable BFD for routing protocols

Configure BFD for service-side BGP

In Cisco SD-WAN Release 20.7.x and earlier releases, Feature Templates is titled Feature.

Procedure

From the Cisco SD-WAN Manager menu, choose Configuration > Templates.
Click Feature Templates.
Click Add Template.
Choose a device from the device list.
Choose the CLI Add-on Template under Other Templates.
Enter the CLI configuration to create a single-hop BFD template and enable BFD for service-BGP, as shown in the example below.
```
bfd-template single-hop t1
 interval min-tx 500 min-rx 500 multiplier 3
 ！
interface GigabitEthernet1
   bfd template t1 
   
router bgp 10005
address-family ipv4 vrf 1
    neighbor 10.20.24.17 fall-over bfd
    !
  address-family ipv6 vrf 1
    neighbor 2001::7 fall-over bfd
```
In this example, you create a single-hop BFD template by specifying the minimum interval, maximum interval, and multiplier. These parameters are mandatory. You can also optionally configure other BFD parameters, such as echo mode (enabled by default) and BFD dampening (disabled by default). After creating the template, you enable it under an interface (GigabitEthernet1 in this example).

To modify a BFD template already enabled on an interface, you must first remove the existing template, update it, and then enable it on the interface again.

If you attach the BFD configuration to a device template that already includes a BGP feature template, ensure that you update the BGP configuration in the CLI add-on template to include the no neighbor ip-address ebgp-multihop command. This update is required because the neighbor ip-address ebgp-multihop command is enabled by default in the BGP feature template.
Click Save.
Attach the CLI Add-on Template with this configuration to the device template.

For the configuration to take effect, the device template must have a BGP feature template attached to it.
Attach the device template to the device.

Configure BFD for transport-side BGP

In Cisco SD-WAN Release 20.7.x and earlier releases, Feature Templates is titled Feature.

Procedure

From the Cisco SD-WAN Manager menu, choose Configuration > Templates.
Click Feature Templates.
Click Add Template.
Choose a device from the device list.
Choose the CLI Add-on Template under Other Templates.
Enter the CLI configuration to create a single-hop BFD template and enable BFD for transport-BGP, as shown in the example below.
```
bfd-template single-hop t1
interval min-tx 500 min-rx 500 multiplier 3
! 
interface GigabitEthernet1
bfd template t1 
!     
router bgp 10005
neighbor 10.1.15.13 fall-over bfd
！
sdwan
interface GigabitEthernet1
tunnel-interface
allow-service bfd
allow-service bgp
```
In this example, you create a single-hop BFD template by specifying the minimum interval, maximum interval, and multiplier. These parameters are mandatory. You can also configure optional BFD parameters, such as echo mode (enabled by default) and BFD dampening (disabled by default). After creating the template, you enable it under an interface (GigabitEthernet1 in this example), because GigabitEthernet1 is also the SD-WAN tunnel source, allowing service under its tunnel interface ensures that both BGP and BFD packets pass over the tunnel.

To modify a BFD template already enabled on an interface, you must remove the existing template, update it, and then enable it on the interface again.

If you attach the BFD configuration to a device template that already includes a BGP feature template, ensure that you update the BGP configuration in the CLI add-on template to include the no neighbor ip-address ebgp-multihop command. This update is required because the neighbor ip-address ebgp-multihop command is enabled by default in the BGP feature template.
Click Save.
Attach the CLI Add-on Template with this configuration to the device template.

For the configuration to take effect, the device template must have a BGP feature template attached to it.
Attach the device template to the device.

Configure BFD for service-side EIGRP

In Cisco SD-WAN Release 20.7.x and earlier releases, Feature Templates is titled Feature.

Procedure

From the Cisco SD-WAN Manager menu, choose Configuration > Templates.
Click Feature Templates.
Click Add Template.
Choose a device from the device list.
Choose the CLI Add-on Template under Other Templates.
Enter the CLI configuration to add a single-hop BFD template and enable BFD for EIGRP as shown in the example below.
```
bfd-template single-hop t1
 interval min-tx 500 min-rx 500 multiplier 3
 ！
interface GigabitEthernet5
   bfd template t1 
   
router eigrp myeigrp
address-family ipv4 vrf 1 autonomous-system 1
    af-interface GigabitEthernet5
     bfd
```
In this example, you create a single-hop BFD template by specifying the minimum interval, maximum interval, and multiplier. These parameters are mandatory. You can also configure optional BFD parameters, such as echo mode (enabled by default) and BFD dampening (disabled by default).

After creating the template, you enable it under an interface (GigabitEthernet5 in this example).

To modify a BFD template already enabled on an interface, you must first remove the existing template, update it, and then enable it on the interface again.
Click Save.
Attach the CLI Add-on Template with this configuration to the device template.

For the configuration to take effect, the device template must have a BGP feature template attached to it.
Attach the device template to the device.

Configure BFD for service-side OSPF and OSPFv3

In Cisco SD-WAN Release 20.7.x and earlier releases, Feature Templates is titled Feature.

Procedure

From the Cisco SD-WAN Manager menu, choose Configuration > Templates.
Click Feature Templates.
Click Add Template.
Choose a device from the device list.
Choose the CLI Add-on Template under Other Templates.
Enter the CLI configuration to add a single-hop BFD template enable BFD for OSPF and OSPFv3 as shown in the examples below.
OSPF
```
bfd-template single-hop t1
interval min-tx 500 min-rx 500 multiplier 3
! 
interface GigabitEthernet5
bfd template t1
！
interface GigabitEthernet1
bfd template t1 
!     
router ospf 1 vrf 1
 bfd all-interfaces
!
```
OSPFv3
```
bfd-template single-hop t1
 interval min-tx 500 min-rx 500 multiplier 3
 
interface GigabitEthernet5
   bfd template t1
router ospfv3 1
 address-family ipv4 vrf 1
  bfd all-interfaces
```
In these examples, you create a single-hop BFD template by specifying the minimum interval, maximum interval, and multiplier. These parameters are mandatory. You can also configure optional BFD parameters, such as echo mode (enabled by default) and BFD dampening (disabled by default).

After creating the template, you enable it under an interface (GigabitEthernet5 in this example).

To modify a BFD template already enabled on an interface, you must first remove the existing template, update it, and then enable it on the interface again.
Click Save.
Attach the CLI Add-on Template with this configuration to the device template.

For the configuration to take effect, the device template must have a BGP feature template attached to it.
Attach the device template to the device.

Attach feature template to device template

Use these steps to attach the configuration to a device template.

After you create a CLI add-on template to enable BFD, attach the template to the device template for the configuration to take effect.

In Cisco SD-WAN Release 20.7.x and earlier releases, Device Templates is titled Device.

Before you begin

Make sure the device template already includes the relevant feature template (BGP, OSPF, or EIGRP) before you attach the CLI add-on template.

Procedure

From the Cisco SD-WAN Manager menu, choose Configuration > Templates.
Click Device Templates.
Click Create Template and choose From Feature Template from the drop-down options.
From the Device Model drop-down options, choose a device.

Enter a name and description for the template.
Click Create.
Click Additional Templates.
In the CLI Add-on Template field, choose the CLI add-on template you configured to enable BFD for routing protocols.
Click Create.

What to do next

Attach device template to device

Configure BFD for routing protocols using CLI commands

Follow these steps to configure BFD for BGP, EIGRP, OSPF, and OSPF3 using device CLI.

Procedure

Create a BFD template.
The CLI configuration for creating a BFD template remains the same irrespective of the protocol you configure it for.

Create a single-hop BFD template as shown in the example below.
```
bfd-template single-hop t1
 interval min-tx 500 min-rx 500 multiplier 3 
```

Enable BFD for service-side BGP.

This example shows BGP configured, BFD enabled on the interface under VRF 1, and then enabled for service-side BGP.

interface GigabitEthernet5
bfd template t1
!                 
router bgp 10005
  bgp log-neighbor-changes
  distance bgp 20 200 20
  !
  address-family ipv4 vrf 1
  bgp router-id 10.20.24.15
  redistribute connected
  neighbor 10.20.24.17 remote-as 10007
  neighbor 10.20.24.17 activate
  neighbor 10.20.24.17 send-community both
  neighbor 10.20.24.17 maximum-prefix 2147483647 100
  neighbor 10.20.24.17 fall-over bfd
  exit-address-family
  !
  address-family ipv6 vrf 1
  bgp router-id 10.20.24.15
  neighbor 2001::7 remote-as 10007
  neighbor 2001::7 activate
  neighbor 2001::7 send-community both
  neighbor 2001::7 maximum-prefix 2147483647 100
  neighbor 2001::7 fall-over bfd
  exit-address-family

Enable BFD for transport-side BGP

interface GigabitEthernet1
bfd template t1
!                 
router bgp 10005
bgp router-id   10.1.15.15
bgp log-neighbor-changes
distance bgp 20 200 20
neighbor 10.1.15.13 remote-as 10003
neighbor 10.1.15.13 fall-over bfd
address-family ipv4 unicast
neighbor 10.1.15.13 remote-as 10003
neighbor 10.1.15.13 activate
neighbor 10.1.15.13 maximum-prefix 2147483647 100
neighbor 10.1.15.13 send-community both
redistribute connected
exit-address-family
!
timers bgp 60 180

sdwan
interface GigabitEthernet1
tunnel-interface
allow-service bgp
allow-service bfd

Enable BFD for EIGRP.

This example shows EIGRP configured, BFD enabled on the interface under VRF 1, and then enabled for service-side EIGRP.

interface GigabitEthernet5
bfd template t1
!
router eigrp myeigrp
address-family ipv4 vrf 1 autonomous-system 1
    af-interface GigabitEthernet5
     no dampening-change
     no dampening-interval
     hello-interval 5
     hold-time      15
     split-horizon
     bfd
     exit-af-interface
    !
    network 10.20.24.0 0.0.0.255
    topology base
     redistribute connected
     redistribute omp
     exit-af-topology
    !
    exit-address-family
   !

Enable BFD for OSPFv3.

This example shows OSPFv3 configured, BFD enabled on the interface under VRF 1, and then enabled for service-side OSPFv3.

interface GigabitEthernet5
   bfd template t1
   ospfv3 1 ipv4 area 0
   ospfv3 1 ipv4 dead-interval 40
   ospfv3 1 ipv4 hello-interval 10
   ospfv3 1 ipv4 network broadcast
   ospfv3 1 ipv4 priority 1
   ospfv3 1 ipv4 retransmit-interval 5
   ospfv3 1 ipv6 area 0
   ospfv3 1 ipv6 dead-interval 40
   ospfv3 1 ipv6 hello-interval 10
   ospfv3 1 ipv6 network broadcast
   ospfv3 1 ipv6 priority 1
   ospfv3 1 ipv6 retransmit-interval 5
  
router ospfv3 1
 address-family ipv4 vrf 1
  area 0 normal
  bfd all-interfaces
  router-id 10.20.24.15
  distance 110
  exit-address-family
 !
 address-family ipv6 vrf 1
  area 0 normal
  bfd all-interfaces
  router-id 10.20.24.15
  distance 110
  exit-address-family
 !
!
exit

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