Getting Started

Cisco SD-WAN Cloud platform

The Cisco SD-WAN Cloud networking solution (formerly referred to as "Cloud-delivered Catalyst SD-WAN") is a platform for Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN services that

  • reduces and simplifies operational tasks for your Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN fabric,

  • provides flexible cloud consumption, operational simplicity, and the comprehensive analytics features that are part of Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN,

  • lets Cisco manage almost all the operational responsibilities for the fabric while you to manage only edge devices and the edge network, and

  • is ideal for small or medium-sized businesses and enterprises that have limited network resources and want to limit the operational burdens of running the Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN fabric.

Limitations of Cisco SD-WAN Cloud

The Cisco SD-WAN Cloud platform might not meet your business needs if you require any of the following features:

  • BYO-IDP (Bring Your Own Identity Provider)

  • Integrations with Identity Services Engine (ISE), such as SDA, Trustsec, or ACI

  • Multi-Region Fabric (MRF)

  • Cloud gateways for AAA/TACACS/SYSLOG

  • Precise control component locations requirements, such as for data sovereignty

For these cases, refer to the instructions for creating a Cisco SD-WAN Cloud-Pro dedicated fabric in the Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Portal Configuration Guide.

This document describes the initial setup and configuration procedures for Cisco SD-WAN Cloud. Perform these procedures from the Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Portal, which provides options for creating and accessing management tools for fabrics in Cisco SD-WAN Cloud.

Prerequisites for Cisco SD-WAN Cloud

  • An active Cisco Smart Account.

  • An active Cisco Virtual Account.

  • The SA-Admin role for your Cisco Smart Account.

    This is required to access the Catalyst SD-WAN Manager for the first time to create a fabric. It is not required thereafter.

  • A valid order for a Cisco DNA Cloud subscription or for a paid SD-WAN Control Component SKUs on the Cisco Commerce site (formerly called Cisco Commerce Workspace).

Create a fabric in the Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Portal

After you log into Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Portal, you can:

  • create a Cisco SD-WAN Cloud fabric by default, or

  • find information about requesting a Cisco SD-WAN Cloud-Pro dedicated fabric.

Create a Cisco SD-WAN Cloud fabric

Cisco SD-WAN Cloud is only available in limited locations in the US, EU, and APAC regions. To host a Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN fabric in a specific location apart from the available locations for Cisco SD-WAN Cloud fabrics, provision a Cisco SD-WAN Cloud-Pro dedicated fabric.

Before you begin

A valid Smart Account and Virtual Account are required to add a Cisco SD-WAN Cloud fabric.

Procedure

Step 1

Log in to the Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Portal at https://ssp.sdwan.cisco.com with your CCO username and password.

Step 2

Select the role of SD-WAN Customer.

Step 3

In the Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Portal Dashboard, click Create Fabric.

Step 4

Select the SD-WAN Cloud fabric type.

These instructions apply to Cisco SD-WAN Cloud fabrics only.

Step 5

On the Create Fabric page, do the following:

  1. Select your Smart Account and Virtual Account.

  2. Enter or select the Fabric Name, Fabric Location, Fabric Admin(s), and Release Category.

    • The Recommended release category provides new features and new platform support in addition to bug fixes. It delivers maximum stability and reliability.

    • The Early Adopter release category, if available in your location, delivers new features and expanded platform support, but may require more frequent maintenance and updates for bug fixes.

Note

 

All the information you select and enter is listed in the Preview section on the right panel of the page.

Step 6

Accept the Terms and Conditions in the Preview section.

Step 7

Click Create Fabric from the dashboard.

You are notified by email that the fabric has been created.

What to do next

You can begin to access the fabric by logging back into the Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Portal.

Add a user role

A role determines the Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager features a user can access in read-only mode and those they can access with read and write permissions.

When you create a fabric, you are automatically given the Admin role for that fabric, and you can configure roles for other users.


Note
Before you can add a role for a user, the user must have an account in Cisco Connection Online.

  1. Log in to the Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Portal with the Admin role for the fabric.

  2. Click View Details.

  3. On the Fabric Details page, click User Role.

  4. Click Add User.

  5. In the User Email ID field, enter the CCO email address of the user you are adding a role for.

  6. From the Role drop-down list, choose the user group the user should belong to.

    User groups are configured in Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager. A user group specifies which features the users in the group have read-only access to, and which features the users have read and write access to.

  7. Click Add.

Access Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager

Cisco SD-WAN Manager provides options for configuring, managing, and monitoring a fabric. Any user with a user role that has been added to the Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Portal can access Cisco SD-WAN Manager.

  1. Log into the Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Portal at https://ssp.sdwan.cisco.com.

    This login provides single sign-on authentication for the Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Portal and Cisco SD-WAN Manager.

  2. Click Manage Fabric for the fabric you want to access.


    Note

    You can also bookmark the SD-WAN Manager URL to directly access SD-WAN Manager with your CCO email address and password.

  3. To exit the Cisco SD-WAN Manager and return to the Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Portal, choose SD-WAN Portal from the Cisco SD-WAN Manager menu.

Add devices from a Smart Account to Cisco SD-WAN Manager

Procedure

Step 1

Log in to the Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Portal.

Step 2

From the list of available fabrics, select a fabric to add devices to and click Manage Fabric.

Step 3

From the Cisco SD-WAN Manager menu, select Configuration > Devices.

Step 4

Click Sync Smart Account.

Step 5

In the Sync Smart Account pane, click Sync.

After synchronization, the devices in your Smart Account appear in the list of edge devices in the Cisco SD-WAN Manager instance for the selected fabric.

Access Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Analytics for a fabric

Cisco SD-WAN Analytics provides information about device behavior, traffic, and related activities in your fabric.

  1. Log in to the Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Portal as a user with the Admin role for the fabric.

  2. Navigate to the Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN page for the fabric.

  3. From the Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN menu, choose Analytics > Overview.

For more information, see Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Analytics.