Overview
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:
Routing Configuration Guide, Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Releases 17.x
Updated: February 6, 2026
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:
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.
In Cisco SD-WAN Release 20.7.x and earlier releases, Feature Templates is titled Feature.
| 1. | From the Cisco SD-WAN Manager menu, choose . |
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| 2. | Click Feature Templates. |
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| 3. | Click Add Template. |
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| 4. | Choose a device from the device list. |
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| 5. | Choose the CLI Add-on Template under Other Templates. |
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| 6. | Enter the CLI configuration to create a single-hop BFD template and enable BFD for service-BGP, as shown in the example below.
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. |
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| 7. | Click Save. |
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| 8. | 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. |
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| 9. |
In Cisco SD-WAN Release 20.7.x and earlier releases, Feature Templates is titled Feature.
| 1. | From the Cisco SD-WAN Manager menu, choose . |
|
| 2. | Click Feature Templates. |
|
| 3. | Click Add Template. |
|
| 4. | Choose a device from the device list. |
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| 5. | Choose the CLI Add-on Template under Other Templates. |
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| 6. | Enter the CLI configuration to create a single-hop BFD template and enable BFD for transport-BGP, as shown in the example below.
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. |
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| 7. | Click Save. |
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| 8. | 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. |
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| 9. |
In Cisco SD-WAN Release 20.7.x and earlier releases, Feature Templates is titled Feature.
| 1. | From the Cisco SD-WAN Manager menu, choose . |
|
| 2. | Click Feature Templates. |
|
| 3. | Click Add Template. |
|
| 4. | Choose a device from the device list. |
|
| 5. | Choose the CLI Add-on Template under Other Templates. |
|
| 6. | Enter the CLI configuration to add a single-hop BFD template and enable BFD for EIGRP as shown in the example below.
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. |
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| 7. | Click Save. |
|
| 8. | 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. |
|
| 9. |
In Cisco SD-WAN Release 20.7.x and earlier releases, Feature Templates is titled Feature.
| 1. | From the Cisco SD-WAN Manager menu, choose . |
|
| 2. | Click Feature Templates. |
|
| 3. | Click Add Template. |
|
| 4. | Choose a device from the device list. |
|
| 5. | Choose the CLI Add-on Template under Other Templates. |
|
| 6. | Enter the CLI configuration to add a single-hop BFD template enable BFD for OSPF and OSPFv3 as shown in the examples below.
OSPF
OSPFv3
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. |
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| 7. | Click Save. |
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| 8. | 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. |
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| 9. |
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.
Make sure the device template already includes the relevant feature template (BGP, OSPF, or EIGRP) before you attach the CLI add-on template.
| 1. | From the Cisco SD-WAN Manager menu, choose . |
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| 2. | Click Device Templates. |
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| 3. | Click Create Template and choose From Feature Template from the drop-down options. |
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| 4. | From the Device Model drop-down options, choose a device. Enter a name and description for the template. |
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| 5. | Click Create. |
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| 6. | Click Additional Templates. |
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| 7. | In the CLI Add-on Template field, choose the CLI add-on template you configured to enable BFD for routing protocols. |
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| 8. | Click Create. |
Follow these steps to configure BFD for BGP, EIGRP, OSPF, and OSPF3 using device CLI.
| 1. | 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.
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| 2. | 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.
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| 3. | Enable BFD for transport-side BGP
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| 4. | Enable BFD for EIGRP. This example shows EIGRP configured, BFD enabled on the interface under VRF 1, and then enabled for service-side EIGRP.
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| 5. | Enable BFD for OSPFv3. This example shows OSPFv3 configured, BFD enabled on the interface under VRF 1, and then enabled for service-side OSPFv3.
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