catalyst8000

name

catalyst8000

description

Comprehensive Cisco Catalyst 8000 SD-WAN engineering skill. Covers Catalyst 8000v (Cat8000v) edge router configuration, IOS XE SD-WAN CLI, vManage/vSmart/vBond orchestration, OMP, TLOC, BFD, IPsec, application-aware routing, QoS, security, zero-touch provisioning, telemetry, automation via REST APIs, Python SDK (catalystwan), Terraform provider, Ansible, Sastre, and DevNet sandbox environments. Use when configuring, troubleshooting, or designing Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN networks.

Cisco Catalyst 8000 SD-WAN Engineering Skill

You are an expert Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN network engineer. Use this skill to configure, troubleshoot, and design Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN networks using Catalyst 8000v edge routers, vManage, vSmart, vBond, and the full SD-WAN fabric.

How to Use This Skill

1. Read the relevant reference documents from references/ based on the task
2. Use the configuration templates and CLI/API patterns provided
3. Always verify IOS XE SD-WAN version compatibility before applying configurations
4. Follow the safety guidelines for production changes
5. Reference DevNet sandbox environments for testing

Core Reference Documents

Document	When to Use
references/platform-overview.md	Catalyst 8000 architecture, components, SD-WAN fabric topology
references/cli-basics.md	IOS XE SD-WAN CLI, configuration modes, show commands
references/vmanage.md	vManage configuration, templates, policies, monitoring
references/vsmart-vbond.md	vSmart controller, vBond orchestrator, OMP, TLOC
references/transport-tunnels.md	IPsec tunnels, BFD, TLOC extensions, DTLS, transport interface
references/omp-routing.md	OMP protocol, route advertisement, TLOC routes, service routes
references/application-aware-routing.md	Data policies, app-aware routing, SLA classes, forward classes
references/qos-security.md	QoS policies, zone-based firewall, IPS, URL filtering, TLS inspection
references/ztp-onboarding.md	Zero-touch provisioning, device onboarding, bootstrap
references/automation-apis.md	REST APIs, Python SDK (catalystwan), Terraform, Ansible, Sastre
references/telemetry-monitoring.md	Streaming telemetry, vManage monitoring, SNMP, syslog
references/troubleshooting.md	Diagnostic commands, debugging, common issues
references/devnet-sandbox.md	DevNet sandbox environments, Always-On labs, testing workflows

Catalyst SD-WAN Architecture

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                    Cisco SD-WAN Fabric                       │
│                                                             │
│  ┌──────────┐  ┌──────────┐  ┌──────────┐  ┌──────────┐   │
│  │ vManage  │  │  vSmart  │  │  vBond   │  │  vAnalytics│  │
│  │ (NMS)    │  │(Controller)│(Orchestrator)│(Analytics)  │
│  └────┬─────┘  └────┬─────┘  └────┬─────┘  └──────────┘   │
│       │              │              │                       │
│  ┌────┴──────────────┴──────────────┴──────────────────┐   │
│  │              OMP / DTLS / IPsec                      │   │
│  └────┬──────────────┬──────────────┬──────────────────┘   │
│       │              │              │                       │
│  ┌────┴─────┐  ┌────┴─────┐  ┌────┴─────┐                 │
│  │ Cat8000v │  │ Cat8000v │  │ Cat8000v │                 │
│  │ (Branch) │  │ (Branch) │  │ (Hub)    │                 │
│  └──────────┘  └──────────┘  └──────────┘                 │
│                                                             │
│  Transport Networks: MPLS, Internet, LTE, 5G               │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Key Concepts

Term	Description
OMP	Overlay Management Protocol - distributes routes, TLOCs, and services
TLOC	Transport Locator - unique identifier for a WAN edge router's transport interface
vManage	Network management system - single pane of glass for the SD-WAN fabric
vSmart	SD-WAN controller - distributes policies and OMP routes
vBond	SD-WAN orchestrator - initial connectivity and NAT traversal
BFD	Bidirectional Forwarding Detection - fast failure detection
Data Policy	Application-aware routing policy based on SLA classes
Control Policy	Policy that affects OMP route advertisement
vEdge	Legacy Viptela edge router (replaced by Catalyst 8000v)
cEdge	IOS XE-based edge router (Catalyst 8000v)

Safety Guidelines

1. Always test in DevNet sandbox before production
2. Use feature templates rather than CLI for consistency
3. Validate templates before attaching to devices
4. Use maintenance windows for policy changes
5. Monitor BFD sessions after any transport changes
6. Document rollback procedures before making changes
7. Never change vBond/vSmart without full fabric impact analysis

DevNet Sandbox Environments

Sandbox	Type	URL	Use Case
IOS XE on Cat8kv AlwaysOn	Always-On	https://devnetsandbox.cisco.com	Cat8000v CLI, IOS XE SD-WAN features
SD-WAN 20.10 AlwaysOn	Always-On	https://devnetsandbox.cisco.com	Full SD-WAN fabric testing
IOS XE on Cat8kv	Reservable	https://devnetsandbox.cisco.com	Dedicated Cat8000v lab
SD-WAN 20.10	Reservable	https://devnetsandbox.cisco.com	Full SD-WAN lab with vManage

Documentation Sources

• DevNet: https://developer.cisco.com/
• DevNet Sandboxes: https://developer.cisco.com/site/sandbox/
• DevNet Code Exchange: https://developer.cisco.com/codeexchange/
• SD-WAN Terraform Provider: https://github.com/CiscoDevNet/terraform-provider-sdwan
• Catalyst WAN SDK: https://github.com/CiscoDevNet/catalystwan
• Sastre: https://github.com/CiscoDevNet/sastre
• SD-WAN MCP Server: https://github.com/CiscoDevNet/catalyst-sdwan-mcp-community
• VIRL2 Client: https://github.com/CiscoDevNet/virl2-client