Welcome to the Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Deep Dive. This course takes you from zero knowledge on the topic to real deployments. You will learn how Cisco SD-WAN works, why it is used, and how to design, deploy, and operate production SD-WAN fabrics. Lessons include theory, configuration examples, and many hands-on labs.
The course balances architecture with practical skills. Expect clear explanations, real topologies, and labs you can run in EVE-NG, or CML. By the end, you will be able to plan an SD-WAN rollout, tune policies, and troubleshoot complex issues.
About
Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN changes how enterprise WANs are built and managed. This course explains the main principles, control and data planes, policy models, and security options. You will learn what OMP, TLOCs, vManage, and all key components are.
The content is practical and modular. We start with core concepts and move into control plane and data plane internals. Then we cover deployment planning, onboarding devices, policies, security, and advanced scenarios like Cloud OnRamp and hierarchical SD-WAN.
What you'll learn
- SD-WAN fundamentals: Why SD-WAN exists, its benefits, and the main design patterns you will use in production.
- Control plane mastery: Deep dive into OMP, route types, best-path selection, and control connections.
- Data plane and TLOCs: How TLOCs work, overlay tunnels, encryption, NAT, and VPN segmentation.
- Policy and automation: Build centralized control policies, data policies, and localized policies for real traffic steering.
- Security and cloud: Apply SASE concepts, FW/IPS, URL filtering, and Cloud OnRamp for SaaS and IaaS.
Skills you'll gain
Who is this for?
This course is for network engineers and architects who work with or plan to deploy Cisco SD-WAN. It fits CCNP/CCIE learners and experienced professionals. Basic routing and WAN knowledge is expected.
How the course works
The course mixes short theory lessons with step-by-step labs and quizzes. Each lab contains topology diagrams, configuration snippets, and verification commands. Labs are runnable in EVE-NG, PNETlab, or supported on real devices. You will configure controllers, create policies, and test failover and path selection.
We use a build-up approach. Start with the underlay. Add overlay components like TLOCs and VPNs. Then craft policies and test them with simulated traffic. Finally, apply security features and cloud integrations.
Course structure
The course contains deep sections. Each section includes lessons, labs, and quizzes. Main sections are:
- Introduction to SD-WAN — concepts and principles.
- Key features — AppQoE, cloud, DIA, APIs.
- Control plane — OMP, best-path, and route handling.
- Data plane — TLOCs, overlay fabric, encryption, and VPNs.
- Deployment — certificates, onboarding, and planning.
- Management plane — templates, vManage, and lab setup.
- Centralized control & data policies — many labs for real policy design.
- Localized policies — site specific controls and QoS.
- HA, scalability, and DR — redundancy and hierarchical design.
- Cloud OnRamp & Security — SaaS/IaaS and SASE features.
- Advanced scenarios — real design case studies and advanced labs.
Each lab has clear goals, required commands, and validation steps. Quizzes check your understanding after each chapter.
Outcomes
By finishing this course you will be able to design and operate a Cisco SD-WAN deployment. You will know how OMP exchanges routes and how the control plane interacts with the data plane. You will design TLOC strategies, implement traffic engineering, and build policies that control traffic flow and security.
You will also be comfortable troubleshooting complex issues. Labs include failure scenarios so you learn how the fabric reacts. You will be able to plan cloud connectivity and apply SASE patterns for branch security and compliance.
These outcomes prepare you for advanced roles and for CCIE-level work. The course focuses on real skills used in enterprise SD-WAN projects.
