Every network deployment starts with a planning and design phase. However, for now, let’s skip this part because you are too early in the book and technology.
For now, let’s start with something that many people overlook. Every Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN deployment, even a small home lab, begins with a Cisco Smart Account. It is an account at software.cisco.com that serves as a top-level container for device ownership, serial numbers, controller profiles, and licensing.
People typically associate the Cisco Smart Account with Smart Licensing. However, its role in Catalyst SD-WAN is much deeper and more essential, as shown in the diagram below. It is the place where you manage device ownership, serial numbers, controller profiles, and the WAN Edge list used for whitelisting edge routers. It is also where you upload CSRs, have them signed by Cisco PKI, and download the signed certificates that you later install on on-prem controllers (if the organization uses on-prem deployment and Cisco certificates, which is common).
