General

Maximum number of participating network devices

Maximum number of network devices participating with SD-AVC (running the SD-AVC agent): 4000

Setup

MD5 checksum of OVA download

When installing or upgrading the SD-AVC network service, download the OVA package, copy it to the device that will host the network service, then verify the MD5 checksum of the package before installing. The correct MD5 checksum value apears on the Download Software page when downloading the package.

Network Service gateway interface attached to VRF

For the SD-AVC Network Service, running on a host device, if the host interface that is used as a gateway interface is attached to a VRF, see Operating the SD-AVC Network Service with Host Interface Attached to a VRF for configuration details.

Running and startup configurations of participating devices

SD-AVC adds two lines to the running and startup configurations of participating devices:

• To enable the MS-Office365 Connector feature, which improves classification of Microsoft Office traffic:

  ip nbar protocol-pack bootflash:sdavc/sdavc_ppdk.pack force
  
  

• When SD-AVC deploys Protocol Packs to a device:

  ip nbar protocol-pack harddisk:sdavc/<protocol-pack-name>.pack
  
  

Classification

Interval before sending application data

SD-AVC requires a few minutes to learn from the network traffic before the application data is sent to the SD-AVC Network Service and compiled at the network level. See SD-AVC and Application Recognition.

SD-AVC application rules pack less relevant for client-to-client traffic

SD-AVC provides application classification for server-based applications. The SD-AVC application rules pack is less relevant for client-to-client traffic, which is more granular and dynamic. Client-to-client traffic is classified by NBAR2 running on each network element.

Proxy or CDN

In the case of a proxy or content delivery network (CDN), multiple applications may use the same IP/port combination. The network devices themselves classify such traffic fully. However, for these applications, the SD-AVC agent operating on a device may report application data to the SD-AVC network service with a lesser degree of detail: they may be reported with less detailed classification granularity or not at all.

High Availability

Protocol Pack deployment during high availability switchover

In SD-AVC high availability configurations, if a device switches over to its secondary SD-AVC network service, then switches back to its primary, the device has a temporary “switchback” status. During this brief period, you cannot deploy Protocol Packs to the device. See SD-AVC High Availability.