Note

To achieve simplification and consistency, the Cisco SD-WAN solution has been rebranded as Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN. In addition, from Cisco IOS XE SD-WAN Release 17.12.1a and Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Release 20.12.1, the following component changes are applicable: Cisco vManage to Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager, Cisco vAnalytics to Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Analytics, Cisco vBond to Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Validator, Cisco vSmart to Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Controller, and Cisco Controllers to Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Control Components. See the latest Release Notes for a comprehensive list of all the component brand name changes. While we transition to the new names, some inconsistencies might be present in the documentation set because of a phased approach to the user interface updates of the software product.

Cisco Network Function Virtualization Software-Defined Branch (NFV SD-Branch) features in Cisco SD-WAN Manager are a collection of capabilities that allow you to use Cisco SD-WAN Manager as a single centralized orchestrator to manage both the Cisco NFV hardware platforms powered by Cisco NFVIS hypervisor software and the virtualized network function (VNF) based network services that run as guest virtual machines (VMs). SD-Branch in Cisco SD-WAN Manager provides a three-step user experience of design, deploy and monitor that enables you to deploy networking services efficiently across all sites within your enterprise network infrastructure.

The Cisco SD-WAN Manager portal supports:

1. Design - A network architect can graphically create a parameterized network design template that captures the enterprise networking standards and best practices including WAN circuits and VNF service chains.

2. Deploy - A network operator can use the pre-defined network design templates to deploy and configure network devices and services in multiple locations in an automated and secure manner without making any design decisions.

3. Monitor - A network auditor can monitor and manage both the hardware platforms and the virtualized network services VMs that are running on them, without the fear of making accidental configuration changes.

Note	Cisco NFV SD-Branch features in Cisco SD-WAN Manager are only supported for greenfield deployments of the ENCS 5400 Series and the C8200-uCPE platforms.