How to Use the Cisco SD-WAN (Viptela) Labs in the ATC

Whether you are just starting out with Cisco SD-WAN (Viptela), you want to dig deep into specific features, or you're looking to explore integrations, we offer labs that can help. These labs are accessible 24/7 through the WWT Advanced Technology Center (ATC). 

Foundations labs

We built the Viptela foundations labs with varying experience levels and software versions in mind.

For lab users who are just starting out with Viptela or looking to review concepts as part of an educational journey, we offer two labs:

• Viptela Foundations Lab on software version 19.2
• Viptela Foundations Lab 20x on software version 20.6

The key difference between these labs is the creation of feature templates for IOS-XE devices as well as a full vManage user interface redesign. 

After completing the foundations labs, you can extend your Viptela knowledge via our sandbox labs.

Sandbox labs

Our Viptela sandbox labs are designed for users to dive deeper into the solution's capabilities and get creative. They are based on the same topology and hardware makeup as the foundations labs but offer exposure to various software versions.

These labs allow you to perform software upgrades, validate the upgrade process and explore potential new features in later versions of Viptela software.

Cisco SD-WAN Viptela Sandbox 19.2

Interesting research areas may include:

• Upgrade process to later software version
• IKE-Enabled IPSec Tunnels
• Control Traffic Flow using Class of Service
• Share VNF devices across Service Chains

Cisco SD-WAN Viptela Sandbox 20.3.4

Interesting research areas may include:

• Upgrade process to later software version
• Dynamic On-Demand Tunneling
• NAT DIA Tracker
• BGP Community Propagation in OMP
• Adaptive QoS

Cisco SD-WAN Viptela Sandbox 20.6

Interesting research areas may include:

• Upgrade process to later software version
• Redesigned vManage GUI
• Traffic classification with NBAR
• Route manipulation for leaked routes
• Cloud OnRamp for SaaS

Secure access service edge (SASE) labs

We increasingly find that our customers want to explore the integration of SD-WAN and secure service edge (SSE) as they move toward a secure access service edge (SASE) architecture. To that end, we offer multiple SASE labs with Viptela SD-WAN:

 SASE Architecture – Cisco Viptela SD-WAN With Cisco Umbrella (SSE)  

 SASE Architecture – Cisco Viptela SD-WAN With Netskope (SSE)  

 SASE Architecture – Cisco Viptela SD-WAN With Zscaler (SSE)

 SASE Architecture – Cisco Viptela SD-WAN With Palo Alto Prisma (SSE)

Here, users explore Viptela's integration with multiple SSE solutions for security services like DNS inspection/enforcement, cloud-delivered firewall, and secure web gateway.

Committed to continued learning

The mission of our ATC global solution development team is to create integrated solutions that inform and educate. The Cisco SD-WAN (Viptela) solution continues to mature in features and functionality. As it does, we will produce additional educational content to help you on your journey with Viptela.