--- title: "Cisco SD-Access Lab: Part 1" description: Cisco SD-Access, or in full Software Defined-Access, is the future of Cisco enterprise networks, and whether you're ready or not, it's here.  image: https://blog.iptel.com.au/hubfs/Blogs/Cisco%20SD%20Access%20Lab%20Part%201/Cisco%20SD-Access%20Part%201%20(Feature%20Image).gif --- [![IPTellogo-byline-2020-dark-v2-pnd-optimised-500 (1)](https://blog.iptel.com.au/hs-fs/hubfs/IPTellogo-byline-2020-dark-v2-pnd-optimised-500%20(1).png?width=200&height=59&name=IPTellogo-byline-2020-dark-v2-pnd-optimised-500%20(1).png "IPTellogo-byline-2020-dark-v2-pnd-optimised-500 (1)")](https://iptel.com.au) - [Home](https://iptel.com.au/) - [Solutions](https://iptel.com.au/solutions) Technologies - [Cisco Access Manager](https://iptel.com.au/technologies/cisco-access-manager) - [Cisco Catalyst Centre](https://iptel.com.au/technologies/cisco-catalyst-center) - [Cisco Meraki](https://iptel.com.au/technologies/cisco-meraki) - [Cisco SDA Fabric](https://iptel.com.au/technologies/cisco-sda-fabric) - [Cisco Spaces](https://iptel.com.au/technologies/cisco-spaces) - [Everpure Storage](https://iptel.com.au/technologies/everpure-storage) - [Industrial IoT](https://iptel.com.au/technologies/industrial-iot) - [LAN](https://iptel.com.au/technologies/lan) - [Security and Cisco ISE](https://iptel.com.au/technologies/security-and-cisco-ise) - [Thousand Eyes](https://iptel.com.au/technologies/thousandeyes) - [Virtualisation](https://iptel.com.au/technologies/virtualisation) - [Wi-Fi](https://iptel.com.au/services/wi-fi-surveys) Services - [Backup Assure](https://iptel.com.au/services/backup-assure) - [Cisco URWB](https://iptel.com.au/services/cisco-urb) - [Cisco Webex Calling](https://iptel.com.au/services/cisco-webex-calling) - [Eco-Friendly Network Refresh](https://iptel.com.au/services/eco-friendly-network-refresh) - [Network Equipment Supply](https://iptel.com.au/services/network-equipment-supply) - [Splunk](https://iptel.com.au/services/splunk) - [Wi-Fi Assurance Review](https://iptel.com.au/services/wi-fi-assurance-review) - [Wi-Fi Surveys](https://iptel.com.au/services/wi-fi-surveys) - [Industries](https://iptel.com.au/industries) Education and Healthcare - [Education and Campuses](https://iptel.com.au/industries/education) - [Healthcare and Clinical](https://iptel.com.au/industries/healthcare) - [Aged Care](https://iptel.com.au/industries/aged-care) Enterprise - [Enterprise Networks](https://iptel.com.au/industries/enterprise) Industrial - [Mining and Camps](https://iptel.com.au/industries/mines) - [Utilities](https://iptel.com.au/industries/utilities) Retail & Warehousing - [Retail](https://iptel.com.au/industries/retail-and-stores) - [Warehousing](https://iptel.com.au/industries/warehousing) Entertainment - [Stadiums](https://iptel.com.au/industries/stadiums) - [Hospitality](https://iptel.com.au/hospitality-and-hotels) - [MSP](https://iptel.com.au/managed-services) Meraki MSP - [Meraki Access and Security](https://iptel.com.au/managed-services/meraki-access-and-security) - [Meraki SD Wan](https://iptel.com.au/managed-services/meraki-sd-wan) Cisco MSP - [Cisco Secure Access](https://iptel.com.au/managed-services/cisco-secure-access) - [Security Service Edge](https://iptel.com.au/manged-services/security-service-edge) FSO MSP - [Full Stack Observability](https://iptel.com.au/managed-services/full-stack-observability) Meeting Rooms MSP - [Meeting Rooms as a Service](https://iptel.com.au/managed-services/meeting-rooms-as-a-service) - [Equipment](https://iptel.com.au/services/network-equipment-supply) Equipment Supply - [Network Equipment Supply](https://iptel.com.au/services/network-equipment-supply) - [Buy Cisco Equipment](https://iptel.com.au/services/cisco-equipment-supply) - [Buy Meraki Equipment](https://iptel.com.au/services/meraki-equipment-supply) Get Pricing - [Get a Hardware Quote](https://iptel.com.au/services/network-equipment-supply#hardware-quote) - [Wi-Fi AP Estimator](https://iptel.com.au/resources/wifi-access-point-estimator) - [Blog](https://blog.iptel.com.au) - [Resources](https://iptel.com.au/resources) Free Resources - [Top Wi-Fi Secrets](https://iptel.com.au/top-8-wi-fi-secrets) - [Cisco SDA Fabric](https://iptel.com.au/the-cios-guide-to-sda-fabric) - [Catalyst Center Enablement](https://iptel.com.au/cisco-catalyst-center-enablement) Assessments - [Cloud AI Assessment](https://score.iptel.com.au/cloud-ai-assessment) - [Collaboration Assessment](https://score.iptel.com.au/collaboration-assessment) - [Network Assessment](https://score.iptel.com.au/network-assessment) - [Security Assessment](https://score.iptel.com.au/security-assessment) - [Splunk Assessment](https://score.iptel.com.au/splunk-assessment) Tools - [Automating Meraki](https://www.automatingmeraki.com) - [MAC Address Converter](https://iptel.com.au/resources/mac-address-converter) - [MSP Assessment Tool](https://score.iptel.com.au/cisco-managed-services) - [Thousand Eyes Option Tool](https://score.iptel.com.au/thousandeyes) - [Wi-Fi AP Estimator](https://iptel.com.au/resources/wifi-access-point-estimator) Demos and Design - [Request a Meraki Demo](https://iptel.com.au/free-meraki-demo) - [FREE Meeting Room Design](https://iptel.com.au/schedule-meeting-room-design-session) - [Catalyst Center Enablement](https://iptel.com.au/cisco-catalyst-center-enablement) - [About](https://iptel.com.au/about-us) IPTel Solutions - [About us](https://iptel.com.au/about-us) - [Job Applications](https://careers.iptel.com.au/job-application) - [Privacy Policy](https://iptel.com.au/privacy-policy) - [Careers Blog](https://careers.iptel.com.au) Contact Us - [Contact Us Form](https://iptel.com.au/contact-us) - [Email Us](mailto:sales@iptel.com.au) Customer - [Customer Feedback](https://iptel.com.au/customer-feedback) - [Customer Referral](https://iptel.com.au/customer-referral) - [Terms and Conditions](https://iptel.com.au/terms-and-conditions) News Stories - [IPTel partners for monitoring for Meeting Rooms as a Service](https://www.commsbusiness.co.uk/content/news/highlight-partners-with-iptel-solutions) - [Webex Monitoring with Highlight](https://itbrief.co.uk/story/highlight-iptel-add-webex-monitoring-for-meeting-rooms) - [ITBrief with Meeting Room Monitoring](https://itbrief.com.au/story/highlight-iptel-add-webex-monitoring-for-meeting-rooms) - [Cisco Webex Meeting Rooms Monitoring](https://telconews.co.uk/story/highlight-iptel-add-webex-monitoring-for-meeting-rooms) - [IPTel adopts Highlight](https://itbrief.com.au/story/iptel-adopts-highlight-to-enhance-managed-services) - [Highlight MSP Upgrade](https://datacentre.solutions/news/71753/iptel-solutions-upgrade-with-highlights-service-platform) - [Cisco 360](https://www.crn.com.au/news/2026/networking/aussie-partners-react-cisco-360) - [DP World Transformation](https://www.cisco.com/site/us/en/about/case-studies-customer-stories/dp-world.html) - [Cisco Managed Services](https://www.arnnet.com.au/article/1251771/how-partners-can-take-a-leap-of-faith-with-managed-services.html) - [Project Delivery Excellence](https://channellife.com.au/story/cisco-honours-top-nz-partners-cisco-live) - [Great Place to Work](https://greatplacetowork.com.au/companies/iptel-solutions/) - [Wi-Fi Doesn't have to be Unreliable](https://www.techpartner.news/feature/iptel-wi-fi-doesnt-have-to-be-unreliable-494069) Buying from IPTel - [Buying Panels](https://iptel.com.au/professional-supply-panels) - [IPTel Store](https://store.iptel.com.au) - [Request a Quote](https://iptel.com.au/request-a-quote) - [Managed Services](https://iptel.com.au/managed-services-enquiry) Case Studies - [DP World Video](https://blog.iptel.com.au/hubfs/Case%20Studies/DP%20World_Case_Study.mp4) - [DP World](https://blog.iptel.com.au/dp-world-case-study) - [Backup Assure](https://blog.iptel.com.au/backup-assure-a-disaster-recovery-case-study) [Contact Us](https://iptel.com.au/contact-us) This is a search field with an auto-suggest feature attached. - There are no suggestions because the search field is empty. ## Cisco SD-Access Lab: Part 1 May 9, 2025 Cisco SD-Access (Software-Defined Access) is the future of Cisco enterprise networks, and whether you're ready or not, it's here.  In this blog series, we're going to take a look at the base setup of your SD-Access Lab environment and provide some useful links along the way to content to help you understand the topic more fully. ![Cisco SD-Access Part 1](https://blog.iptel.com.au/hs-fs/hubfs/Blogs/Cisco%20SD%20Access%20Lab%20Part%201/Cisco%20SD-Access%20Part%201.gif?width=1440&name=Cisco%20SD-Access%20Part%201.gif) At IPTel, we noted this recently and decided to create an SD-Access lab network from scratch, to get across all the ins and outs of an SD-Access deployment. Related reading - [Cisco SD-Access Lab Part 2](https://blog.iptel.com.au/cisco-meraki-access-points-0-0) - [Cisco SDA](https://blog.iptel.com.au/the-cios-guide-to-cisco-sda-fabric) --- ## Cisco Catalyst Center The bedrock of an SD-Access network is the management station, [which for Cisco is Catalyst Center (formerly DNA Center)](https://blog.iptel.com.au/cisco-dna-center). [![DNA Center Enablement - Instagram](https://blog.iptel.com.au/hs-fs/hubfs/Blogs/Cisco%20DNA%20Center%20Enablement/DNA%20Center%20Enablement%20-%20Instagram.jpg?width=185&name=DNA%20Center%20Enablement%20-%20Instagram.jpg)](https://blog.iptel.com.au/cisco-dna-center-enablement)If you didn't know, [Catalyst Center](https://blog.iptel.com.au/cisco-dna-center-enablement) is the Cisco management and orchestration appliance for the SD-Access network. Using Catalyst Center, we can undertake the base management tasks of network monitoring and management. It's in the space of configuration that Catalyst Center really comes into its own, and so it forms a key component of your SD-Access lab - and also your real world installation. Related reading - [What is SDA Fabric?](https://blog.iptel.com.au/what-is-sda-fabric) - [Cisco SD-Access Deployment](https://blog.iptel.com.au/cisco-sda-deployment) - [Cisco Catalyst Center Enablement](https://blog.iptel.com.au/cisco-dna-center-enablement) --- ## SDA Fabric Background To kick off with, you might be wondering [what SDA Fabric is](https://blog.iptel.com.au/what-is-sda-fabric). [![What is Cisco SDA\_ (Instagram)](https://blog.iptel.com.au/hs-fs/hubfs/Blogs/What%20is%20Cisco%20SDA/What%20is%20Cisco%20SDA_%20(Instagram).png?width=201&name=What%20is%20Cisco%20SDA_%20(Instagram).png)](https://blog.iptel.com.au/what-is-sda-fabric) In short - and general terms - [Software Defined Networking](https://blog.iptel.com.au/software-defined-networking)is all about controlling your network from a GUI based management station, issuing policies and profiles to network equipment to configure the equipment. The equipment is often treated as hands off, with all configuration pushed from the management station. This change takes a little getting used to - the CLI is all but abandoned in SD-Access. There are some major advantages over the traditional way we've configured networks - speed is one, and also new features such as [Micro Segmentation and Macro Segmentation](https://blog.iptel.com.au/blog/cisco-sd-access-micro-segmentation-explained).   Related reading - [Software Defined Networking: Explained](https://blog.iptel.com.au/software-defined-networking) --- ## Cisco SD-Access Lab Prerequisites The following sub-sections walk you through a range of prerequisites to commence your SD-Access lab setup. ### Planning Some people prefer to skip any form of planning, but it's best to have a detailed network design completed before anything to ensure that everything makes sense. We frequently [design enterprise LAN and WLAN environments](https://iptel.com.au/technologies/lan), fully [integrated with ISE](https://iptel.com.au/technologies/security-and-cisco-ise) and Catalyst Center. In our opinion, this is a must - without this you can get halfway through your network setup and realise you've missed something and have to revert all the way back to the start. ### Cisco ISE Catalyst Center uses Cisco ISE as a TrustSec policy enforcer for the SD-Access deployment. We've found it's good to ensure that the TrustSec data from ISE is migrated to Catalyst Center before you start your SD-Access deployment, then you can have a smooth run implementing the network with Catalyst Center as a single pane of glass. ### Compatibility Check the Cisco SD-Access compatibility matrix at [http://cs.co/sda-compatibility-matrix](http://cs.co/sda-compatibility-matrix) to ensure your device hardware and software can be integrated into the SD-Access network. ### Licensing In order to utilise the full capability of SD-Access with LAN Automation, you'll need DNA Advantage licensing on your network devices. Related reading - [Introduction to Cisco Smart Licensing](https://blog.iptel.com.au/introduction-to-cisco-smart-licensing)   *Without further ado, let's take a look at the actual configuration of the lab.*   Related reading - [Zero Trust Architecture (ZTA) Introduction](https://blog.iptel.com.au/zero-trust-architecture) - [Zero Trust Architecture (ZTA) Deployment](https://blog.iptel.com.au/zero-trust-deployment) --- ## Design, Policy, Provision The first step is to access the Design, Policy and Provision menus, as shown on the DNA Center screenshot below: ![Design, Policy, Provision](https://blog.iptel.com.au/hs-fs/hubfs/Blogs/SD-Access%20Lab/Design%2c%20Policy%2c%20Provision.png?width=1282&name=Design%2c%20Policy%2c%20Provision.png) The Catalyst Center web UI is laid out in the way that you should deploy your SD-Access network, and this is important to follow. This is how the process works. Related reading - [Catalyst Center Beginners Guide](https://blog.iptel.com.au/cisco-dna-center) - [Cisco Catalyst Center Enablement](https://blog.iptel.com.au/cisco-dna-center-enablement) - [Cisco Spaces Introduction](https://blog.iptel.com.au/cisco-dna-spaces) --- ## Network Design Now we design the network! Cisco Catalyst Center provides a toolkit to define your network design within the appliance, and this will determine how your network is deployed later. This means: - Creating a network hierarchy of sites and buildings - Specifying CLI, SNMP and HTTPS credentials to be used on devices - Allocating an IP address block for your entire enterprise (this is chopped up per site) - Specifying QoS models - Creating the SSIDs to be in use for Wi-Fi We also get to determine the software versions that our devices will use, but if you've got a greenfield Catalyst Center, this will be relevant at a later stage. ![Network Settings](https://blog.iptel.com.au/hs-fs/hubfs/Blogs/SD-Access%20Lab/Network%20Settings.png?width=791&name=Network%20Settings.png) Later on, all of these configuration settings are pushed to your network devices without you having to take to the CLI. It's pretty neat! Related reading - [Cisco SD Access: Micro Segmentation Explained](https://blog.iptel.com.au/blog/cisco-sd-access-micro-segmentation-explained) - [Troubleshooting with Catalyst Center](https://blog.iptel.com.au/troubleshooting-with-cisco-dna-center) - [Cisco Catalyst Center Assurance](https://blog.iptel.com.au/blog/cisco-catalyst-center-assurance) - [5 Ways Catalyst Center Solves your Challenges](https://info.iptel.com.au/cisco-dna) --- ## Policies Next, we'll need to define the policies that will dictate the network intent. All access control, [macro and micro segmentation](https://blog.iptel.com.au/blog/cisco-sd-access-micro-segmentation-explained) and QoS policies are created in the Policy section. [SGTs are created here](https://blog.iptel.com.au/blog/cisco-sd-access-scalable-group-tags) and are nested within Virtual Networks, which Catalyst Center will deploy during provisioning. We can use Group-Based Access Control to define the policies that ISE will enforce with TrustSec Security Group Tagging (known in the Catalyst Center world as [Scalable Group Tagging](https://blog.iptel.com.au/blog/cisco-sd-access-scalable-group-tags)).   That's it for this blog - we'll continue with more about SD-Access Policies in part 2 of this blog, [Cisco SD-Access Lab: Part 2.](https://blog.iptel.com.au/cisco-meraki-access-points-0-0) --- ## Cisco SD-Access Lab: Part 1 Summary Hopefully the above is a useful start to our two-part series on how to get your Cisco SD-Access lab up and running. The overall SD-Access ecosystem is quite large, with a lot of new concepts. Those of us that have known and loved working on the Cisco IOS CLI will find all this quite a jolt; networking as we know it has been turned on its head. With the wealth of new features - especially in security - along with the speed of deployment, the rise of SDA Fabric is unstoppable.  At IPTel, we are actively designing and building SDA Fabric networks. At first there has been a great deal to learn, but we are now actively working on more projects, so if you need some help with yours, drop us a line. Related reading - [Software Defined Networking Explained](https://blog.iptel.com.au/software-defined-networking) - [Cisco SD-Access Lab: Part 2](https://blog.iptel.com.au/cisco-meraki-access-points-0-0) - [What is SDA Fabric](https://blog.iptel.com.au/what-is-sda-fabric)   #### Related Articles ###### [Cisco SD Access: Scalable Group Tags](https://blog.iptel.com.au/blog/cisco-sd-access-scalable-group-tags) June 19, 2025 ###### [Cisco SD-Access Lab: Part 2](https://blog.iptel.com.au/cisco-sd-access-lab-part-2) May 9, 2025 ###### [What is Cisco SDA Fabric?](https://blog.iptel.com.au/what-is-sda-fabric) Oct 18, 2025 ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "IPTel Solutions", "url" : "https://blog.iptel.com.au/author/iptel-solutions" }, "dateModified" : "2026-10-03T07:56:20.874Z", "datePublished" : "2025-05-09T02:51:27.000Z", "headline" : "Cisco SD-Access Lab: Part 1", "image" : [ "https://blog.iptel.com.au/hubfs/Blogs/Cisco%20SD%20Access%20Lab%20Part%201/Cisco%20SD-Access%20Part%201%20(Feature%20Image).gif" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://blog.iptel.com.au/cisco-sd-access-lab-part-1", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://blog.iptel.com.au/hubfs/IPTel_Solutions_February2020%20-%20Header%20SiteMap/Images/IPTellogo-byline-2020-dark-v2.png" }, "name" : "IPTel Solutions Pty Ltd" } } ```