Introduction
The documents contain a step-by-step migration process for head-end devices in a hub and spoke environment. The Migration Plan document also contains verification steps to ensure that each step has achieved the specified objective.
Overview
With the EOS and EOL announcements for vEdge, this document guides the migration/upgrade path toward Cisco IOS XE Edge routers.
vEdge2000 & vEdge5000
http://cs.co/vedge2k-5k-eos
vEdge100B, vEdge100M & vEdge1000
http://cs.co/vedge100-1k-eos
Any deployment which has vEdge2000 or vEdge5000 deployed in a data center with single or dual vEdge branch sites connected over MPLS and the Internet to the data center. An obvious question would be how to start the migration. We should plan for the migration in the following order:
Data center sites
Large branch sites
Small branch sites
Migrate from vEdge to Cisco Edge
We will discuss steps to migrate SD-WAN deployment from an existing Cisco SD-WAN with vEdge devices to the new Cisco IOS XE SD-WAN (Cisco Edge) routers. Your network uses a hub-and-spoke design where all traffic between remote sites routes through the hub site. Our first task is to convert their existing templates and policies for the new IOS XE SD-WAN platforms. After template and policy conversion, we will deploy the new IOS XE SD-WAN routers. After verifying the new IOS-XE SD-WAN hub routers, you will migrate a few branches as needed.
Cisco IOS XE Edge SD-WAN devices will not form tunnels directly with the legacy vEdge devices or branches. All traffic between Cisco IOS XE Edge and vEdge SD-WAN devices will route through data center core routers. This lab topology is designed in a hub-and-spoke configuration and does not cover full-mesh designs.
- We will be using Sastre Tool to backup device templates, Feature templates, Security Policies, and Local and Centralized Policies. We could download the tool from here. The GitHub page also provides a README file with instructions on how to use the tool. Detailed instructions on how to install and use Sastre can be found here.
- We can use the convert2sdwan tool to convert the vEdge templates to Cisco Edge router templates. The convert2sdwan tool can operate in 2 modes. One is in conjunction with the Sastre tool where the vMmanage templates downloaded from Sastre could be used, and the other is with live vManage.
- Verify that the converted templates are present on the vManage. They would have the same name as the original template with a suffix added (the suffix is the session id from the convert2sdwan tool). We can verify the templates by navigating from vManage GUI > Configure > Templates > Device Templates and Feature Templates.
- To validate the converted template, to go vManage GUI > Configuration > Templates > Device Templates choose Device Template, and then click "..." corresponding to the device template and choose "Edit". Verify that everything looks good and make necessary changes as needed and save it.
- Add Cisco IOS XE devices to vManage using "Sync Smart Account" from vManage GUI > Configuration > Devices > Sync Smart Account.
- Leave the devices in Staging Mode using from vManage GUI > Configuration > Certificates > choose "Staging" for the new devices under Validate column.
- On the same page select "Send to Controllers", once this is done, the device serial list will be sent to all the controllers.
- vSmart should be in vManage mode (i.e. template is attached to the vSmart) to apply our Configuration policy change to avoid tunnel formation between the vEdge and the newly added Cisco Edge devices.
- The below steps will be performed during the maintenance window:
- Invalidate the vEdge (the device which will be migrated to Cisco Edge) from vManage GUI > Configuration > Certificates > choose “Invalid” and then “Send to Controllers”.
- Delete the device from the overlay, vManage GUI > Configuration > Devices > Search for the vEdge hostname and then select “Delete WAN edge” from the options under (…), that way, we could use the same system-ip and site-id on the new device.
- When we are ready, we can attach the template to the device from vManage GUI > Configuration > Templates > Device Templates > choose the Device template and click "..." and choose "Attach Devices" and provide all required values for the variables and configure the device.
- Generate a Bootstrap file for Cisco IOS XE edge devices. The on-site bootstrap process involves generating a bootstrap configuration file that loads from a bootable USB drive or from internal boot flash to a device that supports SD-WAN. Steps to generate bootstrap config file:
- Go to vManage WebUI > Configuration > Devices
- For the desired device, click (…) and choose “Generate Bootstrap Configuration”
- In the dialog box, choose Cloud-Init and click OK. The system generates a Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (MIME) file and displays its contents in a pop-up window. This file contains system properties for the device, the root CA if you are using an enterprise root CA, and configuration settings from the template that you created.
- In the MIME file pop-up window, click Download. The system downloads the file to your local system and saves it in your downloads directory. The file name is chassis.cfg, where chassis is the device chassis ID of the device.
- Rename the file as “ciscosdwan.cfg” and copy the file to a bootable USB drive or bootflash of the device.
- Boot the device and when it boots up and connects to the controllers and doesn’t form a data path (BFD tunnels) as the device is in staging.
- The next step is to move the device to the "Valid" state from vManage GUI > Configuration > Certificates > choose "Valid" for the new devices under Validate
- "Send to Controllers", once this is done, device validity will be updated to the controllers, and the data plane will be established.
- We could move the cables from vEdge to the Cisco Edge router.
Validation
Once the device has been migrated from vEdge to the Cisco edge router, verify below:
- The Control connections from the Cisco edge router are all up.
- The OMP session from the Cisco edge router to vSmart is up.
- The BFD sessions from the Cisco edge router to other branch routers are up and verify data connectivity is there.
- Verify that all config on the edge router is relevant and not missing anything that was there from vEdge.
Rollback
- In the event you see any issue with the migration steps, we can move the device (Cisco edge router) back to staging.
- Move the physical connections back to vEdge
- Add the vEdge device to the overlay by syncing the smart account.
- Move the device to “Valid state” and “send to controllers”.
- Attach the device template to the vEdge.
- Verify that Control connections and Data plane (BFD) are up on the vEdge
