SDA Decommission and third party options

[adel dardari]

Hi All,

I've just got assigned to a project where we have SD-Access with following components:

- DNA

- Border Routers ( acting as control nodes as well ) 

- Intermediate Routers ( I believe they are used to forward underlay traffic and not part of the fabric )

- Edge routers 

- CISCO ISE 

- WLC 

It seems that there has been a lot of complains and limitation. I will list all the issues and appreciate if someone can reply me with solid answers and links . That would help. 

- are we able to connect 3rd party switches (i.e HPE/Juniper..etc) to the fabric  ? do we connect them to edge switches , border switches ? if yes , what are the complete steps required from both DNA/SDA side and 3rd party switch ?

- if connecting 3rd party switches, will they have any effect on SGT ?

- how do i ensure i.e that the vlans on 3rd party switches are aligned with SDA fabric ? 

- can cisco ISE still sends COA to 3rd party switches ? 

- are intermediate switches out of picture ? can i connect any 3rd party device to it and manage it ?

- can i monitor and MANAGE 3rd party switches via DNA ? 

- In case the management decided to remove SDA , is there a process to convert fabric switches ( border/intermediate/edge) to traditional design ( core/distribution/access architecture ) ? 

Sorry for long thread, appreciate the help

[Flavio Miranda]

Hello @adel dardari 

 I wil provide a very "solid"  answer.  The answer for all your question is "NO"

And in order to make sure if my answer is solid or not, you just need to dig into the DNAC documentation. Specially on the Compatibility matrix I will share down below.  Try to find a Third Part switch on the list.

https://www.cisco.com/c/dam/en/us/td/docs/Website/enterprise/dnac_compatibility_matrix/index.html

[adel dardari]

I have just googled and it seems there is a post that says "yes". but it is not covering all of my questions

https://community.cisco.com/t5/software-defined-access-sd-access/non-sda-switch-connected-to-the-fabric-edge/td-p/4297464

Also, can you confirm if i can convert SDA to traditional switch architecture (core/dist/access) ? 

[Flavio Miranda]

You need to stick with DNAC documentation or you must contact Cisco or Cisco representative.  One thing is you add a device as part of the fabric, another thing is you interact with a third party device. 

About the conversion, there is no conversation after all.  If you had the change to build a fabric switch, it is just a bunch of script over the IOS-XE, the same IOS-XE you would run in a non-fabric switch. 

 The difference is configuration. In the worst case scenario, you have to wipe the device out and remove the configuration, which I believe is not necessary. 

[adel dardari]

I am still struggling to find solution. I am looking for CISCO Documentation that states 

1- how to connect 3rd party switches 

2- how to remove SDA fabric and convert it to traditional architect. I see a lot of posts here and there saying that i should remove the SDA from DNA , clear ports..etc Any chance to get an official document with a step-by-step procedure ?

[jedolphi]

Hello Adel. Here's some links to Cisco Live presentations that explain how to connect non-SD-Access switches to an SD-Access fabric, please review the presentations and ask any followup questions:

https://www.ciscolive.com/on-demand/on-demand-details.html?#/session/163606009813000177hb

https://www.ciscolive.com/on-demand/on-demand-details.html?#/session/16360602466310017kjm

https://www.ciscolive.com/on-demand/on-demand-details.html?#/session/1686177770116001Vivx

Regarding Q2, I believe you're asking how to remove a switch from the SD-Access fabric? In the SD-Access UI, if you click on a specific device, there is a remove from fabric button. After that you can optionally delete the device from DNA Center Inventory if you wish.