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Catalyst SD-WAN Lab Guide

Lab Setup

Developer Sandbox SD-WAN sandbox environment is pre-built with 4 IOS-XE SD-WAN (C8000V) branch routers and SD-WAN Controllers (1 Manager, 1 Controller, 1 Validator). Nodes are already deployed and connected in a flat full mesh SD-WAN fabric.

Lab Access Details

Section titled “Lab Access Details”

After your Sandbox reservation has begun, you must establish a VPN connection to your Sandbox. You will receive software VPN access information and credentials via email once the sandbox environment is ready (~10 mins). Once connected via software VPN you can access the CML dashboard UI’s and SD-WAN Manager via your local browser.

Refer to Lab Topology to get the controllers, WAN edge and CML access details.

Bruno

Section titled “Bruno”

To test and use SD-WAN Manager APIs, we will use a tool called Bruno.

Bruno is an open-source, lightweight API client designed as a fast and privacy-focused alternative to tools like Postman and Insomnia. It has gained significant popularity among developers who prefer a “local-first” workflow and want to avoid the cloud-heavy features and forced logins of traditional API platforms.

Key Features of Bruno

  • Offline-First & Local Storage: Unlike Postman, which syncs your data to its cloud by default, Bruno stores your API collections directly on your local filesystem. There is no mandatory cloud sync and no requirement to create an account or log in.
  • Git-Friendly (The .bru Format): Bruno saves requests in a plain-text markup language called .bru. Because these are simple text files, you can commit your API collections directly into your Git repository alongside your source code. This makes branching, merging, and code reviews for APIs seamless.
  • Lightweight and Fast: Bruno is built to be a focused tool rather than an all-in-one “platform.” This results in much faster startup times and lower memory usage compared to Postman.
  • Scripting and Testing: It supports JavaScript for pre-request scripts and post-response tests, similar to Postman, allowing for complex automation and data manipulation.
  • Multi-Protocol Support: It handles REST, GraphQL, and gRPC APIs.
  • Open Source: Released under the MIT License, it allows for community contributions and transparency.

You can download it for Windows, Mac, or Linux from the official website.

Load the Lab Collection

Section titled “Load the Lab Collection”

The lab includes a ready-to-use Bruno collection with the authentication, feature profile, configuration group, deployment, and cleanup requests used in the exercises.

  1. Download the SD-WAN sandbox Bruno collection.
  2. Extract the archive on your workstation.
  3. In Bruno, select Open Collection.
  4. Browse to the extracted sdwan-sandbox folder and open it.
  5. Select the sandbox environment in Bruno.
  6. Populate the environment variables for your lab reservation, including the SD-WAN Manager address, API key or session authentication details, and any device-specific values.