Skip to content

Chapter 6: Terraform — Infrastructure Provisioning

Infrastructure-as-Code provisioning for CML labs, Catalyst Center (DNAC), ISE 3.x, SD-WAN vManage, and Webex platforms using Terraform with Cisco-certified providers.

What You'll Learn

CML Lab Provisioning

Automated lab topology deployment:

  • 12-node Abhavtech minimal lab (2 BN, 2 CP, 2 Edge, 2 cEdge, ISE, DNAC, vManage)
  • Network topology wiring (IS-IS underlay, SD-WAN handoffs)
  • Day-0 configuration injection
  • CML2 provider integration

Catalyst Center (DNAC) Provisioning

Site hierarchy and network settings:

  • Global → Region → Country → City → Building hierarchy
  • IP address pools per VN (Corporate, Guest, IoT)
  • DNS, NTP, DHCP, and SNMP settings
  • Device credentials and network profiles

ISE Provisioning

Security policy infrastructure:

  • 25+ SGT definitions (Corporate, Contractors, IoT, etc.)
  • Network Access Device (NAD) bulk onboarding
  • RADIUS shared secret distribution
  • Authorization policy placeholders

SD-WAN vManage Provisioning

Template-based device onboarding:

  • Feature templates (VPN 0, VPN 512, VPN 8001)
  • Device templates for cEdge platforms
  • OMP session establishment
  • App-aware routing policies

Webex Provisioning

Unified Communications platform setup:

  • Location definitions (Mumbai, Chennai, London, NJ)
  • Number management and DID assignment
  • Hunt group provisioning
  • Contact Center queue configuration

Chapter Navigation

Terraform Principles

State File Security

Terraform state files contain sensitive data. Use remote backends (Terraform Cloud, S3, Azure Blob) with encryption at rest. Never commit terraform.tfstate to Git.

Provider Versions

Pin provider versions in required_providers block to avoid breaking changes: 

terraform {
  required_providers {
    cml2 = {
      source  = "ciscodevnet/cml2"
      version = "~> 0.5"
    }
  }
}

Previous: ← Git Workflow
Next: Zero Touch Provisioning →