Published: 21 March 2025Cisco dCloud Topology Builder User Guide

Explore UI Basics

As you get started in Topology Builder, it is good to review the user interface (UI) basics.

• Go to the Home page
  
  From the Home page, you can launch My Topologies, Documentation, Template Manager, Videos, or Request a Feature.
  
  

   

  If you click Get Started on the Home page, you will launch the My Topologies page.

  
  At top left of any Topology Builder page, click the Cisco dCloud Topology Builder to go to the Home page.
  
  
  
  At top right on any Topology Builder page, click Home to return to the main window.
  

  

• Go to My Topologies page
  
  
  

  You can always go Home and click Get Started to open My Topologies, as well.

• Toggle UI Themes: Dark Mode | Light Mode
  
  
  
  Light Mode
  
  
  
  
  Dark Mode
  
  
  
  
• Toggle Topology Views: List View | Detailed View
  
  
  
  Click the image on the right, to toggle to Detailed View on the My Topologies page.
  
  
  My Topologies Detailed View
  

  When you have created 8 topologies, your view will auto-display in Detailed View, at the beginning of each new session.

  Click the image on the left, to toggle to List View on the My Topologies page.
  
  

  My Topologies List View

  
  

  When you have created eight topologies, your view will auto-display in Detailed View, at the beginning of each new session.

• Search

  

  On the My Topologies page, click within the Search field, and enter a topology name or keyword in its description, to see the list of matching topologies.

  Tip: If a version number might be part of the topology name or description, enter it (for example, enter "12.5") to see the list of results.
  
  

• Filter Search Results
  
  
  
  1. On the My Topologies page, under the Search field, click the arrow to expand Filters.
  
  2. Select Filter options to improve the results shown, by Content type and/or Data Center location.
  
  
• View / Delete Personal Preferences
  You can quickly see the preferences you have set and/or delete all preference at once.

  You cannot change individual preferences here. To do that, scroll up to find Toggle UI Themes; Filters; and Topologies View.

1. Select the Person icon at top right.
   
   
   
   
2. On your View / Delete Preferences page, review your current UI preferences.
3. To keep your personal preferences in tact, click the X at top right to close the pop-up page.
4. To simultaenously remove all of your preferences, click Delete Preferences at bottom.
   

   
   

5. If you delete all your personal preferences, you can scroll up or search within this guide, to learn how to add your preferences in this UI Basics section: Toggle UI Themes: Dark | Light; Filters; and/or List | Detailed View.
   

• Get Support
   
  At bottom right of any page, click the information icon, to see three choices you can click to get support.
  
  
  
  Demo Creation Help takes you to the Topology Builder Community Webex space where you can ask questions and get expert advice. This is quite popular and effective, as you will see.
  
  dCloud Support opens the Support page where you can open a ticket; click Help to check online help topics; click Tickets to see your open tickets and status; and click Feedback to tell us about your experience.

  User Guide opens the guide you are reading now.

• Give Feedback 
  

Share your Feedback about Topology Builder in the TB app's page footer, or click Give Feedback on the right of pages in this guide.

* At the bottom of any TB page, click Feedback in the footer.

* On the right of any TB User Guide page, click the small, vertical Give Feedback banner.

Great job!

You have learned basic navigation and tips to make navigating your journey simple and effective.
 

What's Next

Now, you are ready to create your first topology. Let's look at how to do that from scratch and from an existing demo template. You will start with the concepts and basic tasks, and then get into the flow.

On the Get Started menu, click Create a Topology.

11 March 2025 - Release 129

What's New in Topology Builder

• Users can now hide icons (AnyConnect/vPod/Cloud/Endpoint Kit) on the My Topology Diagram page.
• The internal link to Topology Builder v3 Documentation has been updated, to reflect the new User Guide AEM design.

  If you have questions about or suggestions for the user guide, share your feedback with us. Help us continually improve!

• Users can now discover Exact Matches for Search criteria.

4 March 2025 - Release 128

Cisco Internal Only

1 March 2025 - Release 127

New in Topology Builder! Generate Guest Access from the General page

To Enable guest access for dCloud sessions on the General configuration page for a topology you have created, follow these steps.

1. At top right of any page, click Topologies to open the My Topologies page.
   
2. For the topology you want to enable guest access, select the Pencil icon.

   If you do not see the Pencil icon, click on a blank space on the page and hover over the topology name and description again.

   
   
3. To give dCloud guests access to your content, check the Enable guest access checkbox.

When you check the checkbox and click Save, this feature enables access to dCloud users without CCO credentials to access Session View via a shared link, ensuring they can still benefit from the full demo experience.

Below, you can see the dCloud Session View for an non-CCO authenticated user. Note the limited menu bar options: The user can interact fully with the demo but has very limited control of the session itself.

The shared link will need to be passed to those users without CCO credentials.

27 January 2025 - Release 126

Cisco Internal Only

23 January 2025 - Release 125

Cisco Internal Only

20 January 2025 - Release 124

What's New

• Now, there is an Icon selector to make it easier to use icons in your topology diagrams.
  • VM/Device-Editing icons
  • Icons selector added: Add an Icon
  • AnyConnect, Cloud, vPod, and Endpoint Kit icons
  • New Topology Builder Icon Library demo - video

  

  
  

  What's Fixed

  • VM Replacement uses new EVC mode.
  • Topology ID is checked when pushing to dCloud.
  • Topology state persists when you are in Diagram View Edit mode, make no edits, and then cancel the edit.
  • SASE icon shows on the Networking tab.
  • Edit Network in Diagram View works as expected.
  • When you select Hardware in Session View, the Info panel opens.

6 January 2025 - Release 122/123

A new, modern set of Icons, arranged in tabs, is available, based on the Cisco marketing icon set.

2024 TB RelNotes

5 December 2024 - Release 121

• Users can now clone Topologies: Click the Topology title, click Clone at top right, update the Name/Description if you like, and click Create.
• Topology names are now displayed in the Diagram page header.
• You can click a Schedule button at top of General or Diagram page.
• You can click Push at top of General or Diagram page, to push a topology to dCloud.
• You can change the CPU EVC mode of a VM.

30 October 2024 - Release 118

What's New

• Demo metrics contain the correct published date.
• Improved Virtual Machine (VM) Created Workflow, with unused columns deleted.

Enhancements

Improved user experience in performing the new design actions in Diagram View.

• Draw Lines between connections.
• Use the Telephone icon.
• Use Logical Connection functionality.

16 October 2024 - Release 115

Enhancements

• To enable a better Virtual Machine creation workflow experience, unused columns are removed from Add a VM Workflow.

• Now, users can change the Default Line Color (even to "transparent"), when drawing lines between Nodes in Diagram View.

• When users now use the NAT feature, traffic to the internet is enabled.

5 September 2024 - Release 109

What's New

dCloud Topology Builder users can now perform these tasks in Diagram View:

• Change the font size and color of text labels.
• Rotate the position of text labels.
• Turn on the auto-align option (aligns on the left), and then add new nodes.

15 August 2024 - Release 108

What's New

Users can now configure URLs on Icons added to the Diagram View which then display in the dCloud Session View.

31 July 2024 - Release 106

• Users can now configure internal NAT functionality in their topologies.
• Users can align nodes in Diagram View.

About Licenses

Licensing is an internal feature used to restrict the amount of Topology Builder sessions that can be run.

Licensing is not related to software or hardware licenses.

Topology Builder users cannot edit, add, or manipulate Topology Builder licenses.

Create from Template

You can create content from a prebuilt template that was created by the dCloud developer team. This may be an existing demonstration or lab in the dCloud Catalog. This is a popular way to create a template built with a similar configuration to what you want to develop.

For a guided tour, go to Home > Videos and watch the Create from Template tutorial.

To create a topology from a demo template, follow these steps.

1. On the Home page, click Get Started.
   

   

   Or, at top right of any page, click Topologies.

2. On the My Topologies page, click Create.

   

3. Select the Data Center where you want to publish the content.
   

   

4. Select Template.
   

   

5. Now, you can search for a template or find one in the Template list.
   

   

6. In this example, imagine that we've scrolled down the list a bit to find the template on which this demo is built:
   Cisco ISA3000 with FTD - FMC version - Lab v3

   

7. Click the name of the (demo) template, and view its Name and Description.

   

    

8. Change the Name and/or Description, and click Create.
   
9. On the General tab, add a meaningful note, and then Save your new topology.

10. To continue editing the configuration, select the options on the left panel.

Great job!

You have learned the basics of creating a topology from a Blank template or template that is based on a proven dCloud demo. Nice work.

You've got a template with which you can develop your dCloud instant demo, lab, scheduled demo, or sandbox exceptional client demo experience.

To dive deeper into configuration now, scroll down a bit to the Configure a Topology menu.

Otherwise, continue with the Create a Topology menu, and explore how to edit, clone, and share your topology.

Edit a Topology

You may want to edit a topology, whether it has or has not been saved to Custom Content on the dCloud platform.

You can, for example, edit a current topology for a different customer or solution and save it with a new name. Or, you may want to customize a current topology further.

You can fully customize your topologies within Topology Builder. You can access all topologies you create using Topology Builder on your My Topologies page.

To edit your topology, follow these steps.

1. At top right of a page, click Topologies.
2. On the My Topologies page, click the Pencil icon below the topology you want to edit.
   
   

   

   If you do not see the Pencil icon, click any blank space on the page, and hover over the topology name again.

3. On the General configuration page, you can edit the topology's name, description, add any notes. You can check the Enable guest access checkbox. On the left-panel menu, you can edit the topology's configuration.
   
4. If you make any edits, click Save.

   

5. Observe the Toggle buttons at the top, where the gear icon is currently selected by default. If you toggle to the the Diagram View on the right, you will see your topology's diagram display. There are a variety of options you have to modify the look and feel of your diagram. For more information, scroll down to the Configure a Topology menu, and select the My Topology Digram tab.
6. To learn more about configuring your topology, scroll down to the Configure a Topology menu, to see information about the options in the left-panel menu.

Delete a Topology

You can access all topologies you create using Topology Builder on your My Topologies page.

If you choose to delete a topology, it will be deleted from Topology Builder, so consider carefully whether you want it deleted from the system.

If you delete a topology that has been saved as Custom Content in dCloud, it will no longer be available.

To delete a topology, follow these steps.

1. At top right of a page, click Topologies.
2. On the My Topologies page, click the Trash icon below the topology you want to edit.
   
   

   

   If you do not see the Trash icon, click any blank space on the page, and hover over the topology name again.

3. When the Confirm Delete message appears, click Delete if you are sure. This will delete the selected topology from the system. Therefore, be sure you do not want to leverage it, customize it, and rename it before you click Delete.

   

Copy or Clone a Topology

Imagine that you are happy with a topology you created and you want a new instance of it that you can build upon, edit, and reconfigure for a new solution.

Or, maybe you would like to archive a topology to reference or use later, so you'd like to make a copy of it, make a note about it on the General page, and change the name to begin with "Archive." How and when you make copies of topologies will depend upon your dCloud content development requirements and process.

Whether your content exists in dCloud, you can copy or clone your topology.

When you copy your topology, you must make at least one edit in one field on the General page: Name, Description, Notes.

When you clone your topology, you can modify the Name and/or Description, but you can click Create without having done so.

Copy a Topology

Imagine that you are happy with a topology you created and you want a new instance of it that you can build upon, edit, and reconfigure for a new solution.

You may want to copy an existing topology for a demo you created, so you can leverage it for a new demo that highlights AI capabilties for a customer whose top business outcomes result from automation.

When you copy your topology, you must make at least one edit in one field on the General page: Name, Description, Notes. Consider, for example, adding a helpful note, such as "The base of this topology comes from the Collaboration 12.6.2 Sandbox."

To copy your topology, follow these steps.

1. At top right of a page, click Topologies.
   

   Here is where you access all topologies you have created, copied, or cloned.

2. On the My Topologies page, click the Copy icon below the topology you want to edit.
   
   

   

   If you do not see the Copy icon, click any blank space on the page, and hover over the topology name again.

3. Before you can save this Copy, you must make a change to at least one of the three fields that displays: Name, Description, and/or Notes.

   While you can modify these further on the General page at any point, it is best practice to be clear now, because clarity of the content's goal will help later. Consider writing a meaningful Description /Note, like "Cloned from [original-topology-name] to create [new-lab-name]."

4. Click Save to add this new copy of a current topology to your My Topologies list.
   
   
   
   
5. Observe that when you have clicked Create, the General configuration page for the new copy of the topology displays.
   

   
   

The title and description for your new topology (clone) will now display on your My Topologies page.

Clone a Topology

Imagine that you are happy with a topology you created and you want a new instance of it that you can build upon, edit, and reconfigure for a new solution. You may want to clone an existing topology, whether it has or has not been saved to Custom Content on the dCloud platform.

You might choose to copy or clone a current topology, save it with a new Name, Description, and add a helpful note like "The base of this topology comes from the Collaboration 12.6.2 Sandbox."

You can access all topologies you have created on your My Topologies page.

To clone your topology, follow these steps.

1. At top right of a page, click Topologies to open the My Topologies page.
   

   Here is where you will access all topologies you create, copy, or clone.

   

2. Click the Title or the Pencil icon below the topology you want to clone.
   

   

   If you do not see the Pencil icon, click any blank space on the page, and hover over the topology name again.

3. Change the Name, Description, and add a helpful Note to identify the Cloned Topology.
4. Click Save.
   

   

5. At the top of the General configuration page for the topology, click Clone (to the right of the Schedule button).
6. When the Clone Topology confirmation message appears, change the Name / Description if you did not do this already, and click Create.
   
   

   Keep in mind you should avoid having two topologies with the same name: Be sure to change the name of the clone to reflect the goal of the content you are developing.

In the confirmation message that displays, click View new topology to return to the General configuration settings page. To explore the configuration options you see on the left-panel menu, scroll down in this guide to the Configure a Topology menu.

The title and description for your new topology (clone) will now display on your My Topologies page.

You can share your topology with other Topology Builder users, and you can share your topology with your customers.

There is a maximum of five (5) simultaneous Saves. If you need more sessions, the content will need to be promoted first.

This content is in progress. Thank you for your patience!

On the Networks page, you can view the default network already configured; add a new network to your topology; edit and/or hide a network or delete a network.

1. At the top right of any page, click Topologies.

1. On the My Topologies page, select a topology: Click the title or the Pencil icon, to open the topology's General settings page.
   
   

   If you do not see the Pencil icon, click once in any blank space and then hover above the topology info. and try again.

1. On the left panel of the General page, select Networks.

View the Default Network

The Default Network is automatically added to a topology you create. It will be directly attached to the vPodGW and will use IP subnet 198.18.128.0/18.

1. Click Topologies at the top right of any page.
2. On the My Topologies page, select a topology to open its General configuration page.
3. On the left panel of the General page, select Networks.
4. View the pre-configured Default Network for your new topology.

Add a Network to your Topology

To add a network to a topology, follow these steps.

1. Click Topologies at the top right of any page.
2. On the My Topologies page, select a topology to open its General configuration page.
3. On the left panel of the General page, select Networks.
4. On the right side of the page, click Add.

   

5. Enter information for the network you want to add.
   
   
   Tip: Keep in mind that everything you add in these fields displays in the UI.
   
   

6. Add Network Actions

   In this field...	do this...	Required | Enabled by default
   Name	Enter a network name.	Required
   Description	Enter a meaningful description.	Required
   Routed by vPodGW	If N/A, you can uncheck this box.	Automatically enabled by default
   Subnet	In the drop-down, select the Subnet for this network.	Required

    

7. Click Add.
   The network is added to the topology.

    

Edit/Hide a Network

You can quickly edit a network and/or hide it from the Topology Diagram.

1. At top right of any page, click Topologies.
2. On the My Topologies page, select the topology title or click the Pencil icon to edit or hide a network.
3. On the left panel menu on the General configuration page, select Networks.
   
   
4. Click the Pencil icon to edit this network. If you do not see the Pencil icon, click within a blank space on the page, and hover over the list again.
   
   
   
5. Edit the Network Name and Description, if needed.
6. To edit a Subnet, click the arrow to open drop-down menu, and select an option.
7. If you don't want this network to appear in your Topology Diagram, check the Hide Network checkbox.
   
   
   
8. To commit your changes, click Update.

Delete a Network

To delete a network from a topology, follow these steps.

1. At top right of any page, click Topologies.
2. On the My Topologies page, select a topology in the list to display the General configuration page.
3. On the left panel menu, click Networks.
   

   

4. On the Networks page, hover over the network you want to delete, and click the Trashcan icon.
   
   

   

5. If you're sure, click Delete.

You can configure VMs to host new applications or software presented as part of a customer demonstration, to drive value for your customer's best business outcomes.

You can quickly search for VMs by version and other keywords, architecture, and those not identified for a specific architecture.

In Topology Builder are many available VMs. Some are prebuilt and configured for dCloud content. There are also copies of VMs from existing dCloud demos.

You can use Topology Builder in the dCloud production environment to quickly copy all or selected VMs from a published dCloud project into a new demo configuration you can customize and deploy to meet your customer's business objectives.

Add a Virtual Machine

To add a VM to your topology, follow these steps.

1. At top right of any page, click Topologies.
   

   

2. On the My Topologies page, click the title or select the Pencil icon for the topology.
   

   If you do not see the Pencil icon, click once within a blank space on the page, and hover again.

   

3. On the left panel of the General page, click Virtual Machines.
4. Click New.
   

   

5. Select a Virtual Machine from either the VM Templates list or the Demo Templates list.
   

   

6. To narrow your results, try searching for a version number (such as "2.0") or more specific keyword.
   

   

7. If you do not see the VM you want, click Request Virtual Machine at top right, complete the dCloud Topology Builder Template Request form, and click Submit.

Configure VM Start and Stop | Hardware Start order

You can configure the order in which virtual machines are started or stopped, and set the Hardware Start order within a running demonstration, by updating the default settings.

Set VM Start Order

Default Start Order of virtual machines is set to Concurrent, which means all virtual machines within a topology start at the same time.

To set the Virtual Machine (VM) start order, follow these steps.

1. At top right of any page, click Topologies.
2. On the My Topologies page, hover over the topology for which you want to view or configure the VM Start order, and click the Pencil icon.
3. On the left panel of the VM Start page, select Start & Stop Order, and then click VM Start.

   

4. On the VM Start page, you can configure the VM Start to be Concurrent or Sequential.
5. In the Delay column, select several seconds to increase or decrease the delay.
6. Click Update.

Set VM Stop Order

Default Stop Order of virtual machines is set to Unordered, which means all virtual machines within a topology stop at the same time.

It may be necessary to stop the Virtual Machines (VMs) in a specific order, when a demonstration has ended.

Default Stop Order of virtual machines is set to Ordered, which means all virtual machines within a topology stop at the same time.

To set the Virtual Machine (VM) Stop order, follow these steps.

1. At top right of any page, click Topologies.
2. On the My Topologies page, hover over the topology for which you want to view or configure the VM Stop order, and click the Pencil icon.
3. On the left panel of the VM Start page, select Start & Stop Order, and then click VM Stop.

   

4. On the VM Start page, you can configure the VM Start to be Concurrent or Sequential.
5.  To move a VM up or down in the ordered list, click the three lines at the right and drag it up or down.
6. Click Update.

Edit a Virtual Machine

To edit the Name and Description of the virtual machine, the virtual machine CPUs, Memory allocated, follow these steps. You can also use this feature to select an Operating System icon and enable Nested Hypervisor functionality.

1. At top right of any page, click Topologies.
   

   

2. On the My Topologies page, hover over a topology, and click the Topology Name or the Pencil icon.
   

   If you do not see the Pencil icon, click once within a blank page space, and hover again.

3. On the left panel of the General page, click Virtual Machines.
   

   

4. On the Edit Virtual Machine page, you can update any field that displays. As you begin editing, the Reset and Update buttons at top right become active.
   
   You can edit these fields:
   Name | Operating System Icon | vCPUs | Memory | Description

   

5. To select a different option in the Icon Library, click the Change icon and change the original Laptop image to the Office symbol on the Common tab.

   Easily design the look and feel of your Topology Diagram. Watch the New Icon Library demo video.

6. Click Use.
   
   
   
   Example: Edited VM
7. Review the example below, to see every field edited, including the changed icon.
   
   
8. To enable Nested Hypervisor functionality, check the checkbox.

Hypervisor References

• Catalyst SD-WAN Compatibility Matrix & Recommendations
• Catalyst SD-WAN 20.15 Custom Topologies Lab
• Catalyst SD-WAN Getting Started Guide

New! Generate Guest Access from the General page

This new feature is typically used for Events and demand generation activity where users may not have a CCO account.

.To Enable guest access for dCloud sessions on the General configuration page for a topology you have created, follow these steps.

1. At top right of any page, click Topologies to open the My Topologies page.
   
2. For the topology you want to enable guest access, select the Pencil icon.

   If you do not see the Pencil icon, click on a blank space on the page and hover over the topology name and description again.

   
   
3. To give dCloud guests access to your content, check the Enable guest access checkbox.

When you check the checkbox and click Save, this feature enables access to dCloud users without CCO credentials to access Session View via a shared link, ensuring they can still benefit from the full demo experience.

The shared link will need to be passed to those users without CCO credentials.

Above, you can see the dCloud Session View for an non-CCO authenticated user. Note the limited menu bar options: The user can interact fully with the demo but has very limited control of the session itself.

Edit a Virtual Machine - Guest Automation

With Guest Automation, you can execute commands upon the VM start, have dCloud session parameters on the session VMs run a startup script on the VM, and more.

Complete the four Prerequesites below, to prepare for Guest Automation.

If you have questions, we encourage you to visit the dCloud Topology Builder Community space, to get insight from experienced users and subject matter experts.

Guest Automation: Before you begin

Follow these Prerequisites, based on best practices, before you edit VM Templates and or add VM Templates from scratch, as you develop your dCloud demo for Guest Automation.

Prerequisites

1. On the VM, install the required dependencies (Python, required modules, libraries, etc.).
2. Install the software for all users, not only for the administrators.
3. Do not use spaces in folder names (not "folder" name but "foldername").
4. Do not rely on the OS path. Use the full path to the executable files and scripts.
   

   Enabling Guest Automation generates the session.xml file with all session details. This file includes the unique per-session parameters, such as current session ID, AnyConnect Credentials, assigned devices and licenses, public IP addresses (1-1 NAT), public DNS records, etc.

5. Find the session.xml file in the following locations:

• Linux VM: /dcloud/session.xml

• Windows VM: C:\dcloud\session.xml
   

Example: session.xml content

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<session>
<datacenter>RTP</datacenter>
<id>1025521</id>
<creds>MTAyNTUyMTphbnZvbGtvdjo0MjA4MmRhMC1lNDYyLTRkMDUtYjI3MC0wMjY0YmJiYjRhZGY%3D</creds>
<owner>anvolkov</owner>
<vpod>2573</vpod>
<anycpwd>bb4adf</anycpwd>
<devices></devices>
<translations>
<translation>
<inside>198.18.133.2</inside>
<outside>64.100.10.236</outside>
<name>myrouter-name.vpod2573.dc-01.com</name>
</translation>
</translations>
<dids></dids>
<scenario></scenario>
</session>

• Additionally, you can specify the command that will be executed upon the VM start. The command can include anything which can be used in the Command Line of the VM.

Before you add a command to Guest Automation, run it in the VM CLI for tests:

For example, you can use this Guest Automation command to execute a startup script:

C:\Python311\python.exe C:\Scripts\myscript.py

Tip: For scripts running longer than 12 minutes, it is best practice to execute from the Windows Startup folder. Then, you will not need to be concerned about it timing out before you are done.

Configure Guest Automation

To configure Guest Automation for a VM, follow these steps.

1. At top right of any page, click Topologies.
2. On the My Topologies page, hover over the topology for which you want to enable Guest Automation, and click the Pencil icon to edit. Optionally, you can click the Topology Title.
3. On the General configuration page, select Virtual Machines in the left pane.
   

   

4. Hover over the VM that you want to configure, and click the Pencil icon.
5. Click Guest Automation to open the menu.
   

   

6. Make your selections.

Edit Advanced VM Settings

To configure Advanced Virtual Machine settings, follow these steps.

1. At top right of any page, click Topologies.
2. On the My Topologies page, hover over the topology for which you want to enable Guest Automation, and click the Pencil icon to edit. Optionally, you can click the Topology Title.
3. On the General configuration page, select Virtual Machines in the left pane.
   

   

4. Hover over the VM that you want to configure, and click the Pencil icon.
5. Scroll down a bit, and click Advanced Settings to open the menu.
   

   

6. Change the settings:

• VM Name
  Change the name in the VMware virtual center.

• BIOS UUID
  Change the BIOS UUID, as required, for software licensing policy.

• Do Not Start Virtual Machine
  VM will not start when the session is run, and may require manual startup.

• All Disks are Non-Persistent
  When you enable this feature on a VM and the demo starts, all disks go into Non-Persistent mode.
  
  

  Configuration edits you make during Non-Persistent mode will not be saved.
  
  

• Hide VM from running sessions

Result: the VM is powered down and back up again, and resets to the time before you attempted to make recent changes.

To ensure the VM changes you made will persist when you share the topology, do not select the Non-Persistent option.

• Hide VM from running sessions
  When you run the Topology from dCloud, a user is unable to view this virtual machine in the running sessions of the demo.
  
  When you view this change in Diagram View, the VM and its connection line will be greyed out and not visible from the Session View when the demo is scheduled and running in dCloud.

Enable DHCP

You can assign the IP addresses of your NIC to your VMs, regardless of the network where the NIC lives. You can set the Network, NIC Type, MAC Address, and IP address for the VM and enable DHCP to automatically apply the configuration.

1. At the top right of any page, click Topologies.
2. On the My Topologies page, hover over a topology to display the Pencil icon on the right, and select it.
3. In the left menu, select Virtual Machines.
4. Hover over a VM and click the Pencil icon to edit its configuration.
5. Click Networking and observe the list of NICs assigned to your VM Template.
   
   
6. Select a Network, NIC Type, MAC Address (Optional), and IP Address. We allow a single, default gateway you can configure when you have populated these fields and enabled DHCP.
   
   Note: 

   For a NIC you edit or a NIC you add, specify an IP Address that matches the network you have selected. The IP Address must be within the range of the network.

Delete a Virtual Machine

To delete a virtual machine from a topology, follow these steps.

1. At top right of any page, click Topologies.
2. On the My Topologies page, select a topology that includes the vm you want to delete.
   The topology you selected opens on the General configuration settings page.
3. On the left panel of the General page, click Virtual Machines.

   

4. Hover over a VM you want to delete, and click the Trash icon to the right.

   If you do not see the Trash icon, click within any blank space on this page and hover again.
   

   

5. If you are sure you want to delete this VM, click Delete.

Configure Scenarios - Advanced Feature

Empower dCloud users to choose which scenario they'd like to experience in which order. This feature enables a quality user experience in less time than it takes to watch the demo from start to finish.

Review the Enabling and Configuring Scenarios topics that follow. Then, learn potential uses for the Scenarios feature.

Enable Scenarios

Scenarios, when enabled in your Topology, configured in your Virtual Machine, and pushed to dCloud custom content, are available to select upon scheduling from dCloud. This topic explains how to enable Scenarios. The topic following this one describes how to configure them within a VM.

Configure Scenarios within a Virtual Machine

Now that you have enabled Scenarios, you can configure them within a Virtual Machine. To do this, you need to run the Topology you’ve created on dCloud and configure the scenarios with a custom-created script.

In this example, you will create two scenarios using a simple PowerShell script that defines to which site Chrome goes each time you log on to the Windows VM RDP connection. This is based on the Scenario selected by the user who is launching the dCloud session.

Scenarios do not work on Hardware devices. If you need guidance on how to configure in Linux, please reach out to our dCloud Topology Builder Community.

Scenarios: Current and Potential Uses

Currently, there is a dCloud lab that parses the scenario and executes in-demo automation based on user selection. To see this in action, visit Cisco IOS XR Enablement - Multilab Sandbox v1. Additional Uses for Scheduled Tasks are in progress and will be added soon.

Following are some potential uses for the Topology Builder Scenario functionality:

• Multi-day Labs: A lab can require multiple configurations, such as day 1 config, day 2 config, and so on and so forth. Each day can be configured to include a specific scenario, and the automation can trigger/configure the baseline per the user's selection by parsing the session.xml file.

• A and B Testing: Testing between lab configurations is like Multi-day Labs (above) but illustrates an A configuration vs. a B configuration, based on the user's selection by parsing the session.xml file.

• CML Use in Walk-In, Self-Paced Labs: While CML has five labs currently registered, a single, specific lab can auto-launch based on a user's selection by parsing the session.xml file.

Great job!

You have learned how to view and discover networks and virtual machines and networks and how to add and edit them. Well done!

Next, you will learn how to design your topology diagram to show how everything fits together. Diagrams are a great sales tool that enables your customers to understand the HOW of a Cisco solution that makes the WHY (customer business outcomes) possible.

Design My Topology Diagram

Enhance your customer engagement with a clear topology diagram that is easy to follow and increases your customer's confidence in Cisco. To create a Topology Diagram, click the toggle at top of any configuration page.

Then, use the Diagram Toolbar to manipulate your diagram. With an easy user interface, you will find it a fun and creative activity.

Keeping your customer's best outcomes top of mind, as you design your diagram, will bring your customer's solution story together in a fresh way that clarifies the Cisco solution's framework. A well-showcased Topology Diagram can increase customer confidence.

Edit Your Topology Diagram

To edit your Topology Diagram, follow these steps. Also see "Discover the Icon Library" topic that follows this one.

1. When you have created a topology, click the Diagram icon to toggle to Diagram View.
   

   

2. Use the vertical Diagram Toolbar on the left to experiment with ways you can enhance the look and feel of your Topology Diagram.
   

   

3.  Select the Diagram Tools to perform these actions:

Diagram Toolbar

Tool	Option	Action
	Hide/Show grid	Hide or Show the grid as the page background.
	Enable/Disable auto-align	Disable or Enable automatic alignment.
	Add Network	Add a new Network.
	Add Hardware	Add new Hardware.
	Add VM	Add a Virtual Machine.
	Add Icon	Select an icon from the Icon Library.
	Add a Line	Draw lines to connect nodes.
	Add a Box	Resize and move box into your diagram.
	Add Text	Add Text inside a box.

New! Hide Icons on your Diagram

When you hide an icon on your topology diagram, any connection lines attached will also be hidden in dCloud Session view.

You were already able to hide multiple icons on your diagram, and now you can hide more. To hide the AnyConnect / vPod / Endpoint Kit icons so they do not appear on your topology diagram, follow these steps.

1. Hover above the icon you want to hide, and click the Pencil icon.
   
   

   

2. Check the Hide from running sessions checkbox, and click Save.

Discover the Icon Library

You can customize the way your Topology looks and feels to enhance your customer engagement. Designing your topology diagram is easy and effective, for the simplest to the most complicated topology.

For a mini-tutorial, watch the New Icon Library demo.

Diagram Tips

Here are some tips, and we would love to hear yours! Click the Give Feedback banner on the right and share with us, and we'll update this guide so the community benefits.

• Illustrate the HOW that brings your customer's best business outcomes.
• Customize for clarity - Design simply, to make the solution more intuitive.

Diagram Tricks

• To prevent a network from displaying in your topology diagram, click the Hide VM from running sessions checkbox on the Edit Virtual Machine page.

Great job!

You have learned how to view and design your Topology Diagram.

Now that you are getting familiar with the basics, you will explore how to configure Hardware for your topology.

The dCloud Infrastructure team ships and installs Hardware devices in data centers, where they are made available to the platform and added to a topology for subsequent demonstrations where capacity dictates.

Add Hardware

To add physical or virtual hardware to a topology, follow these steps.

1. At top right of a page, click Topologies.
2. On the My Topologies page, hover over the topology to which you want to add hardware, and click the Pencil icon, to open the General configuration page for the selected topology.
3. On the left panel, click Hardware.
   

   

4. At top right, click New.

   

5. Select the physical or virtual hardware device you want to add.

   You can select an individual device or multiple hardware devices and add them simultaneously.

   

6. Now, click the Diagram icon at top, to toggle to this topology's Diagram View and observe that your device(s) are added.

Edit Physical/Virtual Hardware

To edit physical or virtual hardware within a topology, follow these steps.

1. At top right, click Topologies.
   Optionally, you can go to the Home page and click Get Started.
   
   
2. On the My Topologies page, click the title or the Pencil icon to open the General configuration page for the topology.
   
   If you do not see the Pencil icon, click any blank space on the page and hover again.
3. On the left panel of the General configuration page, click Hardware to display the current list of devices assigned to the topology you selected.
   
   
   
4. Hover over the device you want to edit, and click the Pencil icon on the right.

   If you do not see the Pencil icon, click any blank space on the page and hover again.

Configure VM Start and Stop | Hardware Start order

You can configure the order in which virtual machines are started or stopped, and set the Hardware Start order within a running demonstration, by updating the default settings.

Set Hardware Start Order

Default Start Order of Hardware is set to Unordered, which means all virtual machines within a topology start at the same time.

It may be necessary to stop the Virtual Machines (VMs) in a specific order, when a demonstration has ended. You can set the Hardware Start order within a running demonstration, by updating the default settings.

To set the Hardware Start order, follow these steps.

1. At top right of any page, click Topologies.
2. On the My Topologies page, hover over the topology for which you want to view or configure the Hardware Start order, and click the Pencil icon.
3. On the left panel of the VM Start page, select Start & Stop Order, and then click Hardware Start.

   

4. On the Hardware Start page, you can configure the Hardware Start to be Concurrent or Sequential.
5.  To move a VM up or down in the ordered list, click the three lines at the right and drag it up or down.
6. Click Update.

Delete Hardware

To delete physical or virtual hardware within a topology, follow these steps.

1. At top right of a page, click Topologies.
   

   You can always go Home and click Get Started to go to the page.

2. On the My Topologies page, hover over the topology from which you want to delete hardware, and click the Pencil icon, to open the General configuration settings page where you can make changes.
   
   
   
3. On the left panel, click Hardware to display the list of devices assigned to the topology selected.
   
   
   
4. Hover over the hardware device you want to delete, and click theTrash icon to the right.
   

   If you do not see the Trash icon, click any blank space on the page and hover again.

   
   
   
5. If you are sure you want to delete this hardware, click Delete.
   
   

Well done!

You have learned how to manage hardware for your topology. Now, you will explore Remote Access.

Enable AnyConnect

When you enable AnyConnect,  the user is able to VPN into their dCloud session when they run the demo content.

To configure Remote Access, follow these steps.

1. At the top right of any page, click Topologies.
   

   If you're on the Home page, you can click Get Started.

2. On the My Topologies page, select the topology for which you want to configure Remote Access.
   

   
   

3. On left panel of the General configuration page, click Remote Access and verify that the Enable AnyConnect checkbox is checked.
4. If Enable AnyConnect is not checked, check it and click Update.

   

5. At top of the page, click the button to the right to toggle to the Diagram View.          
   

6. Observe that when the AnyConnect feature is enabled, users can connect to dCloud content.

Disable AnyConnect

If you want to disable Cisco AnyConnect remote access to a topology, perform the following steps.

1. In the Configuration page of a desired topology, select Remote Access.
2. Uncheck the Enable AnyConnect checkbox to clear it.
3. To commit your changes, click Update.
   
   Result: When disabled, the Cisco AnyConnect icon is removed in the diagram page for the topology.

Enable Endpoint Kit

Routers manage the network communication among components of an active dCloud session. Routers built into dCloud content automatically start and work as a session becomes active.

You can also use a router that you provide, for some dCloud sessions. Most often, you provide a router to manage connections between an active session and endpoints that you plug into or connect wirelessly to the router, such as your laptop, IP phones, or video conference equipment.

Note: We are updating this topic to provide context about why and how it should be used. We are working on an example and diagram to illustrate a use case for this. Thank you for your patience.

To enable an Endpoint Kit, follow these steps.

1. Set up your router for dCloud use.
   

   We recommend you use Meraki endpoints and routers, because they are the preferred and easiest service. For more information, visit dCloud online help.

2. For Meraki MX appliances: Add the device for dCloud use only once for each Meraki MX. The Meraki MX configuration will be dynamically added and removed at session start and session end, respectively. The Meraki MX will connect automatically to any session to which you add it.

   • Connect your laptop to the router using a wired or wireless connection and initiate traffic to the virtual machines in an active dCloud session.

   • Connect an IP phone, a video conferencing device, or another device to the router's switch ports.

     You do not need to perform any additional actions to start the IPSec VPN tunnel that connects the session and Meraki MX. It can take up to 5 minutes after the session becomes active for the VPN tunnel and session/router connection to be fully operational.

     The connection automatically initiates when you do one of the following:

   • Include your configured router and/or Meraki MX in a dCloud session: Select it when you schedule a session and/or add the router and/or MX to an active session.

   • Share your configured router and/or MX with other dCloud users. Added users can include your router and/or MX in a dCloud session if the router and/or MX is not in use by you or others which whom you shared it.

Because space for user-provided router configurations is limited, legacy routers not used for 6 months are automatically removed from Cisco dCloud. For questions, contact the dCloud team.

Disable Endpoint Kit

To disable the Endpoint Kit remote access to a topology, follow these steps.

1. At top right of any page, click Topologies. You can also go Home and click Get Started, if you prefer.
   

   

2. On the My Topology page, select the topology title or Pencil icon for which you want to disable the Endpoint Kit.
   Tip: If the Pencil icon is not displayed, click a blank space on the page and hover over the topology again.
   
   

   

3. On the left panel of the General configuration page for the topology, click Remote Access.
   

   

4. Verify the Enable Endpoint checkbox is not checked.
   Note: If it is checked, check it again to disable the Endpoint Kit, and click Update at top right.

Great job!

You have learned about Remote Access options for your topology. Now, click Traffic to explore more.

When you create a topology, it is possible to configure DNS. This includes HA Proxy and Assets, but all demos will have a vPOD.

A vPOD is created for every demo and is an invisible, virtual machine.

About NAT Rules

This section is in review and updates are in progress, including examples. Thank you for your patience.

There are multiple messaging protocols you can use for IPv4 addresses. Cisco uses Network Address Translation (NAT) to secure networks, optimize connections, and enhance performance. NAT is very effective, because network security is paramount in our most common use case--Private to Public Translation.

For more information, see Network Address Translation (NAT) at Cisco, or search https://community.cisco.com.

NAT Rule Types

The NAT section within this guide is in progress. Also, we are working to add examples of topologies using the various NAT Rules. Please stay tuned; thank you.

Configure Inbound Proxy Rules

This is an HA Proxy solution to save on public address uses and proxy traffic into Topologies without using 1:1 NAT’ing. This feature enables you to expose a web server externally without using a public IP address.

Use this option to configure the Inbound Proxy Rules.

Use External DNS

Use the External DNS option to add A and SRV records to a topology. Use this option to resolve names instead of using IP addresses.

This feature enables you to dynamically map a DNS entry to a resource NATed externally.

Mail Server

You can add a Mail Server to your virtual machine.

Only one mail server can be configured per topology.

Great job!

You have explored Traffic. Now, click Push to dCloud to explore more advanced configurations you can perform on your topology.

At the top of the General or other configuration page, you will see the option to Push your content to dCloud.

When you Push your topology to dCloud, the status of your changes to In Sync with dCloud, until you make any further changes to that topology.

Congratulations! Your content is available within your custom content (within My Hub in dCloud) and is now available to schedule and run.

When you have finished configuring your topology, perform the following steps to push your content to dCloud.

1. At top right of any page, select Topologies.
2. Verify the My Topologies page is toggled to the Detailed View.
   
   
3. You can see in the My Topologies Details, at far right, whether a topology is ready to be pushed to dCloud or has been pushed and therefore is already In Sync with dCloud and available for scheduling dCloud Demo or Lab Sessions.
   

   

4. Click Push to push the content, and click Save at the prompt. This efficient process usually takes just seconds. If you want to go ahead and schedule a session, move on to Step 5.

   

   To schedule a dCloud session for content in sync with dCloud:

5. Click a topology title to open the General settings page for the topology. At the top of the General page or any of the configuration pages, click Schedule.

This section of the user guide is in progress. Stay tuned for updates. Thank you!

Promote Custom Content

Content created in Topology Builder can be promoted by a demo developer for use in events or for publishing content in the dCloud content catalog.

Promoted content means that dCloud ensures your new demo is spread across storage nodes so the demo sessions will not be isolated and a single node does not have to carry all the weight.

Make Promoted Content updates to the Promoted Topology, rather than the original topology created.

When your custom content has been successfully promoted, a copy of your topology is made, and a status flag is displayed in Topology Builder to indicate that this content is promoted, and a new Demo ID is provided.

Run Custom Content

After the topologies are pushed to custom content, you can schedule a session like any other dCloud catalog content, if there is enough capacity in that Data Center. You can even schedule your session from the Topology Builder app. 

Example

1. On any page where you can edit your topology, you can click Schedule to launch / run it in dCloud, if it is prepared to Push to dCloud (or has already been pushed).
   

   

2. If you have not yet pushed the content to dCloud, you will be prompted to do so before you can schedule your session.
   

   

3. In this example, let's select Push and Schedule Content, to see the Schedule Session calendar quickly display.

dCloud Session Scheduler

Great job!

You have gone through all the steps, from creating your topology to pushing it to dCloud for Session View. Congratulations!

Even if you have used some Advanced Features in the Topology Builder app., we recommend that you select the Advanced tab (next in the menu) and quickly review that section.

Also, keep your eye on What's New in the Get Started menu, because you will instantly learn about new features and more in the release notes.

Access VMs via SSH - Advanced

There are two ways to access VMs via SSH in your dCloud builds, without needing to use a public IP address.

• Enable SSH on the VM in topology builder - This allows you SSH access via your web browser from Session View.
• Use Secure Client (AnyConnect) to VPN from your machine to your dCloud session. Topology Builder enables AnyConnect by default; when connected, you can use any SSH client you like to connect to a VM.

  If you need access from the public internet, you can configure NAT on the VM to which you need access. However, we recommend doing this only if absolutely necessary, due to security reasons.

  In any of these cases, please note  that it is your responsibility to make sure SSH is configured/enabled properly on the dCloud virtual machine and that routing inside your vPod is properly set up. 

Configure Scenarios - Advanced

Empower dCloud users to choose which scenario they'd like to experience in which order. This feature enables a quality user experience in less time than it takes to watch the demo from start to finish.

Review the Enabling and Configuring Scenarios topics that follow. Then, learn potential uses for the Scenarios feature.

Enable Scenarios

Scenarios, when enabled in your Topology, configured in your Virtual Machine, and pushed to dCloud custom content, are available to select upon scheduling from dCloud. This topic explains how to enable Scenarios. The topic following this one describes how to configure them within a VM.

Configure Scenarios within a Virtual Machine

Now that you have enabled Scenarios, you can configure them within a Virtual Machine. To do this, you need to run the Topology you’ve created on dCloud and configure the scenarios with a custom-created script.

In this example, you will create two scenarios using a simple PowerShell script that defines to which site Chrome goes each time you log on to the Windows VM RDP connection. This is based on the Scenario selected by the user who is launching the dCloud session.

Scenarios do not work on Hardware devices. If you need guidance on how to configure in Linux, please reach out to our dCloud Topology Builder Community.

Scenarios: Current and Potential Uses

Currently, there is a dCloud lab that parses the scenario and executes in-demo automation based on user selection. To see this in action, visit Cisco IOS XR Enablement - Multilab Sandbox v1. Additional Uses for Scheduled Tasks are in progress and will be added soon.

Following are some potential uses for the Topology Builder Scenario functionality:

• Multi-day Labs: A lab can require multiple configurations, such as day 1 config, day 2 config, and so on and so forth. Each day can be configured to include a specific scenario, and the automation can trigger/configure the baseline per the user's selection by parsing the session.xml file.

• A and B Testing: Testing between lab configurations is like Multi-day Labs (above) but illustrates an A configuration vs. a B configuration, based on the user's selection by parsing the session.xml file.

• CML Use in Walk-In, Self-Paced Labs: While CML has five labs currently registered, a single, specific lab can auto-launch based on a user's selection by parsing the session.xml file.

Build a Topology with Terraform - Advanced

The first release of the dCloud Terraform Provider, in the Cisco Open Source Repository and the public Terraform registry, enables you to create dCloud topologies using the Terraform CLI, the industry-standard Infrastructure-as-code tool.

Build a Topology with Terraform CLI

The initial release supports networks, virtual machines, and hardware. Coming soon: Full support for all other dCloud resource types.

You can build your topology with the Terraform command-line Interface (CLI), rather than the Topology Builder graphical user interface (GUI).

Watch the Terraform Provider Walkthrough.

1. Go to https://registry.terraform.io/providers/cisco-open/dcloud/.

       

       

   

   To locate your TB_AUTH_TOKEN, see Local Storage in your browser.

   

    

   Join the dCloud Topology Builder Community to ask questions and get support.

IPV6 Quick Start - Advanced

Explore IPv6

To discover why demand for IPv6-based connectivity continues to grow world-wide, we recomment that you review the IPv6 Quick Start Demo profile and schedule a demo session.

To learn to deploy IPv6 in a Cisco dCloud vPod "The Easy Way or The Manual Way," follow along with the dCloud IPv6 Quick Start Guide.

Schedule your demo session and experiment with IPv6 Topology.

Watch IPv6 Videos

• IPv6 Overview

• IPv6 Deployment

• How to Use IPv6

About vPodGW6

Consider vPodGW6 a dCloud platform-supported device, as well as a template that you can add to your topology (like any other template). When added to your dCloud topology, in conjunction with the required automation, the vPodGW6 router automatically provides these services to your vPod:

• Public IPv6 prefixes and outbound IPv6 internet access on all interfaces.
• Advertisement of IPv6 Cisco Umbrella DNS servers on all interfaces.
• Dynamic routing via OSPFv3 on all interfaces.
• Inter-VLAN routing between default/VLAN-PRIMARY and all dCloud L3-VLANs, for:
  -Global Unicast Address (GUA) prefixes which are dynamically allocated per session.
  -Unique Local Address (ULA) prefixes which are static; they do not change.

Customize your topology with Cisco Modeling Labs (CML)  - Advanced

As a dCloud content developer, it is best practice to run Cisco Modeling Labs with dCloud Topology Builder.

For example, review the CML - Catalyst SD-WAN 20.15 Lab: Custom Topologies demo to see the flexibility and support capabilities.

This content is in progress. Thank you for your patience.

What's Next

Your GSE Demo Team is here to support you, by empowering you to partner with us in developing demos, labs, and sandboxes that enable sales. Topology Builder is an app we created for you to bring more flexibility and efficiency so you have more time to create exceptional client experience.

Got an idea for a new feature we might add to enhance Topology Builder? We're listening! Share your idea for a Feature or Feature Enhancement through this brief form or click Request a Feature from the Topology Builder Home page.

If you haven't already joined, you might consider becoming part of our active online community. It's a great place to ask questions, confer with experts, and observe and learn.

Please do click the small, vertical, blue Give Feedback banner on the right and keep in touch with us!