How to Fix: Cisco Catalyst Fabric Site Not Showing Edge Node

When deploying or managing your Cisco Software-Defined Access (SD-Access) fabric, you may encounter an issue where your cisco catalyst fabric site not showing edge node in Cisco Catalyst Center (formerly Cisco DNA Center). In the topology view, affected edge nodes appear grey or white instead of blue, indicating the device is in inventory but not provisioned into the fabric or has lost its fabric role. A fabric edge node not visible prevents endpoint connectivity and policy enforcement within your SD-Access deployment. This FAQ provides sd-access troubleshooting steps to identify and resolve this issue.

Possible Causes for a Missing Edge Node

Several factors can lead to an edge node not appearing in your active Cisco SD-Access fabric:

• Failed Fabric Readiness Checks: Failures during readiness checks (connectivity, conflicting configurations, unsupported software versions, missing loopback interfaces, or licensing issues) will prevent provisioning.
• IP Device Tracking (IPDT) Not Configured: IPDT is required for fabric creation and device addition. Without it, devices cannot join the fabric.
• Device Not Provisioned or Role Not Deployed: Devices in inventory must be explicitly added to the fabric and assigned a fabric role (for example, Edge Node) within Cisco Catalyst Center.
• Software Version Incompatibility: Devices must run recommended Cisco IOS XE versions compatible with your Cisco Catalyst Center release.
• Underlay Connectivity or LISP Issues: SD-Access requires stable underlay routing and a functioning LISP control plane for overlay operations.

Checking Steps and CLI Commands

To diagnose why your fabric edge node not visible, perform these checks:

Cisco Catalyst Center Checks

1. Verify Fabric Site Exists:
   Go to Provision > Fabric Sites to confirm your fabric site is created and active.
2. Check Device Status in Topology View:
   Within your fabric site, devices not in the fabric appear grey or white, while active fabric devices appear blue.
3. Review Fabric Readiness Notifications:
   Check for readiness check failures in notifications and review error details.

CLI Checks on the Edge Node

Run these commands on the suspected edge node:

Check Underlay Routing:

show isis neighbors
show ip ospf neighbor

Confirm IS-IS or OSPF neighbor states are UP.

Verify LISP Local Database:

show lisp instance-id  ipv4 database
show lisp instance-id  ethernet database

Ensure local EIDs appear as site-self, reachable.

Check LISP Map-Cache:

show lisp instance-id  ipv4 map-cache
show lisp instance-id  ethernet map-cache

Verify remote EIDs are complete and point to correct RLOCs.

Check MAC, ARP, and Device Tracking:

show mac address-table
show platform software fed switch active matm macTable vlan 
show arp vrf 
show device-tracking database

Ensure entries are present for connected endpoints.

Check Software Version:

show version

Step-by-Step Solutions

Once you identify the cause, apply these solutions:

1. Create or Verify Fabric Site:
   Create the fabric site under Provision > Fabric Sites if it does not already exist.
2. Ensure IP Device Tracking is Enabled:
   IPDT must be configured for the fabric site. Reprovision devices if needed.
3. Add Device to Fabric and Deploy Role:
   Within Provision > Fabric Sites, select your device in the topology view, enable the Edge Node role, click Add, and then Deploy to push the configuration.
4. Resolve Software Version Issues:
   Upgrade the device IOS XE image if it is incompatible with your Catalyst Center version.
5. Fix Underlay or LISP Issues:
   Resolve routing issues and verify connectivity to RLOCs using ping tests. If LISP issues persist, use the following debug commands:

   debug lisp control map-request
   debug lisp forwarding data-signal-map-request
   

   Review debug output to identify control plane communication issues.

Prevention Suggestions

• Prioritize Fabric Readiness Checks: Address readiness failures before provisioning devices.
• Maintain Software Compatibility: Keep Catalyst Center and fabric devices on supported, recommended software versions.
• Ensure Stable Underlay: Verify routing stability and IP connectivity across your fabric network.