What is the role of the fabric control-plane node in Cisco SD-Access?

The fabric control-plane node (typically a Cisco DNA Center appliance or a dedicated server) acts as the brain of the SD-Access fabric. Its primary role is to maintain a global database of all endpoints (users and devices) and their associated locations within the fabric. This database, often referred to as the Host Tracking Database (HTDB), allows the control plane to map endpoint IP addresses to their MAC addresses and their current location (which fabric edge node they are connected to). This information is crucial for VXLAN encapsulation and efficient traffic forwarding, as it enables the fabric to determine where to send traffic for a given destination endpoint without relying on traditional flooding mechanisms. Incorrect options: Policy application and network segmentation are primarily handled by Cisco DNA Center (as the orchestrator) and enforced by the fabric edge nodes. Traffic encapsulation and security profile enforcement are functions of the fabric edge nodes and fabric border nodes. Integration with legacy environments is the role of the fabric border node.