Which protocol does vManage use to connect to a cloud-hosted vSmart controller?

vManage uses NETCONF (Network Configuration Protocol) to connect to and manage vSmart controllers, including cloud-hosted ones. NETCONF is a standardized network management protocol that provides a programmatic way to configure and monitor network devices. It uses XML for data encoding and is preferred for its robust, transaction-based configuration capabilities. PnP Server and ZTP (Zero-Touch Provisioning) are used for initial device onboarding and automated deployment, not for ongoing management communication between vManage and vSmart. HTTP is a general-purpose web protocol and lacks the specific features and security required for robust network device management in SD-WAN.