CCNP Software-Defined Wide Area Network (SD-WAN) Practice Exam

In SD-WAN, the Overlay Management Protocol is the control-plane channel that carries routing information, VPN reachability, and policy data across the SD-WAN overlay. It enables vEdges, vSmart controllers, and other components to exchange routes and the associated policies that govern how traffic should be steered between sites. This is what makes the overlay aware of which remote sites are reachable, through which transports, and what rules to apply for traffic between VPNs. This isn’t about Layer 2 STP calculations, DHCP relay, or NAT translation—the functions those options describe happen at different layers or devices. OMP’s purpose is to synchronize the overlay by distributing routes, VPN memberships, and policy configurations so traffic can be securely and efficiently routed across the WAN.