What is Cisco NSO and What is It Used For?

The Cisco Network Services Orchestrator (NSO) makes it easier to manage a variety of network infrastructures in current complex and dynamic IT environments, including virtual, cloud, and physical environments. NSO is a model-driven, multivendor orchestration platform that automates the full network service.

This article provides an overview of the Cisco NSO, its features, components, properties, architecture, downloading and installing the platform, and much more. This guide will help beginners who want to learn about the tool from scratch.

What is Cisco Network Services Orchestrator (NSO)?

Cisco Network Services Orchestrator is a powerful network automation and service orchestration platform developed using Tail-f’s Network Control System. It was designed to streamline the deployment, configuration, and management of network services across diverse, multivendor, and multitechnology environments.

Acting as a centralized orchestration layer, NSO abstracts the underlying complexity of network devices and protocols, enabling administrators to define and deliver services through a unified interface.

Leveraging a model-driven framework, NSO ensures consistent and accurate network configurations, significantly reducing the risk of human error and configuration drift.

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Key Features and Capabilities

Some key features of the NSO are:

1. It is compatible with over 100 vendor platforms through Network Element Drivers (NEDs).

2. It synchronizes service models with live network state, detecting and resolving drift.

3. It ensures all changes are atomic, consistent, and reversible in case of failure.

4. It automates device onboarding and initial configuration.

5. It provides REST, NETCONF, and CLI interfaces for integration with IT and OSS/BSS systems.

6. It supports the complete service lifecycle, including creation, modification, and deletion.

Cisco NSO Architecture and Core Components

Cisco NSO is designed as a modular, model-driven software platform that enables scalable, multivendor network automation. Its architecture supports centralized control, real-time configuration management, and seamless orchestration across physical and virtual environments.

At the core of NSO is a unified framework that includes a central configuration database, device abstraction mechanisms, and service lifecycle management. These elements work together to automate network services reliably and efficiently.

1. Model-Driven Programmatic Interface

NSO uses YANG models to define services and devices, allowing users to describe what they want the network to do without worrying about vendor-specific syntax.

For example, whether you're provisioning a Cisco router or a Juniper firewall, the same service model can be applied. This abstraction enables NSO to expose a consistent API for programmatic control across the network.

2. Configuration Database (CDB)

The CDB is NSO’s internal, real-time database that stores all device and service configurations. It ensures that operational teams always work with accurate, up-to-date network data. Within the CDB, several managers operate:

● Service Manager handles service creation, updates, and deletions.

● Device Manager pushes configurations to devices and retrieves operational data.

● Package Manager organizes service packages that define how services are modeled and automated.

Think of the CDB as a live dashboard that reflects the current state of the network, helping prevent errors caused by outdated or conflicting configurations.

3. Device Abstraction Layer (via NEDs)

NSO communicates with a wide range of network devices using Network Element Drivers (NEDs). These drivers translate generic service definitions into device-specific commands, supporting over 150 vendor platforms.

For instance, NSO can configure both Cisco and non-Cisco devices using the same service logic, regardless of whether they use CLI, NETCONF, or REST APIs.

4. Element and Service Controller (ESC)

ESC manages the lifecycle of Virtual Network Functions (VNFs), including provisioning, scaling, and monitoring. It ensures that virtual services behave as intended and remain aligned with the overall service model.

For example, ESC can automatically spin up a virtual firewall, monitor its performance, and decommission it when no longer needed.

How Does Cisco NSO Work?

Cisco NSO simplifies and automates network service delivery through a structured, model-driven workflow. Here's how it works in practice:

● Cisco NSO automates network services using a model-driven approach, where services are defined in YANG to separate business logic from device-specific configurations.

● These service models are translated into device commands using Network Element Drivers (NEDs), allowing NSO to support multivendor environments through CLI, NETCONF, or REST interfaces.

● NSO pushes configurations across devices to deploy services consistently, and it monitors for manual changes to reconcile them with the intended state.

● This structured automation enables faster service delivery, centralized control, and improved reliability across complex networks.

NSO Properties

Over years of real-world deployment, Cisco NSO has evolved to include several key properties that make it ideal for automating and orchestrating complex networks.

1. Model-Driven Architecture

NSO uses standardized YANG models to represent devices and services across all network layers. For example, whether you're configuring a physical router or a virtual firewall, NSO treats them uniformly through models, making automation scalable and vendor-neutral.

This modeling also exposes a consistent API, allowing developers to programmatically control services without worrying about device-specific syntax.

2. Real-Time Configuration Database

NSO maintains a live view of the network using its internal Configuration Database (CDB). Think of it like a constantly updated dashboard that reflects the actual state of all devices. This helps avoid issues like outdated configs or conflicting changes, which are common in manual setups.

3. Stateful Convergence

Instead of relying on rigid workflows, NSO compares the desired service state with the current network state and applies only the necessary changes. For instance, if a service update only requires changing one parameter on a switch, NSO won’t reconfigure the entire device, it will change just that part. This makes updates faster and less error-prone.

4. Cross-Domain Orchestration

NSO works across various domains like data center, WAN, optical, and even Layer 4–7 services. For example, it can automate provisioning of a VPN across routers, configure firewall rules, and spin up virtual machines using Cisco ESC, all as part of a single service chain.

How to Download and Install Cisco Network System Orchestrator (NSO) Software?

To begin working with Cisco NSO, you must first obtain the software from Cisco’s official portal. The download is available through Cisco DevNet under the NSO section, where multiple versions are offered for various deployment scenarios. Before going to download it, check the basic requirements:

System Requirements and Compatibility

1. Operating System:

It is officially supported on Linux (e.g., Ubuntu, CentOS, Red Hat). macOS supports Local Install only. and Windows is not natively supported.

2. Hardware Requirements

● Multi-core processor

● Minimum 4 GB (8 GB or more recommended for larger setups)

● SSD preferred; at least 10 GB free disk space

3. Software Dependencies:

● Java Runtime Environment (JRE) – Required to run NSO

● Python – Often used for scripting and service package development

● Make & GCC – Needed for compiling service packages

If you meet these basic requirements, you can download free trial software from the Cisco NSO Download Page.

Installation Overview

After downloading the appropriate NSO installer (typically in .signed.bin format), the installation involves the following steps:

1. Run the installer script to unpack the software.

2. Choose between local or system installation based on use case—local for development/testing and system for production.

3. Initialize the CDB and environment variables, typically using shell scripts provided in the install directory.

4. Start the NSO instance using the ncs command, followed by accessing the CLI or Web UI for management.

5. Deploy NED packages for the required device types by unpacking them into the packages/neds/ directory.

6. Configure NSO to interact with your network infrastructure, including devices, services, and external systems.

Integration

Once deployed, NSO can be integrated with existing OSS/BSS systems, DevOps toolchains, or custom automation frameworks using northbound APIs such as RESTCONF, NETCONF, or native language bindings (Java, Python, C).

The comprehensive documentation and DevNet labs available through Cisco ensure that network engineers and developers can get up and running with NSO quickly while adhering to best practices for automation, scaling, and service abstraction.

Common Use Cases for Cisco Network Services Orchestrator (NSO)

Cisco NSO is used across a wide range of network automation scenarios, including:

● VPN provisioning (L2VPN, L3VPN)

● SD-WAN and SDN orchestration

● 5G and mobile core service automation

● Multicloud network integration

● Zero-touch onboarding for branch devices

● Automated migration of legacy configurations

These use cases illustrate how NSO can support both traditional and modern network environments.

Benefits of Cisco NSO

NSO’s architecture offers several advantages that support scalable, adaptable automation:

● Flexible integration options through a broad set of northbound APIs, including NETCONF, RESTCONF, Python, Java, and CLI interfaces

● Native support for DevOps toolchains, enabling integration into CI/CD workflows via NSO Developer Studio, a complete integrated design environment

● Multivendor orchestration, allowing seamless automation across various network technologies and domains

● Extensibility and modularity, with pre-built function packs for specific use cases such as NFV orchestration, Kubernetes-based CNFs, and transport SDN

NSO vs Traditional Network Management

Traditional network management tools often focus on monitoring, while NSO provides true orchestration and automation capabilities. The following are the other differences:

Conclusion

Cisco Network Services Orchestrator is a robust and versatile platform designed to automate the full lifecycle of network services across multivendor infrastructures.

It empowers organizations to deliver services faster, with higher accuracy and lower operational costs. Whether you are managing a service provider backbone or a large enterprise network, NSO delivers the automation framework needed to meet the demands of digital transformation.

By abstracting network complexity and enforcing consistency, NSO becomes a key enabler of scalable and efficient network operations in the modern era.