Freeform Overview

The Freeform reference design differs from the Datacenter reference design in that the network designer is responsible for creating and validating all device configurations. You can leverage any feature, protocol, or architecture that fits the deployment scenario. Devices and links are modeled in a topology editor, which creates objects representing the reference design in the graph database. As with the other reference designs, Freeform still leverages the context graph, Intent-Based Analytics (IBA), configuration validation, NOS management, Time Voyager, and numerous other Apstra software features. But when compared to the more advanced reference designs, reduced depth of IBA capabilities is the trade-off for greater design flexibility.

Freeform consists of various design and build elements and views. Each manages specific network design aspects. Their function and usage are described in the following sections.