Which feature minimizes TLOC connections and reduces strain on the vSmart controller in an SD-WAN architecture?

Control-direction is not a specific Cisco SD-WAN feature or configuration command that minimizes TLOC connections or vSmart strain; it refers to the general flow or preference of control traffic.

TLOC affinity allows administrators to define policies that restrict which Transport Locators (TLOCs) can form data plane tunnels with each other based on specified criteria like site ID or color. By limiting redundant or unnecessary TLOC-to-TLOC connections, affinity reduces the overall number of tunnels and the associated control plane state, thereby minimizing the load on the vSmart controller and improving scalability.

Color in SD-WAN defines the characteristics of a transport network connection (e.g., internet, MPLS); while used in policies, 'color' itself does not minimize TLOC connections, but rather categorizes them.

Control-connections refers to the connections from vEdges to the vSmart controller to exchange routing and policy information, but it is not a feature for explicitly minimizing data plane TLOC tunnels or reducing vSmart strain.