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Network Configuration
charter-ietf-netconf-15-20

The information below is for an older proposed charter
Document Proposed charter Network Configuration WG (netconf) Snapshot
Title Network Configuration
Last updated 2014-02-06
State Start Chartering/Rechartering (Internal Steering Group/IAB Review) Rechartering
WG State Active
IESG Responsible AD Mahesh Jethanandani
Charter edit AD Benoît Claise
Send notices to (None)

charter-ietf-netconf-15-20

Configuration of networks of devices has become a critical requirement
for operators in today's highly interconnected networks. Large and small
operators alike have developed their own mechanisms or have used vendor
specific mechanisms to transfer configuration data to and from a device
and to examine device state information which may impact the
configuration. Each of these mechanisms may be different in various
aspects, such as session establishment, user authentication,
configuration data exchange, and error responses.

The NETCONF protocol has the following characteristics:

  • Provides retrieval mechanisms which can differentiate between
    configuration data and non-configuration data
  • Is extensible enough so that vendors can provide access to all
    configuration data on the device using a single protocol
  • Has a programmatic interface (avoids screen scraping and formatting-
    related changes between releases)
  • Uses an XML-based data representation, that can be easily manipulated
    using non-specialized XML manipulation tools.
  • Supports integration with existing user authentication methods
  • Supports integration with existing configuration database systems
  • Supports multiple (e.g. candidate and running) data-stores to optimize
    configuration preparation and activation
  • Supports network wide configuration transactions (with features such
    as locking and rollback capability)
  • Runs over a secure transport; SSH is mandatory to implement while TLS is an optional transport.
  • Provides support for asynchronous notifications.
  • Supports an Access Control Model and a YANG module for configuring the
    Access Control parameters.
  • Supports a YANG module for System Notifications

The NETCONF protocol is data modeling language independent, but YANG is
the recommended NETCONF modeling language, which introduces advanced
language features for configuration management.

Based on the implementation, deployment experience and interoperability
testing, the WG aims to produce a NETCONF status report in a later stage.
The result may be clarifications for RFC6241 and RFC6242 and addressing
any reported errata.

In the current phase of NETCONF's incremental development the workgroup
will focus on following items:

  1. Develop the call home mechanism for the mandatory SSH binding (Reverse SSH) providing a server-initiated session establishment.

  2. Develop a zero touch configuration document (a technique to establish
    a secure network management relationship between a newly delivered network
    device configured with just its factory default settings, and the
    Network Management System), specific to the NETCONF use case.

  3. Advance NETCONF over TLS to be in-line with NETCONF 1.1 (i.e., update RFC 5539) and add the call home mechanism to provide a server-initiated session establishment.

  4. Combine the server configuration data models from Reverse SSH and RFC5539bis drafts in a separate call home YANG module.

  5. Develop RESTCONF, a protocol based on NETCONF in terms of capabilities, but over HTTP and with some REST characteristics, for accessing YANG data using the datastores defined in NETCONF. An "ordered edit list" approach is needed (the YANG patch) to provide client developers with a simpler edit request format that can be more efficient and also allow more precise client control of the transaction procedure than existing mechanisms. The YANG patch operation, based on the HTTP PATCH method, will be prepared in a separate draft. RESTCONF should not deviate from the NETCONF capabilities unless proper justification is provided and documented. The RESTCONF work will consider requirements suggested by the other working groups (for example I2RS).