Network Configuration
charter-ietf-netconf-19-03

The NETCONF Working Group, previously named after the NETCONF protocol, now renamed as the NETwork CONFiguration Working Group, is responsible for the development and maintenance of protocols such as NETCONF and RESTCONF for YANG data model-driven management network management protocols (for the purposes of, for example, configuration, monitoring, telemetry, and zero-touch), their transports and encodings, defining data models necessary to support the protocols, and defining mechanisms supporting the operational deployment of systems using the protocols.

The NETCONF protocol is data modeling language independent, but YANG (RFC 7950) is the recommended NETCONF data modeling language, which introduces advanced language features for configuration management.

The NETCONF WG is currently responsible for:

a) The network management protocol NETCONF (RFC 6241).
This effort entails periodically updating the NETCONF related
specifications to address new requirements as they arise.

b) The network management protocol RESTCONF (RFC 8040).
This effort entails periodically updating the RESTCONF related
specifications to address new requirements as they arise.

c) The transports and encodings used by the data model-driven
protocols.

d) The data models and mechanisms related to network management
protocols. Specifically, data models enabling the configuration
and/or monitoring of the protocols themselves. Other examples
include data models for configuring access controls or
discovering server metadata.

e) The data models for subscriptions to data, and protocol bindings
for pushing subscribed data to clients, for the purpose of monitoring
and telemetry.

f) The mechanisms enabling devices zero-touch provisioning and
the related call home functions.

The NETCONF working group consults with the NETMOD working group to
ensure that new requirements are understood and can be met by the
YANG data modeling language (RFC 7950) developed within that working
group.