YANG, NETCONF, and RESTCONF

Oscar Ramírez
Systems Engineer
May 2019
Agenda
• The Road to Model Driven Programmability
• Introduction to YANG Data Models
• Introduction to NETCONF
• Introduction to RESTCONF
• Conclusion and Q/A

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2
Why Network Programmability

Automation Integration Innovation

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Programmability Benefits
• Innovation and business agility
• Highly skilled architects and engineers focus on business
• Service delivery optimization
• Cost reduction and increased efficiencies
• Service level improvements
• Improved network availability due to reduced human error

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What Are Data Models
• Data models are conceptual representations of data
• Define what data is required
• Define the format to represent data
• Enable access by multiple applications, or protocols
• Do not contain any data

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 • Typical config: SNMPv2 read-only
What about SNMP? community strings
• Typical usage: interface statistics
SNMP works queries and traps
• Empirical Observation: SNMP is not
“reasonably well for used for configuration
device monitoring” • Lack of Writeable MIBs
• Security Concerns
• Difficult to Replay/Rollback
• Special Applications

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6
RFC 3535: What is Needed?
• A programmatic interface for device
configuration
• Separation of Configuration and
State Data
• Ability to configure "services" NOT
"devices"
• Integrated error checking and
recovery

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7
Model Driven Programmability
• NETCONF – 2006 – RFC 4741
(RFC 6241 in 2011)
• YANG – 2010 – RFC 6020
• RESTCONF – 2017 – RFC 8040
• gRPC – 2015 – OpenSource project
by Google
• Not covered in today’s session

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8
What is YANG?
YANG Modeling Language
• Yet Another Next Generation (YANG) data modeling
language – RFC 6020
• Language for describing network devices data models
• YANG data models are composed of modules which represent
individual YANG files
• YANG modules are hierarchical tree structures for organizing
data
•

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10
YANG Characteristics module ietf-interfaces {
import ietf-yang-types {
• Module that is a self-contained top- prefix yang;
level hierarchy of nodes }
container interfaces {
• Uses containers to group related nodes list interface {
• Lists to identify nodes that are stored key "name";
in sequence leaf name {
type string;
• Each individual attribute of a node is }
represented by a leaf leaf enabled {
type boolean;
• Every leaf must have an
default "true";
associated type }
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}
YANG Variables

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Get to know YANG 
NETCONF RESTCONF gRPC

YANG Data Models

Open Native

Configuration and Operation

Device Features
SNMP
Interface BGP QoS ACL …

Where can I find the YANG data models?

Network devices
https://github.com/YangModels/yang
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YANG Tools
YANG Validator
Fetch, extract, and validate YANG modules by RFC
number, IETF draft name, or by uploading files.
http://www.yangvalidator.com

pyang
An extensible YANG validator and converter in
Python.
https://github.com/mbj4668/pyang

ydk-gen
Extensions to pyang for generating code from
YANG models.
https://github.com/CiscoDevNet/ydk-gen

yang-explorer
An open-source YANG browser and RPC builder
application.
https://github.com/CiscoDevNet/yang-explorer

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 YANG Tools

• YANG Explorer

• Pyang – Python library

• YANG Catalog

Help searching the

YANG Data Models
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NETCONF
NETCONF - Network Configuration Protocol
• Rich functionality to manage configuration and operational
(state) data
• Client (application) initiates connection (using SSH) towards
server (network device)
• Capability exchange during session initiation, XML encoding
• Supports running, candidate and startup configurations
• Methods: <get-config>, <edit-config>, <get>, …
• Operations defined as RPCs

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17
NETCONF Protocol Stack

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Operations - NETCONF Actions
Operation Description
<get> Retrieve running configuration and device state information
<get-config> Retrieve all or part of specified configuration data store
<edit-config> Loads all or part of a configuration to the specified configuration data store

<copy-config> Replace an entire configuration data store with another

<delete-config> Delete a configuration data store
<commit> Copy candidate data store to running data store
<lock> / <unlock> Lock or unlock the entire configuration data store system
<close-session> Graceful termination of NETCONF session
<kill-session> Forced termination of NETCONF session

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 NETCONF Data Stores
Name Description

This datastore holds the complete configuration currently active on the

network device. Only one running configuration datastore exists on
running
the device, and it is always present. This datastore is referenced by
using the <running> element. See RFC 6241, Section 5.1.

This datastore holds configuration data that serves as a workplace for

creating and manipulating configuration data. A <commit> operation
causes the device's running configuration to be set to the value of the
candidate
candidate configuration. Any uncommitted changes to the candidate
configuration can be removed by executing the <discard-changes>
operation. See RFC 6241, Section 8.3.

Configuration loaded by the device when it boots. Operations that

affect the running configuration will not be automatically copied to
the startup configuration. An explicit <copy-config> operation from
startup
the <running> to the <startup> is used to update the startup
configuration to the current contents of the running configuration.
Referred to using the <startup> element. RFC6241 section 8.7.

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NETCONF Communications

Have you seen

something similar?
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NETCONF vs SNMP

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 NETCONF RPC Request
from ncclient import manager
import xml
import xml.dom.minidom SSH Connection Info:
network device
with manager.connect(host=RW_HOST, port=PORT, username=USER, username/password
password=PASS, hostkey_verify=False,
device_params={'name': 'default'},
TCP Port
allow_agent=False, look_for_keys=False) as m: (default 830)
# XML filter to issue with the get operation
# IOS-XE 16.6.2+ YANG model called "ietf-interfaces"

interface_filter = '''
<filter xmlns="urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:netconf:base:1.0">
Filter<interfaces-state xmlns="urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:yang:ietf-interfaces">
<interface>
<name>GigabitEthernet1</name>
</interface>
</interfaces-state>
</filter>
''' Method

result = m.get(interface_filter)
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xml_doc = xml.dom.minidom.parseString(result.xml) Parsing XML
 NETCONF Response
<rpc-reply message-id="urn:uuid:50bf9d6e-7e5c-4182-ae6b-972a055ceef7" xmlns="urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:netconf:base:1.0"
xmlns:nc="urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:netconf:base:1.0">
<data>
<interfaces-state xmlns="urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:yang:ietf-interfaces">
<interface>
<name>GigabitEthernet1</name>
<admin-status>up</admin-status>
<oper-status>up</oper-status>
<phys-address>00:0c:29:6c:81:06</phys-address>
<speed>1024000000</speed>
<statistics>
<in-octets>5432293472</in-octets>
<in-unicast-pkts>28518075</in-unicast-pkts>
……………
<out-octets>2901845514</out-octets>
<out-unicast-pkts>18850398</out-unicast-pkts>
</statistics>
</interface>
</interfaces-state>
</data></rpc-reply>

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NETCONF vs Yang

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RESTCONF
RESCONF Protocol
• RESTful like API to manage configuration and operational data “an HTTP-based
• RESTCONF is a REST-like protocol that provides a mechanism protocol that provides a
over HTTP for accessing data that is defined in NETCONF programmatic interface
datastores and modeled in YANG. for accessing data
• Uses HTTP(S) as transport defined in YANG…”
• Client-Server connection, stateless on the server side
• Uses XML or JSON for encoding https://tools.ietf.org/html/rf
• Common REST APIs methods:
c8040
• GET, POST, PUT, DELETE, PATCH

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What about NETCONF?

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RESTCONF Protocol Stack & Transport

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Operations – HTTP CRUD (Create, Retrieve, Update,
and Delete)

RESTCONF NETCONF
GET <get> , <get-config>
POST <edit-config> (operation="create")
PUT <edit-config> (operation="create/replace")
PATCH <edit-config> (operation="merge")
DELETE <edit-config> (operation="delete")

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 RESTCONF Request

URL API Resource

url = 'https://RO_HOST/restconf/data/interfaces-state/interface=GigabitEthernet1'
Device
Headers
header = {'Content-type': 'application/yang-data+json',

'accept': 'application/yang-data+json'}
Method Authentication
response = requests.get(url, headers=header, verify=False, auth=ROUTER_AUTH)

interface_info = response.json() Parsing JSON

oper_data = interface_info['ietf-interfaces:interface']

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RESTCONF Response
{
"ietf-interfaces:interface": {
"name": "GigabitEthernet1",
"admin-status": "up",
"oper-status": "up",
"last-change": "2018-01-17T21:49:17.000387+00:00",
"phys-address": "00:0c:29:6c:81:06",
"speed": 1024000000,
"statistics": {
"in-octets": 5425386232,
"in-unicast-pkts": 28489134,
……………
"out-octets": 2899535736,
"out-unicast-pkts": 18844784
}
}
}

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Summary
Protocol Summary
NETCONF RESTCONF

Standardization RFC 6241 RFC 8040

Encoding XML XML / JSON

Session-layer Service
(RPC) Support ✓ ✓

Connection Oriented ✓ ✗

Session Security SSH HTTPS

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Transport (Protocol) vs Data (Model)

• NETCONF • YANG
• RESTCONF

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35
 The Network As It Could Be…In a ‘Hybrid SDN’
A Controller is centralized and separated from the Physical Device, but devices still retain
localized Control plane intelligence.

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 Q&A

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