Network Configuration Protocol (NETCONF) Operations

Details of NETCONF communication between NNMi and the managed device are transparent to the NNMi user. However, the following overview may be helpful for troubleshooting:

  • A NETCONF client (management application, such as NNMi) establishes an SSH connection with the NETCONF server (subsystem) on the managed device. Valid SSH user name and password credentials must be specified by the client and authenticated by the device.
  • The client application and device exchange capabilities in the form of <hello> messages.
  • The client initiates requests to the device in the form of Remote Procedure Call (RPC) messages; including standard <get> or <get-config> operations, plus any vendor-specific operations that are defined for the device.
  • The device responds with results of the operations in the form of RPC reply messages.
  • When the client application has finished sending requests and processing the responses, it sends a <close-session> RPC message to the device.
  • The device acknowledges with an <ok> RPC reply message.
  • Finally, both sides terminate the SSH connection.