Network Management Datastore Architecture
draft-ietf-netmod-revised-datastores-01
The information below is for an old version of the document.
| Document | Type | Active Internet-Draft (netmod WG) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Authors | Martin Björklund , Jürgen Schönwälder , Philip A. Shafer , Kent Watsen , Robert Wilton | ||
| Last updated | 2017-03-13 | ||
| Replaces | draft-nmdsdt-netmod-revised-datastores | ||
| Stream | Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) | ||
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draft-ietf-netmod-revised-datastores-01
Network Working Group M. Bjorklund
Internet-Draft Tail-f Systems
Intended status: Standards Track J. Schoenwaelder
Expires: September 14, 2017 Jacobs University
P. Shafer
K. Watsen
Juniper Networks
R. Wilton
Cisco Systems
March 13, 2017
Network Management Datastore Architecture
draft-ietf-netmod-revised-datastores-01
Abstract
Datastores are a fundamental concept binding the data models written
in the YANG data modeling language to network management protocols
such as NETCONF and RESTCONF. This document defines an architectural
framework for datastores based on the experience gained with the
initial simpler model, addressing requirements that were not well
supported in the initial model.
Status of This Memo
This Internet-Draft is submitted in full conformance with the
provisions of BCP 78 and BCP 79.
Internet-Drafts are working documents of the Internet Engineering
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material or to cite them other than as "work in progress."
This Internet-Draft will expire on September 14, 2017.
Copyright Notice
Copyright (c) 2017 IETF Trust and the persons identified as the
document authors. All rights reserved.
This document is subject to BCP 78 and the IETF Trust's Legal
Provisions Relating to IETF Documents
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(http://trustee.ietf.org/license-info) in effect on the date of
publication of this document. Please review these documents
carefully, as they describe your rights and restrictions with respect
to this document. Code Components extracted from this document must
include Simplified BSD License text as described in Section 4.e of
the Trust Legal Provisions and are provided without warranty as
described in the Simplified BSD License.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
2. Terminology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
3. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
3.1. Original Model of Datastores . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
4. Architectural Model of Datastores . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
4.1. The <intended> Datastore . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
4.2. Dynamic Datastores . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
4.3. The <operational> Datastore . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
4.3.1. Missing Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
4.3.2. System-controlled Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
4.3.3. Origin Metadata Annotation . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
5. Guidelines for Defining Dynamic Datastores . . . . . . . . . 12
5.1. Define a name for the dynamic datastore . . . . . . . . . 12
5.2. Define which YANG modules can be used in the datastore . 12
5.3. Define which subset of YANG-modeled data applies . . . . 13
5.4. Define how dynamic data is actualized . . . . . . . . . . 13
5.5. Define which protocols can be used . . . . . . . . . . . 13
5.6. Define a module for the dynamic datastore . . . . . . . . 13
6. YANG Modules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
7. IANA Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
7.1. Updates to the IETF XML Registry . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
7.2. Updates to the YANG Module Names Registry . . . . . . . . 19
8. Security Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
9. Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
10. References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
10.1. Normative References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
10.2. Informative References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Appendix A. Example Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
A.1. System Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
A.2. BGP Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
A.2.1. Datastores . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
A.2.2. Adding a Peer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
A.2.3. Removing a Peer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
A.3. Interface Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
A.3.1. Pre-provisioned Interfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
A.3.2. System-provided Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Appendix B. Ephemeral Dynamic Datastore Example . . . . . . . . 31
Appendix C. Implications on Data Models . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
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C.1. Proposed migration of existing YANG Data Models . . . . . 33
C.2. Standardization of new YANG Data Models . . . . . . . . . 34
Appendix D. Implications on other Documents . . . . . . . . . . 34
D.1. Implications on YANG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
D.2. Implications on YANG Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
D.3. Implications to YANG Guidelines . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
D.3.1. Nodes with different config/state value sets . . . . 35
D.3.2. Auto-configured or Auto-negotiated Values . . . . . . 35
D.4. Implications on NETCONF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
D.4.1. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
D.4.2. Overview of additions to NETCONF . . . . . . . . . . 36
D.4.3. Overview of NETCONF version 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
D.5. Implications on RESTCONF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
D.5.1. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
D.5.2. Overview of additions to RESTCONF . . . . . . . . . . 40
D.5.3. Overview of a possible new RESTCONF version . . . . . 42
Appendix E. Open Issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Authors' Addresses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
1. Introduction
This document provides an architectural framework for datastores as
they are used by network management protocols such as NETCONF
[RFC6241], RESTCONF [RFC8040] and the YANG [RFC7950] data modeling
language. Datastores are a fundamental concept binding network
management data models to network management protocols. Agreement on
a common architectural model of datastores ensures that data models
can be written in a network management protocol agnostic way. This
architectural framework identifies a set of conceptual datastores but
it does not mandate that all network management protocols expose all
these conceptual datastores. This architecture is agnostic with
regard to the encoding used by network management protocols.
2. Terminology
The keywords "MUST", "MUST NOT", "REQUIRED", "SHALL", "SHALL NOT",
"SHOULD", "SHOULD NOT", "RECOMMENDED", "NOT RECOMMENDED", "MAY", and
"OPTIONAL" in this document are to be interpreted as described in BCP
14, [RFC2119].
This document defines the following terms:
o configuration data: Data that determines how a device behaves.
This data is modeled in YANG using "config true" nodes.
Configuration data can originate from different sources.
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o static configuration data: Configuration data that is eventually
persistent and used to get a device from its initial default state
into its desired operational state.
o dynamic configuration data: Configuration data that is obtained
dynamically during the operation of a device through interaction
with other systems and not persistent.
o system configuration data: Configuration data that is supplied by
the device itself.
o default configuration data: Configuration data that is not
explicitly provided but for which a value defined in the data
model is used.
o applied configuration data: Configuration data that is currently
used by a device. Applied configuration data consists of static
configuration data and dynamic configuration data.
o state data: The additional data on a system that is not
configuration data such as read-only status information and
collected statistics. State data is transient and modified by
interactions with internal components or other systems. State
data is modeled in YANG using "config false" nodes.
o datastore: A conceptual place to store and access information. A
datastore might be implemented, for example, using files, a
database, flash memory locations, or combinations thereof. A
datastore maps to an instantiated YANG data tree.
o configuration datastore: A datastore holding static configuration
data that is required to get a device from its initial default
state into a desired operational state. A configuration datastore
maps to an instantiated YANG data tree consisting of configuration
data nodes and interior data nodes.
o running configuration datastore: A configuration datastore holding
the complete static configuration currently active on the device.
The running configuration datastore always exists. It may include
inactive configuration or template-mechanism-oriented
configuration that require further expansion.
o intended configuration datastore: A configuration datastore
holding the complete configuration currently active on the device.
It does not include inactive configuration and it does include the
expansion of any template mechanisms.
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o candidate configuration datastore: A configuration datastore that
can be manipulated without impacting the device's running
configuration datastore and that can be committed to the running
configuration datastore. A candidate datastore may not be
supported by all protocols or implementations.
o startup configuration datastore: The configuration datastore
holding the configuration loaded by the device into the running
configuration datastore when it boots. A startup datastore may
not be supported by all protocols or implementations.
o dynamic datastore: A datastore holding dynamic configuration data.
o operational state datastore: A datastore holding the currently
active applied configuration data as well as the device's state
data.
o origin: A metadata annotation indicating the origin of a data
item.
o remnant data: Configuration data that remains in the system for a
period of time after it has be removed from a configuration
datastore. The time period may be minimal, or may last until all
resources used by the newly-deleted configuration data (e.g.,
network connections, memory allocations, file handles) have been
deallocated.
The following additional terms are not datastore specific but
commonly used and thus defined here as well:
o client: An entity that can access YANG-defined data on a server,
over some network management protocol.
o server: An entity that provides access to YANG-defined data to a
client, over some network management protocol.
o notification: A server-initiated message indicating that a certain
event has been recognized by the server.
o remote procedure call: An operation that can be invoked by a
client on a server.
3. Introduction
NETCONF [RFC6241] provides the following definitions:
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o datastore: A conceptual place to store and access information. A
datastore might be implemented, for example, using files, a
database, flash memory locations, or combinations thereof.
o configuration datastore: The datastore holding the complete set of
configuration data that is required to get a device from its
initial default state into a desired operational state.
YANG 1.1 [RFC7950] provides the following refinements when NETCONF is
used with YANG (which is the usual case but note that NETCONF was
defined before YANG did exist):
o datastore: When modeled with YANG, a datastore is realized as an
instantiated data tree.
o configuration datastore: When modeled with YANG, a configuration
datastore is realized as an instantiated data tree with
configuration data.
[RFC6244] defined operational state data as follows:
o Operational state data is a set of data that has been obtained by
the system at runtime and influences the system's behavior similar
to configuration data. In contrast to configuration data,
operational state is transient and modified by interactions with
internal components or other systems via specialized protocols.
Section 4.3.3 of [RFC6244] discusses operational state and among
other things mentions the option to consider operational state as
being stored in another datastore. Section 4.4 of this document then
concludes that at the time of the writing, modeling state as a
separate data tree is the recommended approach.
Implementation experience and requests from operators
[I-D.ietf-netmod-opstate-reqs], [I-D.openconfig-netmod-opstate]
indicate that the datastore model initially designed for NETCONF and
refined by YANG needs to be extended. In particular, the notion of
intended configuration and applied configuration has developed.
Furthermore, separating operational state data from configuration
data in a separate branch in the data model has been found
operationally complicated, and typically impacts the readability of
module definitions due to overuse of groupings. The relationship
between the branches is not machine readable and filter expressions
operating on configuration data and on related operational state data
are different.
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3.1. Original Model of Datastores
The following drawing shows the original model of datastores as it is
currently used by NETCONF [RFC6241]:
+-------------+ +-----------+
| <candidate> | | <startup> |
| (ct, rw) |<---+ +--->| (ct, rw) |
+-------------+ | | +-----------+
| | | |
| +-----------+ |
+-------->| <running> |<--------+
| (ct, rw) |
+-----------+
|
v
operational state <--- control plane
(cf, ro)
ct = config true; cf = config false
rw = read-write; ro = read-only
boxes denote datastores
Note that this diagram simplifies the model: read-only (ro) and read-
write (rw) is to be understood at a conceptual level. In NETCONF,
for example, support for the <candidate> and <startup> datastores is
optional and the <running> datastore does not have to be writable.
Furthermore, the <startup> datastore can only be modified by copying
<running> to <startup> in the standardized NETCONF datastore editing
model. The RESTCONF protocol does not expose these differences and
instead provides only a writable unified datastore, which hides
whether edits are done through a <candidate> datastore or by directly
modifying the <running> datastore or via some other implementation
specific mechanism. RESTCONF also hides how configuration is made
persistent. Note that implementations may also have additional
datastores that can propagate changes to the <running> datastore.
NETCONF explicitly mentions so called named datastores.
Some observations:
o Operational state has not been defined as a datastore although
there were proposals in the past to introduce an operational state
datastore.
o The NETCONF <get/> operation returns the content of the <running>
configuration datastore together with the operational state. It
is therefore necessary that config false data is in a different
branch than the config true data if the operational state data can
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have a different lifetime compared to configuration data or if
configuration data is not immediately or successfully applied.
o Several implementations have proprietary mechanisms that allow
clients to store inactive data in the <running> datastore; this
inactive data is only exposed to clients that indicate that they
support the concept of inactive data; clients not indicating
support for inactive data receive the content of the <running>
datastore with the inactive data removed. Inactive data is
conceptually removed before validation.
o Some implementations have proprietary mechanisms that allow
clients to define configuration templates in <running>. These
templates are expanded automatically by the system, and the
resulting configuration is applied internally.
o Some operators have reported that it is essential for them to be
able to retrieve the configuration that has actually been
successfully applied, which may be a subset or a superset of the
<running> configuration.
4. Architectural Model of Datastores
Below is a new conceptual model of datastores extending the original
model in order to reflect the experience gained with the original
model.
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+-------------+ +-----------+
| <candidate> | | <startup> |
| (ct, rw) |<---+ +--->| (ct, rw) |
+-------------+ | | +-----------+
| | | |
| +-----------+ |
+-------->| <running> |<--------+
| (ct, rw) |
+-----------+
|
| // e.g., removal of "inactive"
| // nodes, expansion of templates
v
+------------+
| <intended> | // subject to validation
| (ct, ro) |
+------------+
|
| // e.g., missing resources, delays
|
| +------ auto-discovery
| +------ dynamic configuration protocols
| +------ control-plane protocols
| +------ dynamic datastores
| |
v v
+---------------+
| <operational> |
| (ct + cf, ro) |
+---------------+
ct = config true; cf = config false
rw = read-write; ro = read-only
boxes denote datastores
4.1. The <intended> Datastore
The <intended> datastore is a read-only datastore that consists of
config true nodes. It is tightly coupled to <running>. When data is
written to <running>, the data that is to be validated is also
conceptually written to <intended>. Validation is performed on the
contents of <intended>.
On a traditional NETCONF implementation, <running> and <intended> are
always the same.
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Currently there are no standard mechanisms defined that affect
<intended> so that it would have different contents than <running>,
but this architecture allows for such mechanisms to be defined.
One example of such a mechanism is support for marking nodes as
inactive in <running>. Inactive nodes are not copied to <intended>,
and are thus not taken into account when validating the
configuration.
Another example is support for templates. Templates are expanded
when copied into <intended>, and the expanded result is validated.
4.2. Dynamic Datastores
The model recognizes the need for dynamic datastores that are by
definition not part of the persistent configuration of a device. In
some contexts, these have been termed ephemeral datastores since the
information is ephemeral, i.e., lost upon reboot. The dynamic
datastores interact with the rest of the system through the
<operational> datastore.
Note that the ephemeral datastore discussed in I2RS documents maps to
a dynamic datastore in the datastore model described here.
4.3. The <operational> Datastore
The <operational> datastore is a read-only datastore that consists of
config true and config false nodes. In the original NETCONF model
the operational state only had config false nodes. The reason for
incorporating config true nodes here is to be able to expose all
operational settings without having to replicate definitions in the
data models.
The <operational> datastore contains all configuration data actually
used by the system, including all applied configuration, system-
provided configuration and values defined by any supported data
models. In addition, the <operational> datastore also contains state
data.
Changes to configuration data may take time to percolate through to
the <operational> datastore. During this period, the <operational>
datastore will return data nodes for both the previous and current
configuration, as closely as possible tracking the current operation
of the device. These "remnants" of the previous configuration
persist while the system has released resources used by the newly-
deleted configuration data (e.g., network connections, memory
allocations, file handles).
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As a result of these remnants, the semantic constraints defined in
the data model cannot be relied upon for the <operational> datastore,
since the system may have remnants whose constraints were valid with
the previous configuration and that are not valid with the current
configuration. Since constraints on "config false" nodes may refer
to "config true" nodes, remnants may force the violation of those
constraints. The constraints that may not hold include "when",
"must", "min-elements", and "max-elements". Note that syntactic
constraints cannot be violated, including hierarchical organization,
identifiers, and type-based constraints.
4.3.1. Missing Resources
The <intended> configuration can refer to resources that are not
available or otherwise not physically present. In these situations,
these parts of the <intended> configuration are not applied. The
data appears in <intended> but does not appear in <operational>.
A typical example is an interface configuration that refers to an
interface that is not currently present. In such a situation, the
interface configuration remains in <intended> but the interface
configuration will not appear in <operational>.
Note that configuration validity cannot depend on the current state
of such resources, since that would imply the removing a resource
might render the configuration invalid. This is unacceptable,
especially given that rebooting such a device would fail to boot due
to an invalid configuration. Instead we allow configuration for
missing resources to exist in <running> and <intended>, but it will
not appear in <operational>.
4.3.2. System-controlled Resources
Sometimes resources are controlled by the device and the
corresponding system controlled data appear in (and disappear from)
<operational> dynamically. If a system controlled resource has
matching configuration in <intended> when it appears, the system will
try to apply the configuration, which causes the configuration to
appear in <operational> eventually (if application of the
configuration was successful).
4.3.3. Origin Metadata Annotation
As data flows into the <operational> datastore, it is conceptually
marked with a metadata annotation ([RFC7952]) that indicates its
origin. The "origin" metadata annotation is defined in Section 6.
The values are YANG identities. The following identities are
defined:
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+-- origin
+-- static
+-- dynamic
+-- default
+-- system
These identities can be further refined, e.g., there might be an
identity "dhcp" derived from "dynamic".
The "static" origin represents data provided by the <intended>
datastore. The "dynamic" origin represents data provided by a
dynamic datastore. The "default" origin represents data values
specified in the data model, using either simple values in the
"default" statement or any values described in the "description"
statement. Finally, the "system" origin represents data learned from
the normal operational of the system, including control-plane
protocols.
5. Guidelines for Defining Dynamic Datastores
The definition of a dynamic datastore SHOULD be provided in a
document (e.g., an RFC) purposed to the definition of the dynamic
datastore. When it makes sense, more than one dynamic datastore MAY
be defined in the same document (e.g., when the datastores are
logically connected). Each dynamic datastore's definition SHOULD
address the points specified in the sections below.
5.1. Define a name for the dynamic datastore
Each dynamic datastores MUST have a name using the character set
described by Section 6.2 of [RFC7950]. The name SHOULD be consistent
in style and length to other datastore names described in this
document.
The datastore's name does not need to be globally unique, as it will
be uniquely qualified by the namespace of the module in which it is
defined (Section 5.6). This means that names such as "running" and
"operational" are valid datastore names. However, it is usually
desirable to avoid using the same name for multiple different
datastores.
5.2. Define which YANG modules can be used in the datastore
Not all YANG modules may be used in all datastores. Some datastores
may constrain which data models can be used in them. If it is
desirable that a subset of all modules can be targeted to the dynamic
datastore, then the documentation defining the dynamic datastore MUST
use the mechanisms described in Appendix D.2 to provide the necessary
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hooks for module-designers to indicate that their module is to be
accessible in the dynamic datastore.
5.3. Define which subset of YANG-modeled data applies
By default, the data in a dynamic datastore is modeled by all YANG
statements in the available YANG modules. However, it is possible to
specify criteria YANG statements must satisfy in order to be present
in a dynamic datastore. For instance, maybe only config true nodes
are present, or config false nodes that also have a specific YANG
extension (e.g., i2rs:ephemeral true) are present in the dynamic
datastore.
5.4. Define how dynamic data is actualized
The diagram in Section 4 depicts dynamic datastores feeding into the
<operational> datastore. How this interaction occurs must be defined
by the dynamic datastore. In some cases, it may occur implicitly, as
soon as the data is put into the dynamic datastore while, in other
cases, an explicit action (e.g., an RPC) may be required to trigger
the application of the dynamic datastore's data.
5.5. Define which protocols can be used
By default, it is assumed that both the NETCONF and RESTCONF
protocols can be used to interact with a dynamic datastore. However,
it may be that only a specific protocol can be used (e.g., Forces) or
that a subset of all protocol operations or capabilities are
available (e.g., no locking, no xpath-based filtering, etc.).
5.6. Define a module for the dynamic datastore
Each dynamic datastore MUST be defined by a YANG module. This module
is used by servers to indicate (e.g., via YANG Library) their support
for the dynamic datastore.
The YANG module MUST import the "ietf-datastores" and "ietf-origin"
modules, defined in this document. This is necessary in order to
access the base identities they define.
The YANG module MUST define an identity that uses the "ds:datastore"
identity as its base. This identity is necessary so that the
datastore can be referenced in protocol operations (e.g.,
<get-data>).
The YANG module MUST define an identity that uses the "or:dynamic"
identity as its base. This identity is necessary so that data
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originating from the datastore can be identified as such via the
"origin" metadata attribute defined in Section 6.
An example of these guidelines in use is provided in Appendix B.
6. YANG Modules
<CODE BEGINS> file "ietf-datastores@2017-03-13.yang"
module ietf-datastores {
yang-version 1.1;
namespace "urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:yang:ietf-datastores";
prefix ds;
organization
"IETF NETMOD (NETCONF Data Modeling Language) Working Group";
contact
"WG Web: <https://datatracker.ietf.org/wg/netmod/>
WG List: <mailto:netmod@ietf.org>
Author: Martin Bjorklund
<mailto:mbj@tail-f.com>
Author: Juergen Schoenwaelder
<mailto:j.schoenwaelder@jacobs-university.de>
Author: Phil Shafer
<mailto:phil@juniper.net>
Author: Kent Watsen
<mailto:kwatsen@juniper.net>
Author: Rob Wilton
<rwilton@cisco.com>";
description
"This YANG module defines a set of identities for datastores.
These identities can be used to identify datastores in protocol
operations.
Copyright (c) 2017 IETF Trust and the persons identified as
authors of the code. All rights reserved.
Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or
without modification, is permitted pursuant to, and subject to
the license terms contained in, the Simplified BSD License set
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forth in Section 4.c of the IETF Trust's Legal Provisions
Relating to IETF Documents
(http://trustee.ietf.org/license-info).
This version of this YANG module is part of RFC XXXX
(http://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfcxxxx); see the RFC itself
for full legal notices.";
revision 2017-03-13 {
description
"Initial revision.";
reference
"RFC XXXX: Network Management Datastore Architecture";
}
/*
* Identities
*/
identity datastore {
description
"Abstract base identity for datastore identities.";
}
identity static {
description
"Abstract base identity for static configuration datastores.";
}
identity dynamic {
description
"Abstract base identity for dynamic configuration datastores.";
}
identity running {
base static;
description
"The 'running' datastore.";
}
identity candidate {
base static;
description
"The 'candidate' datastore.";
}
identity startup {
base static;
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description
"The 'startup' datastore.";
}
identity intended {
base static;
description
"The 'intended' datastore.";
}
identity operational {
base datastore;
description
"The 'operational' state datastore.";
}
}
<CODE ENDS>
<CODE BEGINS> file "ietf-datastores@2017-03-13.yang"
module ietf-origin {
yang-version 1.1;
namespace "urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:yang:ietf-origin";
prefix or;
import ietf-yang-metadata {
prefix md;
}
organization
"IETF NETMOD (NETCONF Data Modeling Language) Working Group";
contact
"WG Web: <https://datatracker.ietf.org/wg/netmod/>
WG List: <mailto:netmod@ietf.org>
Author: Martin Bjorklund
<mailto:mbj@tail-f.com>
Author: Juergen Schoenwaelder
<mailto:j.schoenwaelder@jacobs-university.de>
Author: Phil Shafer
<mailto:phil@juniper.net>
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Author: Kent Watsen
<mailto:kwatsen@juniper.net>
Author: Rob Wilton
<rwilton@cisco.com>";
description
"This YANG module defines an 'origin' metadata annotation, and a
set of identities for the origin value. The 'origin' metadata
annotation is used to mark data in the 'operational'
datastore with information on where the data originated.
Copyright (c) 2017 IETF Trust and the persons identified as
authors of the code. All rights reserved.
Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or
without modification, is permitted pursuant to, and subject to
the license terms contained in, the Simplified BSD License set
forth in Section 4.c of the IETF Trust's Legal Provisions
Relating to IETF Documents
(http://trustee.ietf.org/license-info).
This version of this YANG module is part of RFC XXXX
(http://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfcxxxx); see the RFC itself
for full legal notices.";
revision 2017-03-13 {
description
"Initial revision.";
reference
"RFC XXXX: Network Management Datastore Architecture";
}
/*
* Identities
*/
identity origin {
description
"Abstract base identity for the origin annotation.";
}
identity static {
base origin;
description
"Denotes data from static configuration (e.g., <intended>).";
}
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identity dynamic {
base origin;
description
"Denotes data from dynamic configuration protocols
or dynamic datastores (e.g., DHCP).";
}
identity system {
base origin;
description
"Denotes data created by the system independently of what
has been configured.";
}
identity default {
base origin;
description
"Denotes data that does not have an explicitly configured
value, but has a default value in use. Covers both simple
defaults and defaults defined via an explanation in a
description statement.";
}
/*
* Metadata annotations
*/
md:annotation origin {
type identityref {
base origin;
}
}
}
<CODE ENDS>
7. IANA Considerations
7.1. Updates to the IETF XML Registry
This document registers two URIs in the IETF XML registry [RFC3688].
Following the format in [RFC3688], the following registrations are
requested:
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URI: urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:yang:ietf-datastores
Registrant Contact: The IESG.
XML: N/A, the requested URI is an XML namespace.
URI: urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:yang:ietf-origin
Registrant Contact: The IESG.
XML: N/A, the requested URI is an XML namespace.
7.2. Updates to the YANG Module Names Registry
This document registers two YANG modules in the YANG Module Names
registry [RFC6020]. Following the format in [RFC6020], the the
following registrations are requested:
name: ietf-datastores
namespace: urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:yang:ietf-datastores
prefix: ds
reference: RFC XXXX
name: ietf-origin
namespace: urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:yang:ietf-origin
prefix: or
reference: RFC XXXX
8. Security Considerations
This document discusses a conceptual model of datastores for network
management using NETCONF/RESTCONF and YANG. It has no security
impact on the Internet.
9. Acknowledgments
This document grew out of many discussions that took place since
2010. Several Internet-Drafts ([I-D.bjorklund-netmod-operational],
[I-D.wilton-netmod-opstate-yang], [I-D.ietf-netmod-opstate-reqs],
[I-D.kwatsen-netmod-opstate], [I-D.openconfig-netmod-opstate]) and
[RFC6244] touched on some of the problems of the original datastore
model. The following people were authors to these Internet-Drafts or
otherwise actively involved in the discussions that led to this
document:
o Lou Berger, LabN Consulting, L.L.C., <lberger@labn.net>
o Andy Bierman, YumaWorks, <andy@yumaworks.com>
o Marcus Hines, Google, <hines@google.com>
o Christian Hopps, Deutsche Telekom, <chopps@chopps.org>
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o Acee Lindem, Cisco Systems, <acee@cisco.com>
o Ladislav Lhotka, CZ.NIC, <lhotka@nic.cz>
o Thomas Nadeau, Brocade Networks, <tnadeau@lucidvision.com>
o Anees Shaikh, Google, <aashaikh@google.com>
o Rob Shakir, Google, <robjs@google.com>
Juergen Schoenwaelder was partly funded by Flamingo, a Network of
Excellence project (ICT-318488) supported by the European Commission
under its Seventh Framework Programme.
10. References
10.1. Normative References
[RFC2119] Bradner, S., "Key words for use in RFCs to Indicate
Requirement Levels", BCP 14, RFC 2119, DOI 10.17487/
RFC2119, March 1997,
<http://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc2119>.
[RFC6241] Enns, R., Ed., Bjorklund, M., Ed., Schoenwaelder, J., Ed.,
and A. Bierman, Ed., "Network Configuration Protocol
(NETCONF)", RFC 6241, DOI 10.17487/RFC6241, June 2011,
<http://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc6241>.
[RFC7895] Bierman, A., Bjorklund, M., and K. Watsen, "YANG Module
Library", RFC 7895, DOI 10.17487/RFC7895, June 2016,
<http://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc7895>.
[RFC7950] Bjorklund, M., Ed., "The YANG 1.1 Data Modeling Language",
RFC 7950, DOI 10.17487/RFC7950, August 2016,
<http://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc7950>.
[RFC7952] Lhotka, L., "Defining and Using Metadata with YANG", RFC
7952, DOI 10.17487/RFC7952, August 2016,
<http://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc7952>.
[RFC8040] Bierman, A., Bjorklund, M., and K. Watsen, "RESTCONF
Protocol", RFC 8040, DOI 10.17487/RFC8040, January 2017,
<http://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc8040>.
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10.2. Informative References
[I-D.bjorklund-netmod-operational]
Bjorklund, M. and L. Lhotka, "Operational Data in NETCONF
and YANG", draft-bjorklund-netmod-operational-00 (work in
progress), October 2012.
[I-D.ietf-netmod-opstate-reqs]
Watsen, K. and T. Nadeau, "Terminology and Requirements
for Enhanced Handling of Operational State", draft-ietf-
netmod-opstate-reqs-04 (work in progress), January 2016.
[I-D.ietf-netmod-rfc6087bis]
Bierman, A., "Guidelines for Authors and Reviewers of YANG
Data Model Documents", draft-ietf-netmod-rfc6087bis-12
(work in progress), March 2017.
[I-D.kwatsen-netmod-opstate]
Watsen, K., Bierman, A., Bjorklund, M., and J.
Schoenwaelder, "Operational State Enhancements for YANG,
NETCONF, and RESTCONF", draft-kwatsen-netmod-opstate-02
(work in progress), February 2016.
[I-D.openconfig-netmod-opstate]
Shakir, R., Shaikh, A., and M. Hines, "Consistent Modeling
of Operational State Data in YANG", draft-openconfig-
netmod-opstate-01 (work in progress), July 2015.
[I-D.wilton-netmod-opstate-yang]
Wilton, R., ""With-config-state" Capability for NETCONF/
RESTCONF", draft-wilton-netmod-opstate-yang-02 (work in
progress), December 2015.
[RFC3688] Mealling, M., "The IETF XML Registry", BCP 81, RFC 3688,
DOI 10.17487/RFC3688, January 2004,
<http://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc3688>.
[RFC6020] Bjorklund, M., Ed., "YANG - A Data Modeling Language for
the Network Configuration Protocol (NETCONF)", RFC 6020,
DOI 10.17487/RFC6020, October 2010,
<http://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc6020>.
[RFC6243] Bierman, A. and B. Lengyel, "With-defaults Capability for
NETCONF", RFC 6243, DOI 10.17487/RFC6243, June 2011,
<http://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc6243>.
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[RFC6244] Shafer, P., "An Architecture for Network Management Using
NETCONF and YANG", RFC 6244, DOI 10.17487/RFC6244, June
2011, <http://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc6244>.
Appendix A. Example Data
The use of datastores is complex, and many of the subtle effects are
more easily presented using examples. This section presents a series
of example data models with some sample contents of the various
datastores.
A.1. System Example
In this example, the following fictional module is used:
module example-system {
yang-version 1.1;
namespace urn:example:system;
prefix sys;
import ietf-inet-types {
prefix inet;
}
container system {
leaf hostname {
type string;
}
list interface {
key name;
leaf name {
type string;
}
container auto-negotiation {
leaf enabled {
type boolean;
default true;
}
leaf speed {
type uint32;
units mbps;
description
"The advertised speed, in mbps.";
}
}
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leaf speed {
type uint32;
units mbps;
config false;
description
"The speed of the interface, in mbps.";
}
list address {
key ip;
leaf ip {
type inet:ip-address;
}
leaf prefix-length {
type uint8;
}
}
}
}
}
The operator has configured the host name and two interfaces, so the
contents of <intended> is:
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<system xmlns="urn:example:system">
<hostname>foo</hostname>
<interface>
<name>eth0</name>
<auto-negotiation>
<speed>1000</speed>
</auto-negotiation>
<address>
<ip>2001:db8::10</ip>
<prefix-length>32</prefix-length>
</address>
</interface>
<interface>
<name>eth1</name>
<address>
<ip>2001:db8::20</ip>
<prefix-length>32</prefix-length>
</address>
</interface>
</system>
The system has detected that the hardware for one of the configured
interfaces ("eth1") is not yet present, so the configuration for that
interface is not applied. Further, the system has received a host
name and an additional IP address for "eth0" over DHCP. In addition
to a default value, a loopback interface is automatically added by
the system, and the result of the "speed" auto-negotiation. All of
this is reflected in <operational>:
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<system
xmlns="urn:example:system"
xmlns:or="urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:yang:ietf-origin">
<hostname or:origin="or:dynamic">bar</hostname>
<interface or:origin="or:static">
<name>eth0</name>
<auto-negotiation>
<enabled or:origin="or:default">true</enabled>
<speed>1000</speed>
</auto-negotiation>
<speed>100</speed>
<address>
<ip>2001:db8::10</ip>
<prefix-length>32</prefix-length>
</address>
<address or:origin="or:dynamic">
<ip>2001:db8::1:100</ip>
<prefix-length>32</prefix-length>
</address>
</interface>
<interface or:origin="or:system">
<name>lo0</name>
<address>
<ip>::1</ip>
<prefix-length>128</prefix-length>
</address>
</interface>
</system>
A.2. BGP Example
Consider the following piece of a ersatz BGP module:
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container bgp {
leaf local-as {
type uint32;
}
leaf peer-as {
type uint32;
}
list peer {
key name;
leaf name {
type ipaddress;
}
leaf local-as {
type uint32;
description
".... Defaults to ../local-as";
}
leaf peer-as {
type uint32;
description
"... Defaults to ../peer-as";
}
leaf local-port {
type inet:port;
}
leaf remote-port {
type inet:port;
default 179;
}
leaf state {
config false;
type enumeration {
enum init;
enum established;
enum closing;
}
}
}
}
In this example model, both bgp/peer/local-as and bgp/peer/peer-as
have complex hierarchical values, allowing the user to specify
default values for all peers in a single location.
The model also follows the pattern of fully integrating state
("config false") nodes with configuration ("config true") nodes.
There is not separate "bgp-state" hierarchy, with the accompanying
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repetition of containment and naming nodes. This makes the model
simpler and more readable.
A.2.1. Datastores
Each datastore represents differing views of these data nodes. The
<running> datastore will hold the configuration data provided by the
user, for example a single BGP peer. The <intended> datastore will
conceptually hold the data as validated, after the removal of data
not intended for validation and after any local template mechanisms
are performed. The <operational> datastore will show data from
<intended> as well as any "config false" nodes.
A.2.2. Adding a Peer
If the user configures a single BGP peer, then that peer will be
visible in both the <running> and <intended> datastores. It may also
appear in the <candidate> datastore, if the server supports the
"candidate" feature. Retrieving the peer will return only the user-
specified values.
No time delay should exist between the appearance of the peer in
<running> and <intended>.
In this scenario, we've added the following to <running>:
<bgp>
<local-as>64642</local-as>
<peer-as>65000</peer-as>
<peer>
<name>10.1.2.3</name>
</peer>
</bgp>
A.2.2.1. <operational>
The <operational> datastore will contain the fully expanded peer
data, including "config false" nodes. In our example, this means the
"state" node will appear.
In addition, the <operational> datastore will contain the "currently
in use" values for all nodes. This means that local-as and peer-as
will be populated even if they are not given values in <intended>.
The value of bgp/local-as will be used if bgp/peer/local-as is not
provided; bgp/peer-as and bgp/peer/peer-as will have the same
relationship. In the operational view, this means that every peer
will have values for their local-as and peer-as, even if those values
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are not explicitly configured but are provided by bgp/local-as and
bgp/peer-as.
Each BGP peer has a TCP connection associated with it, using the
values of local-port and remote-port from the intended datastore. If
those values are not supplied, the system will select values. When
the connection is established, the <operational> datastore will
contain the current values for the local-port and remote-port nodes
regardless of the origin. If the system has chosen the values, the
"origin" attribute will be set to "operational". Before the
connection is established, one or both of the nodes may not appear,
since the system may not yet have their values.
<bgp origin="or:static" xmlns="urn:example:bgp">
<local-as origin="or:static">64642</local-as>
<peer-as origin="or:static">65000</peer-as>
<peer origin="or:static">
<name origin="or:static">10.1.2.3</name>
<local-as origin="or:default">64642</local-as>
<peer-as origin="or:default">65000</peer-as>
<local-port origin="or:system">60794</local-port>
<remote-port origin="or:default">179</remote-port>
</peer>
</bgp>
A.2.3. Removing a Peer
Changes to configuration data may take time to percolate through the
various software components involved. During this period, it is
imperative to continue to give an accurate view of the working of the
device. The <operational> datastore will return data nodes for both
the previous and current configuration, as closely as possible
tracking the current operation of the device.
Consider the scenario where a client removes a BGP peer. When a peer
is removed, the operational state will continue to reflect the
existence of that peer until the peer's resources are released,
including closing the peer's connection. During this period, the
current data values will continue to be visible in the <operational>
datastore, with the "origin" attribute set to indicate the origin of
the original data.
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<bgp origin="or:static">
<local-as origin="or:static">64642</local-as>
<peer-as origin="or:static">65000</peer-as>
<peer origin="or:static">
<name origin="or:static">10.1.2.3</name>
<local-as origin="or:default">64642</local-as>
<peer-as origin="or:default">65000</peer-as>
<local-port origin="or:static">60794</local-port>
<remote-port origin="or:static">179</remote-port>
</peer>
</bgp>
Once resources are released and the connection is closed, the peer's
data is removed from the <operational> datastore.
A.3. Interface Example
In this section, we'll use this simple interface data model:
container interfaces {
list interface {
key name;
leaf name {
type string;
}
leaf description {
type string;
}
leaf mtu {
type uint;
}
leaf ipv4-address {
type inet:ipv4-address;
}
}
}
A.3.1. Pre-provisioned Interfaces
One common issue in networking devices is the support of Field
Replaceable Units (FRUs) that can be inserted and removed from the
device without requiring a reboot or interfering with normal
operation. These FRUs are typically interface cards, and the devices
support pre-provisioning of these interfaces.
If a client creates an interface "et-0/0/0" but the interface does
not physically exist at this point, then the <intended> datastore
might contain the following:
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<interfaces>
<interface>
<name>et-0/0/0</name>
<description>Test interface</description>
</interface>
</interfaces>
Since the interface does not exist, this data does not appear in the
<operational> datastore.
When a FRU containing this interface is inserted, the system will
detect it and process the associated configuration. The
<operational> will contain the data from <intended>, as well as the
"config false" nodes, such as the current value of the interface's
MTU.
<interfaces origin="or:static">
<interface origin="or:static">
<name origin="or:static">et-0/0/0</name>
<description origin="or:static">Test interface</description>
<mtu origin="or:system">1500</mtu>
</interface>
</interfaces>
If the FRU is removed, the interface data is removed from the
<operational> datastore.
A.3.2. System-provided Interface
Imagine if the system provides a loopback interface (named "lo0")
with a default ipv4-address of "127.0.0.1". The system will only
provide configuration for this interface if the is no data for it in
<intended>.
When no configuration for "lo0" appears in <intended>, then
<operational> will show the system-provided data:
<interfaces origin="or:static">
<interface origin="or:system">
<name origin="or:system">lo0</name>
<ipv4-address origin="or:system">127.0.0.1</ipv4-address>
</interface>
</interfaces>
When configuration for "lo0" does appear in <intended>, then
<operational> will show that data with the origin set to "intended".
If the "ipv4-address" is not provided, then the system-provided value
will appear as follows:
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<interfaces origin="or:static">
<interface origin="or:static">
<name origin="or:static">lo0</name>
<description origin="or:static">loopback</description>
<ipv4-address origin="or:system">127.0.0.1</ipv4-address>
</interface>
</interfaces>
Appendix B. Ephemeral Dynamic Datastore Example
The section defines documentation for an example dynamic datastore
using the guidelines provided in Section 5. While this example is
very terse, it is expected to be that a standalone RFC would be
needed when fully expanded.
This example defines a dynamic datastore called "ephemeral", which is
loosely modeled after the work done in the I2RS working group.
1. Name : ephemeral
2. YANG modules : all (default)
3. YANG statements : config false + ephemeral true
4. How applied : automatic
5. Protocols : NC/RC (default)
6. YANG Module : (see below)
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module example-ds-ephemeral {
yang-version 1.1;
namespace "urn:example:ds-ephemeral";
prefix eph;
import ietf-datastores {
prefix ds;
}
import ietf-origin {
prefix or;
}
// add datastore identity
identity ds-ephemeral {
base ds:datastore;
description
"The 'ephemeral' datastore.";
}
// add origin identity
identity or-ephemeral {
base or:dynamic;
description
"Denotes data from the ephemeral dynamic datastore.";
}
// define ephemeral extension
extension ephemeral {
argument "value";
description
"This extension is mixed into config false YANG nodes to
indicate that they are writable nodes in the 'ephemeral'
datastore. This statement takes a single argument
representing a boolean having the values 'true' and 'false'.
The default value is 'false'.";
}
}
Appendix C. Implications on Data Models
Since the NETCONF <get/> operation returns the content of the
<running> configuration datastore and the operational state together
in one tree, data models were often forced to branch at the top-level
into a config true branch and a structurally similar config false
branch that replicated some of the config true nodes and added state
nodes. With the datastore model described here this is not needed
anymore since the different datastores handle the different lifetimes
of data objects. Introducing this model together with the
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deprecation of the <get/> operation makes it possible to write
simpler models.
C.1. Proposed migration of existing YANG Data Models
For standards based YANG modules that have already been published,
that are using split config and state trees, it is planned that these
modules are updated with new revisions containing the following
changes:
o The top level module description is updated to indicate that the
module conforms to the revised datastore architecture with a
combined config and state tree, and that the existing state tree
nodes are deprecated, to be obsoleted over time.
o All status "current" data nodes under the existing "state" trees
are copied to the equivalent place under the "config" tree:
* If a node with the same name and type already exists under the
equivalent path in the config tree then the nodes are merged
and the description updated.
* If a node with the same name but different type exists under
the equivalent path in the config tree, then the module authors
must choose the appropriate mechanism to combine the config and
state nodes in a backwards compatible way based on the data
model design guidelines below. This may require the state node
to be added to the config tree with a modified name. This
scenario is expected to be relatively uncommon.
* If no node with the same name and path already exists under the
config tree then the state node schema is copied verbatim into
the config tree.
* As the state nodes are copied into the config trees, any
leafrefs that reference other nodes in the state tree are
adjusted to reference the equivalent path in the config tree.
* All status "current" nodes under the existing "state" trees are
marked as "status" deprecated.
o Augmentations are similarly handled to data nodes as described
above.
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C.2. Standardization of new YANG Data Models
New standards based YANG modules, or those in active development,
should be designed to conform to the revised datastore architecture,
following the design guidelines described below, and only need to
provide combined config/state trees.
Appendix D. Implications on other Documents
The sections below describe the authors' thoughts on how various
other documents may be updated to support the datastore architecture
described in this document. They have been incorporated as an
appendix of this document to facilitate easier review, but the
expectation is that this work will be moved into another document as
soon as the appropriate working group decides to take on the work.
D.1. Implications on YANG
Note: This section describes the authors' thoughts on how YANG
[RFC7950] could be updated to support the datastore architecture
described in this document. It has been incorporated here as a
temporary measure to facilitate easier review, but the expectation is
that this work will be owned and standardized via the NETCONF working
group.
o Some clarifications may be needed if this datastore model is
adopted. YANG currently describes validation in terms of the
<running> configuration datastore while it really happens on the
<intended> configuration datastore.
D.2. Implications on YANG Library
Note: This section describes the authors' thoughts on how YANG
Library [RFC7895] could be updated to support the datastore
architecture described in this document. It has been incorporated
here as a temporary measure to facilitate easier review, but the
expectation is that this work will be owned and standardized via the
NETCONF working group.
With the introduction of multiple datastores, it is important that a
server can advertise to clients which modules are supported in the
different datastores implemented by the server. In order to do this,
we propose that the "ietf-yang-module" ([RFC7895]) is revised, with
the following addition to the "module" list in the "module-list"
grouping:
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leaf-list datastore {
type identityref {
base ds:datastore;
}
description
"The datastores in which this module is supported.";
}
D.3. Implications to YANG Guidelines
Note: This section describes the authors' thoughts on how Guidelines
for Authors and Reviewers of YANG Data Model Documents
[I-D.ietf-netmod-rfc6087bis] could be updated to support the
datastore architecture described in this document. It has been
incorporated here as a temporary measure to facilitate easier review,
but the expectation is that this work will be owned and standardized
via the NETCONF working group.
It is important to design data models with clear semantics that work
equally well for instantiation in a configuration datastore and
instantiation in the <operational> datastore.
D.3.1. Nodes with different config/state value sets
There may be some differences in the value set of some nodes that are
used for both configuration and state. At this point of time, these
are considered to be rare cases that can be dealt with using
different nodes for the configured and state values.
D.3.2. Auto-configured or Auto-negotiated Values
Sometimes configuration leafs support special values that instruct
the system to automatically configure a value. An example is an MTU
that is configured to "auto" to let the system determine a suitable
MTU value. Another example is Ethernet auto-negotiation of link
speed. In such a situation, it is recommended to model this as two
separate leafs, one config true leaf for the input to the auto-
negotiation process, and one config false leaf for the output from
the process.
D.4. Implications on NETCONF
Note: This section describes the authors' thoughts on how NETCONF
[RFC6241] could be updated to support the datastore architecture
described in this document. It has been incorporated here as a
temporary measure to facilitate easier review, but the expectation is
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that this work will be owned and standardized via the NETCONF working
group.
D.4.1. Introduction
The NETCONF protocol [RFC6241] defines a simple mechanism through
which a network device can be managed, configuration data information
can be retrieved, and new configuration data can be uploaded and
manipulated.
NETCONF already has support for configuration datastores, but it does
not define an operational datastore. Instead, it provides the <get>
operation that returns the contents of the <running> datastore along
with all config false leaves. However, this <get> operation is
incompatible with the new datastore architecture defined in this
document, and hence should be deprecated.
There are two possible ways that NETCONF could be extended to support
the new architecture: Either as new optional capabilities extending
the current version of NETCONF (v1.1, [RFC6241]), or by defining a
new version of NETCONF.
Many of the required additions are common to both approaches, and are
described below. A following section then describes the benefits of
defining a new NETCONF version, and the additional changes that would
entail.
D.4.2. Overview of additions to NETCONF
o A new "supported datastores" capability allows a device to list
all datastores it supports. Implementations can choose which
datastores they expose, but MUST at least expose both the
<running> and <operational> datastores. They MAY expose
additional datastores, such as <intended>, <candidate>, etc.
o A new <get-data> operation is introduced that allows the client to
return the contents of a datastore. For configuration datastores,
this operation returns the same data that would be returned by the
existing <get-config> operation.
o Some form of new filtering mechanism is required to allow the
device to filter the data based on the YANG metadata in addition
to other filters (such as the subtree filter). See also
Appendix E.
o A new "with-metadata" capability allows a device to indicate that
it supports the capability of including YANG metadata annotations
in the responses to <get> and <get-config> requests. This is
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achieved in a similar way to with-defaults [RFC6243], by
introducing a <with-metadata> XML element to <get> and
<get-config> requests.
* The capability would allow a device to indicate which types of
metadata are supported.
* The XML element would specify which types of metadata are
included in the response.
o The handling of defaults for the new configuration datastores is
as described in with-defaults [RFC6243], but that does not apply
for the operational state datastore that defines new semantics.
D.4.2.1. Operational State Datastore Defaults Handling
The normal semantics for the <operational> datastore are that all
values that match the default specified in the schema are included in
response to requests on the operational state datastore. This is
equivalent to the "report-all" mode of the with-defaults handling.
The "metadata-filter" query parameter can be used to exclude nodes
with origin metadata matching "default", that would exclude nodes
that match the default value specified in the schema.
If the server cannot return a value for any reason (e.g., the server
cannot determine the value, or the value that would be returned is
outside the allowed leaf value range) then the server can choose to
not return any value for a particular leaf, which MUST be interpreted
by the client as the value of that leaf not being known, rather than
implicitly having the default value.
D.4.3. Overview of NETCONF version 2
This section describes NETCONF version 2, by explaining the
differences to NETCONF version 1.1. Where not explicitly specified,
the behavior of NETCONF version 2 is the same as for NETCONF version
1.1 [RFC6241].
D.4.3.1. Benefits of defining a new NETCONF version
Defining a new version of NETCONF (as opposed to extending NETCONF
version 1.1) has several benefits:
o It allows for removal of the existing <get> RPC operation, that
returns content from both the running configuration datastore
combined with all config false leaves.
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o It could allow the existing <get-config> operation to also be
removed, replaced by the more generic <get-data> that is named
appropriately to also apply to the operational datastore.
o It makes it easier for clients and servers to know what reasonable
common baseline functionality to expect, rather than a collection
of capabilities that may not be implemented in a consistent
fashion. In particular, clients will able to assume support for
the <operational> datastore.
o It can gracefully coexist with NETCONF v1.1. A server could
implement both versions. Existing YANG models exposing split
config/state trees could be exposed via NETCONF v1.1, whereas
combined config/state YANG models could be exposed via NETCONF v2,
providing a viable server upgrade path.
D.4.3.2. Proposed changes for NETCONF v2
The differences between NETCONF v2 and NETCONF v1.1 can be summarized
as:
o NETCONF v2 advertises a new base NETCONF capability
"urn:ietf:params:netconf:base:2.0". A server may advertise older
NETCONF versions as well, to allow a client to choose which
version to use.
o NETCONF v2 removes support for the existing <get> operation, that
is replaced by the <get-data> on the operational datastore.
o NETCONF v2 can publish a separate version of YANG library from a
NETCONF v1.1 implementation running on the same device, allowing
different versions of NETCONF to support a different set of YANG
modules.
D.4.3.3. Possible Migration Paths
A common approach in current data models is to have two separate
trees "/foo" and "/foo-state", where the former contains config true
nodes, and the latter config false nodes. A data model that is
designed for the revised architectural framework presented in this
document will have a single tree "/foo" with a combination of config
true and config false nodes.
Two different migration strategies are considered:
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D.4.3.3.1. Migration Path using two instances of NETCONF
If, for backwards compatability reasons, a server intends to support
both split config/state trees and the combined config/state trees
proposed in this architecture, then this can be achieved by having
the device support both NETCONF v1 and NETCONF v2 at the same time:
o The NETCONF v1 implementation could support existing YANG module
revisions defined with split config/state trees.
o The NETCONF v2 implementation could support different YANG
modules, or YANG module revisions, with combined config/state
trees.
Clients can then decide on which type of models to use by expressing
the appropriate version of the base NETCONF capability during
capability exchange.
D.4.3.3.2. Migration Path using a single instance of NETCONF
The proposed strategy for updating existing published data models is
to publish new revisions with the state trees' nodes copied under the
config tree, and for the existing state trees to have all of their
nodes marked as deprecated. The expectation is that NETCONF servers
would use a combination of these updated models alongside new models
that only follow the new datastore architecture.
o NETCONF servers can support clients that are not aware of the
revised datastore architecture, particularly if they continue to
support the deprecated <get> operation:
* For updated YANG modules they would see additional information
returned via the <get> operation.
* For new YANG modules, some of the state nodes may not be
available, i.e. for any state nodes that exist under a config
node that has not been configured (e.g., statistics under a
system created interface).
o NETCONF servers can also support clients that are aware of the
revised datastores architecture:
* For updated YANG modules they would see additional information
returned under the legacy state trees. This information can be
excluded using appropriate subtree filters.
* New YANG modules, conforming to the datastores architecture,
would work exactly as expected.
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D.5. Implications on RESTCONF
This section describes the authors' thoughts on how RESTCONF
[RFC8040] could be updated to support the datastore architecture
described in this document. It has been incorporated here as a
temporary measure to facilitate easier review, but the expectation is
that this work will be owned and standardized via the NETCONF working
group.
D.5.1. Introduction
RESTCONF [RFC8040] defines a protocol based on HTTP for configuring
data defined in YANG version 1 or 1.1, using a conceptual datastore
that is compatible with a server that implements NETCONF 1.1
compliant datastores.
The combined conceptual datastore defined in RESTCONF is incompatible
with the new datastore architecture defined in this document. There
are two possible ways that RESTCONF could be extended to support the
new architecture: Either as new optional capabilities extending the
existing RESTCONF RFC, or possibly as an new version of RESTCONF.
Many of the required additions are common to both approaches, and are
described below. A following section then describes the potential
benefits of defining a new RESTCONF version, and the additional
changes that might entail.
D.5.2. Overview of additions to RESTCONF
o A new path {+restconf}/datastore/<datastore-name>/data/ to provide
a YANG data tree for each datastore that is exposed via RESTCONF.
o Implementations can choose which datastores they expose, but MUST
at least expose both the <running> and <operational> datastores.
They MAY expose the <intended> datastores as needed.
o The same HTTP Methods supported on {+restconf}/data/ are also
supported on {+restconf}/datastore/<datastore-name>/data/ but
suitably constrained depending on whether the datastore can be
written to by the client, or is read-only.
o The same query parameters supported on {+restconf}/data/ are also
support on {+restconf}/datastore/<datastore-name>/data/ except for
the following query parameters:
o "metadata" - is a new optional query parameter that filters the
returned data based on the metadata annotation.
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o "with-metadata" - is a new optional query parameter that
indicating that the metadata annotations should be included in the
reply.
o "with-defaults" is supported on all configuration datastores, but
is not supported on the operational state datastore path, because
it has different default handling semantics.
o The handling of defaults (include the with-defaults query
parameter) for the new configuration datastores is the same as the
existing conceptual datastore, but does not apply for the
operational state datastore that defines new semantics.
D.5.2.1. HTTP Methods
All configuration datastores support all HTTP Methods.
The <operational> datastore only supports the following HTTP methods:
OPTIONS, HEAD, GET, and POST to invoke an RFC operation.
D.5.2.2. Query parameters
[RFC7952] specifies how a YANG data tree can be annotated with
generic metadata information, that is used by this document to
annotate data nodes with origin information indicating the mechanism
by which the operational value came into effect.
RESTCONF could be extended with an optional generic mechanism to
allow the filtering of nodes returned in a query based on metadata
annotations associated with the data node.
RESTCONF could also be extended with an optional generic mechanism to
choose whether metadata annotations should be included in the
response, potentially filtering to a subset of annotations. E.g.,
only include @origin metadata annotations, and not any others that
may be in use.
Both of the generic mechanisms could be controlled by a new
capability. A new capability is defined to indicate whether a device
supports filtering on, or annotating responses with, the origin meta
data.
D.5.2.3. Operational State Datastore Defaults Handling
The normal semantics for the <operational> datastore are that all
values that match the default specified in the schema are included in
response to requests on the operational state datastore. This is
equivalent to the "report-all" mode of the with-defaults handling.
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The "metadata" query parameter can be used to exclude nodes with a
origin metadata matching "default", that would exclude (only config
true?) nodes that match the default value specified in the schema.
If the server cannot return a value for any reason (e.g., the server
cannot determine the value, or the value that would be returned is
outside the allowed leaf value range) then the server can choose to
not return any value for a particular leaf, which MUST be interpreted
by the client as the value of that leaf not being known, rather than
implicitly having the default value.
D.5.3. Overview of a possible new RESTCONF version
This section describes a notional new RESTCONF version, by explaining
the differences to RESTCONF version 1. Where not explicitly
specified, the behavior of a new RESTCONF version is the same as for
RESTCONF version 1 [RFC8040].
D.5.3.1. Potential benefits of defining a new RESTCONF version
Defining a new version of RESTCONF (as opposed to extending RESTCONF
version 1) has several potential benefits:
o It could expose datastores, and models designed for the revised
datastore architecture, in a clean and consistent way.
o It would allow the parts of RESTCONF that do not work well with
the revised datastore architecture to be omitted from the new
RESTCONF version.
o It would make it easier for clients and servers to know what
reasonable common baseline functionality to expect, rather than a
collection of capabilities that may not be implemented in a
consistent fashion.
o It could gracefully coexist with RESTCONF v1. A server could
implement both versions. Existing YANG models exposing split
config/state trees could be exposed via RESTCONF v1, whereas
combined config/state YANG models could be exposed via a new
RESTCONF version, providing a viable server upgrade path.
D.5.3.2. Possible changes for a new RESTCONF version
The differences between a notional new RESTCONF version and RESTCONF
version 1 (RESTCONF v1) [RFC8040] can be summarized as:
o A new RESTCONF version would define a new root resource, and a
separate link relation in the /.well-known/host-meta resource.
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o A new RESTCONF version could remove support for the
{+restconf}/data path supported in RESTCONF v1.
o A new RESTCONF version could publish a separate version of YANG
library from a RESTCONF v1 implementation running on the same
device, allowing different versions of RESTCONF to support a
different set of YANG modules.
D.5.3.3. Possible Migration Path using a new RESTCONF version
A common approach in current data models is to have two separate
trees "/foo" and "/foo-state", where the former contains config true
nodes, and the latter config false nodes. A data model that is
designed for the revised architectural framework presented in this
document will have a single tree "/foo" with a combination of config
true and config false nodes.
If for backwards compatability reasons, a server intends to support
both split config/state trees, and the combined config/state trees
proposed in this architecture, then this could be achieved by having
the device support both RESTCONF v1 and the new RESTCONF version at
the same time:
o The RESTCONF v1 implementation could support existing YANG module
revisions defined with split config/state trees.
o The implementation of the new RESTCONF version could support
different YANG modules, or YANG module revisions, with combined
config/state trees.
Clients can then decide on which type of models to use by choosing
whether to use the RESTCONF v1 root resource or the root resource
associated with the new RESTCONF version.
Appendix E. Open Issues
1. NETCONF needs to be able to filter data based on the origin
metadata. Possibly this could be done as part of the <get-data>
operation.
2. We need a means of inheriting @origin values, so whole
hierarchies can avoid the noise of repeating parent values.
Should "origin='system'" (or whatever we call it) be the default?
3. We need to discuss somewhere how remote procedure calls and
notifications/actions tie into datastores. RFC 7950 shows as an
example a ping action tied to an interface. Does this refer to
an interface defined in a configuration datastore? Or an
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interface defined in the operational state datastore? Or the
applied configuration datastore? Similarly, RFC 7950 shows an
example of a link-failure notification; this likely applies
implicitly to the operational state datastore. The netconf-
config-change notification does explicitly identify a datastore.
I think we generally need to have remote procedure calls and
notifications be explicit about which datastores they apply to
and perhaps change the default xpath context from running plus
state to the operational state datastore.
Authors' Addresses
Martin Bjorklund
Tail-f Systems
Email: mbj@tail-f.com
Juergen Schoenwaelder
Jacobs University
Email: j.schoenwaelder@jacobs-university.de
Phil Shafer
Juniper Networks
Email: phil@juniper.net
Kent Watsen
Juniper Networks
Email: kwatsen@juniper.net
Rob Wilton
Cisco Systems
Email: rwilton@cisco.com
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