Network Management Datastore Architecture (NMDA)
RFC 8342
| Document | Type |
RFC
- Proposed Standard
(March 2018)
Errata
Updates RFC 7950
|
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Authors | Martin Björklund , Jürgen Schönwälder , Philip A. Shafer , Kent Watsen , Robert Wilton | ||
| Last updated | 2020-01-21 | ||
| Replaces | draft-nmdsdt-netmod-revised-datastores | ||
| RFC stream | Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) | ||
| Formats | |||
| Yang Validation | ☯ 0 errors, 0 warnings | ||
| Reviews | |||
| Additional resources |
Yang catalog entry for ietf-datastores@2018-01-11.yang
Yang catalog entry for ietf-origin@2018-01-11.yang Yang impact analysis for draft-ietf-netmod-revised-datastores Mailing list discussion |
||
| Stream | WG state | Submitted to IESG for Publication | |
| Document shepherd | Lou Berger | ||
| Shepherd write-up | Show Last changed 2017-12-20 | ||
| IESG | IESG state | RFC 8342 (Proposed Standard) | |
| Action Holders |
(None)
|
||
| Consensus boilerplate | Yes | ||
| Telechat date | (None) | ||
| Responsible AD | Benoît Claise | ||
| Send notices to | Lou Berger <lberger@labn.net> | ||
| IANA | IANA review state | Version Changed - Review Needed | |
| IANA action state | RFC-Ed-Ack |
RFC 8342
Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) M. Bjorklund
Request for Comments: 8342 Tail-f Systems
Updates: 7950 J. Schoenwaelder
Category: Standards Track Jacobs University
ISSN: 2070-1721 P. Shafer
K. Watsen
Juniper Networks
R. Wilton
Cisco Systems
March 2018
Network Management Datastore Architecture (NMDA)
Abstract
Datastores are a fundamental concept binding the data models written
in the YANG data modeling language to network management protocols
such as the Network Configuration Protocol (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. This
document updates RFC 7950.
Status of This Memo
This is an Internet Standards Track document.
This document is a product of the Internet Engineering Task Force
(IETF). It represents the consensus of the IETF community. It has
received public review and has been approved for publication by the
Internet Engineering Steering Group (IESG). Further information on
Internet Standards is available in Section 2 of RFC 7841.
Information about the current status of this document, any errata,
and how to provide feedback on it may be obtained at
https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc8342.
Bjorklund, et al. Standards Track [Page 1]
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Copyright Notice
Copyright (c) 2018 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
(https://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. Objectives ......................................................4
3. Terminology .....................................................5
4. Background ......................................................8
4.1. Original Model of Datastores ...............................9
5. Architectural Model of Datastores ..............................11
5.1. Conventional Configuration Datastores .....................12
5.1.1. The Startup Configuration Datastore (<startup>) ....12
5.1.2. The Candidate Configuration Datastore
(<candidate>) ......................................13
5.1.3. The Running Configuration Datastore (<running>) ....13
5.1.4. The Intended Configuration Datastore (<intended>) ..13
5.2. Dynamic Configuration Datastores ..........................14
5.3. The Operational State Datastore (<operational>) ...........14
5.3.1. Remnant Configuration ..............................16
5.3.2. Missing Resources ..................................16
5.3.3. System-Controlled Resources ........................16
5.3.4. Origin Metadata Annotation .........................17
6. Implications on YANG ...........................................18
6.1. XPath Context .............................................18
6.2. Invocation of Actions and RPCs ............................19
7. YANG Modules ...................................................20
8. IANA Considerations ............................................26
8.1. Updates to the IETF XML Registry ..........................26
8.2. Updates to the YANG Module Names Registry .................27
9. Security Considerations ........................................27
10. References ....................................................28
10.1. Normative References .....................................28
10.2. Informative References ...................................29
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Appendix A. Guidelines for Defining Datastores ....................31
A.1. Define Which YANG Modules Can Be Used in the Datastore .....31
A.2. Define Which Subset of YANG-Modeled Data Applies ...........31
A.3. Define How Data Is Actualized ..............................31
A.4. Define Which Protocols Can Be Used .........................31
A.5. Define YANG Identities for the Datastore ...................32
Appendix B. Example of an Ephemeral Dynamic Configuration
Datastore .............................................32
Appendix C. Example Data ..........................................33
C.1. System Example .............................................34
C.2. BGP Example ................................................37
C.2.1. Datastores .............................................38
C.2.2. Adding a Peer ..........................................38
C.2.3. Removing a Peer ........................................39
C.3. Interface Example ..........................................40
C.3.1. Pre-provisioned Interfaces .............................41
C.3.2. System-Provided Interface ..............................42
Acknowledgments ...................................................43
Authors' Addresses ................................................44
1. Introduction
This document provides an architectural framework for datastores as
they are used by network management protocols such as the Network
Configuration Protocol (NETCONF) [RFC6241], RESTCONF [RFC8040], and
the YANG data modeling language [RFC7950]. 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 way that is
network management protocol agnostic. 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.
This document updates RFC 7950 by refining the definition of the
accessible tree for some XML Path Language (XPath) context (see
Section 6.1) and the invocation context of operations (see
Section 6.2).
The key words "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] [RFC8174] when, and only when, they appear in all
capitals, as shown here.
Bjorklund, et al. Standards Track [Page 3]
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2. Objectives
Network management data objects can often take two different values:
the value configured by the user or an application (configuration)
and the value that the device is actually using (operational state).
These two values may be different for a number of reasons, e.g.,
system internal interactions with hardware, interaction with
protocols or other devices, or simply the time it takes to propagate
a configuration change to the software and hardware components of a
system. Furthermore, configuration and operational state data
objects may have different lifetimes.
The original model of datastores required these data objects to be
modeled twice in the YANG schema -- as "config true" objects and as
"config false" objects. The convention adopted by the interfaces
data model [RFC8343] and the IP data model [RFC8344] was to use two
separate branches rooted at the root of the data tree: one branch for
configuration data objects and one branch for operational state data
objects.
The duplication of definitions and the ad hoc separation of
operational state data from configuration data lead to a number of
problems. Having configuration and operational state data in
separate branches in the data model is operationally complicated and
impacts the readability of module definitions. Furthermore, the
relationship between the branches is not machine readable, and filter
expressions operating on configuration and on related operational
state are different.
With the revised architectural model of datastores defined in this
document, the data objects are defined only once in the YANG schema
but independent instantiations can appear in different datastores,
e.g., one for a configured value and another for an operationally
used value. This provides a more elegant and simpler solution to the
problem.
The revised architectural model of datastores supports additional
datastores for systems that support more advanced processing chains
converting configuration to operational state. For example, some
systems support configuration that is not currently used (so-called
"inactive configuration") or they support configuration templates
that are used to expand configuration data via a common template.
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3. Terminology
This document defines the following terminology. Some of the terms
are revised definitions of terms originally defined in [RFC6241] and
[RFC7950] (see also Section 4). The revised definitions are
semantically equivalent to the definitions found in [RFC6241] and
[RFC7950]. It is expected that the revised definitions provided in
this section will replace the definitions in [RFC6241] and [RFC7950]
when these documents are revised.
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 schema node: A node in the schema tree. The formal definition is
provided in RFC 7950.
o datastore schema: The combined set of schema nodes for all modules
supported by a particular datastore, taking into consideration any
deviations and enabled features for that datastore.
o configuration: Data that is required to get a device from its
initial default state into a desired operational state. This data
is modeled in YANG using "config true" nodes. Configuration can
originate from different sources.
o configuration datastore: A datastore holding configuration.
o running configuration datastore: A configuration datastore holding
the current configuration of the device. It may include
configuration that requires further transformations before it can
be applied. This datastore is referred to as "<running>".
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. This datastore is referred to as
"<candidate>".
o startup configuration datastore: A configuration datastore holding
the configuration loaded by the device into the running
configuration datastore when it boots. This datastore is referred
to as "<startup>".
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o intended configuration: Configuration that is intended to be used
by the device. It represents the configuration after all
configuration transformations to <running> have been performed and
is the configuration that the system attempts to apply.
o intended configuration datastore: A configuration datastore
holding the complete intended configuration of the device. This
datastore is referred to as "<intended>".
o configuration transformation: The addition, modification, or
removal of configuration between the <running> and <intended>
datastores. Examples of configuration transformations include the
removal of inactive configuration and the configuration produced
through the expansion of templates.
o conventional configuration datastore: One of the following set of
configuration datastores: <running>, <startup>, <candidate>, and
<intended>. These datastores share a common datastore schema, and
protocol operations allow copying data between these datastores.
The term "conventional" is chosen as a generic umbrella term for
these datastores.
o conventional configuration: Configuration that is stored in any of
the conventional configuration datastores.
o dynamic configuration datastore: A configuration datastore holding
configuration obtained dynamically during the operation of a
device through interaction with other systems, rather than through
one of the conventional configuration datastores.
o dynamic configuration: Configuration obtained via a dynamic
configuration datastore.
o learned configuration: Configuration that has been learned via
protocol interactions with other systems and that is neither
conventional nor dynamic configuration.
o system configuration: Configuration that is supplied by the device
itself.
o default configuration: Configuration that is not explicitly
provided but for which a value defined in the data model is used.
o applied configuration: Configuration that is actively in use by a
device. Applied configuration originates from conventional,
dynamic, learned, system, and default configuration.
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o system state: The additional data on a system that is not
configuration, such as read-only status information and collected
statistics. System state is transient and modified by
interactions with internal components or other systems. System
state is modeled in YANG using "config false" nodes.
o operational state: The combination of applied configuration and
system state.
o operational state datastore: A datastore holding the complete
operational state of the device. This datastore is referred to as
"<operational>".
o origin: A metadata annotation indicating the origin of a
data item.
o remnant configuration: Configuration that remains part of the
applied configuration for a period of time after it has been
removed from the intended configuration or dynamic configuration.
The time period may be minimal or may last until all resources
used by the newly deleted configuration (e.g., network
connections, memory allocations, file handles) have been
deallocated.
The following additional terms are not datastore specific, but they
are commonly used and are 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.
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4. Background
NETCONF [RFC6241] provides the following definitions:
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 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 existed):
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.
[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 mentions,
among other things, the option to consider operational state as being
stored in another datastore. Section 4.4 of [RFC6244] then concludes
that, at the time of its writing, modeling state as distinct leafs
and distinct branches is the recommended approach.
Implementation experience and requests from operators [OpState-Reqs]
[OpState-Modeling] 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.
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4.1. 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
Figure 1
Note that this diagram simplifies the model: "read-only" (ro) and
"read-write" (rw) are to be understood from the client's perspective,
at a conceptual level. In NETCONF, for example, support for
<candidate> and <startup> is optional, and <running> does not have to
be writable. Furthermore, <startup> 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 <candidate>, by directly modifying
<running>, 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 <running>. NETCONF explicitly mentions
so-called "named datastores".
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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 contents of <running>
together with the operational state. It is therefore necessary
that "config false" data be in a different branch than the
"config true" data if the operational state can have a different
lifetime compared to configuration or if configuration is not
immediately or successfully applied.
o Several implementations have proprietary mechanisms that allow
clients to store inactive data in <running>. 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.
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5. 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.
+-------------+ +-----------+
| <candidate> | | <startup> |
| (ct, rw) |<---+ +--->| (ct, rw) |
+-------------+ | | +-----------+
| | | |
| +-----------+ |
+-------->| <running> |<--------+
| (ct, rw) |
+-----------+
|
| // configuration transformations,
| // e.g., removal of nodes marked as
| // "inactive", expansion of
| // templates
v
+------------+
| <intended> | // subject to validation
| (ct, ro) |
+------------+
| // changes applied, subject to
| // local factors, e.g., missing
| // resources, delays
|
dynamic | +-------- learned configuration
configuration | +-------- system configuration
datastores -----+ | +-------- default configuration
| | |
v v v
+---------------+
| <operational> | <-- system state
| (ct + cf, ro) |
+---------------+
ct = config true; cf = config false
rw = read-write; ro = read-only
boxes denote named datastores
Figure 2
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5.1. Conventional Configuration Datastores
The conventional configuration datastores are a set of configuration
datastores that share exactly the same datastore schema, allowing
data to be copied between them. The term is meant as a generic
umbrella description of these datastores. If a module does not
contain any configuration data nodes and it is not needed to satisfy
any imports, then it MAY be omitted from the datastore schema for the
conventional configuration datastores. The set of datastores
include:
o <running>
o <candidate>
o <startup>
o <intended>
Other conventional configuration datastores may be defined in future
documents.
The flow of data between these datastores is depicted in Section 5.
The specific protocols may define explicit operations to copy between
these datastores, e.g., NETCONF defines the <copy-config> operation.
5.1.1. The Startup Configuration Datastore (<startup>)
The startup configuration datastore (<startup>) is a configuration
datastore holding the configuration loaded by the device when it
boots. <startup> is only present on devices that separate the
startup configuration from the running configuration datastore.
The startup configuration datastore may not be supported by all
protocols or implementations.
On devices that support non-volatile storage, the contents of
<startup> will typically persist across reboots via that storage. At
boot time, the device loads the saved startup configuration into
<running>. To save a new startup configuration, data is copied to
<startup> via either implicit or explicit protocol operations.
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5.1.2. The Candidate Configuration Datastore (<candidate>)
The candidate configuration datastore (<candidate>) is a
configuration datastore that can be manipulated without impacting the
device's current configuration and that can be committed to
<running>.
The candidate configuration datastore may not be supported by all
protocols or implementations.
<candidate> does not typically persist across reboots, even in the
presence of non-volatile storage. If <candidate> is stored using
non-volatile storage, it is reset at boot time to the contents of
<running>.
5.1.3. The Running Configuration Datastore (<running>)
The running configuration datastore (<running>) is a configuration
datastore that holds the current configuration of the device. It MAY
include configuration that requires further transformation before it
can be applied, e.g., inactive configuration, or template-mechanism-
oriented configuration that needs further expansion. However,
<running> MUST always be a valid configuration data tree, as defined
in Section 8.1 of [RFC7950].
<running> MUST be supported if the device can be configured via
conventional configuration datastores.
If a device does not have a distinct <startup> and non-volatile
storage is available, the device will typically use that non-volatile
storage to allow <running> to persist across reboots.
5.1.4. The Intended Configuration Datastore (<intended>)
The intended configuration datastore (<intended>) is a read-only
configuration datastore. It represents the configuration after all
configuration transformations to <running> are performed (e.g.,
template expansion, removal of inactive configuration) and is the
configuration that the system attempts to apply.
<intended> is tightly coupled to <running>. Whenever data is written
to <running>, the server MUST also immediately update and validate
<intended>.
<intended> MAY also be updated independently of <running> if the
effect of a configuration transformation changes, but <intended> MUST
always be a valid configuration data tree, as defined in Section 8.1
of [RFC7950].
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For simple implementations, <running> and <intended> are identical.
The contents of <intended> are also related to the "config true"
subset of <operational>; hence, a client can determine to what extent
the intended configuration is currently in use by checking to see
whether the contents of <intended> also appear in <operational>.
<intended> does not persist across reboots; its relationship with
<running> makes that unnecessary.
Currently, there are no standard mechanisms defined that affect
<intended> so that it would have different content 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>.
A second example is support for templates, which can perform
transformations on the configuration from <running> to the
configuration written to <intended>.
5.2. Dynamic Configuration Datastores
The model recognizes the need for dynamic configuration 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 configuration datastores interact with the rest
of the system through <operational>.
The datastore schema for a dynamic configuration datastore MAY differ
from the datastore schema used for conventional configuration
datastores. If a module does not contain any configuration data
nodes and it is not needed to satisfy any imports, then it MAY be
omitted from the datastore schema for the dynamic configuration
datastore.
5.3. The Operational State Datastore (<operational>)
The operational state datastore (<operational>) is a read-only
datastore that consists of all "config true" and "config false" nodes
defined in the datastore's schema. 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.
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<operational> contains system state and all configuration actually
used by the system. This includes all applied configuration from
<intended>, learned configuration, system-provided configuration, and
default values defined by any supported data models. In addition,
<operational> also contains applied configuration from dynamic
configuration datastores.
The datastore schema for <operational> MUST be a superset of the
combined datastore schema used in all configuration datastores,
except that configuration data nodes supported in a configuration
datastore MAY be omitted from <operational> if a server is not able
to accurately report them.
Requests to retrieve nodes from <operational> always return the value
in use if the node exists, regardless of any default value specified
in the YANG module. If no value is returned for a given node, then
this implies that the node is not used by the device.
The interpretation of what constitutes being "in use" by the system
is dependent on both the schema definition and the device
implementation. Generally, functionality that is enabled and
operational on the system would be considered to be "in use".
Conversely, functionality that is neither enabled nor operational on
the system is considered not to be "in use"; hence, it SHOULD be
omitted from <operational>.
<operational> SHOULD conform to any constraints specified in the data
model, but given the principal aim of returning "in use" values, it
is possible that constraints MAY be violated under some circumstances
(e.g., an abnormal value is "in use", the structure of a list is
being modified, or remnant configuration (see Section 5.3.1) still
exists). Note that deviations SHOULD be used when it is known in
advance that a device does not fully conform to the <operational>
schema.
Only semantic constraints MAY be violated. These are the YANG
"when", "must", "mandatory", "unique", "min-elements", and
"max-elements" statements; and the uniqueness of key values.
Syntactic constraints MUST NOT be violated, including hierarchical
organization, identifiers, and type-based constraints. If a node in
<operational> does not meet the syntactic constraints, then it
MUST NOT be returned, and some other mechanism should be used to flag
the error.
<operational> does not persist across reboots.
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5.3.1. Remnant Configuration
Changes to configuration may take time to percolate through to
<operational>. During this period, <operational> may contain nodes
for both the previous and current configuration, as closely as
possible tracking the current operation of the device. Such remnant
configuration from the previous configuration persists until the
system has released resources used by the newly deleted configuration
(e.g., network connections, memory allocations, file handles).
Remnant configuration is a common example of where the semantic
constraints defined in the data model cannot be relied upon for
<operational>, since the system may have remnant configuration 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, remnant
configuration may force the violation of those constraints.
5.3.2. Missing Resources
Configuration in <intended> can refer to resources that are not
available or otherwise not physically present. In these situations,
these parts of <intended> 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 that removing a resource
might render the configuration invalid. This is unacceptable,
especially given that rebooting such a device would cause it to
restart with an invalid configuration. Instead, we allow
configuration for missing resources to exist in <running> and
<intended>, but it will not appear in <operational>.
5.3.3. System-Controlled Resources
Sometimes, resources are controlled by the device and the
corresponding system-controlled data appears in (and disappears from)
<operational> dynamically. If a system-controlled resource has
matching configuration in <intended> when it appears, the system will
try to apply the configuration; this causes the configuration to
appear in <operational> eventually (if application of the
configuration was successful).
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5.3.4. Origin Metadata Annotation
As configuration flows into <operational>, it is conceptually marked
with a metadata annotation [RFC7952] that indicates its origin. The
origin applies to all configuration nodes except non-presence
containers. The "origin" metadata annotation is defined in
Section 7. The values are YANG identities. The following identities
are defined:
o origin: abstract base identity from which the other origin
identities are derived.
o intended: represents configuration provided by <intended>.
o dynamic: represents configuration provided by a dynamic
configuration datastore.
o system: represents configuration provided by the system itself.
Examples of system configuration include applied configuration for
an always-existing loopback interface, or interface configuration
that is auto-created due to the hardware currently present in the
device.
o learned: represents configuration that has been learned via
protocol interactions with other systems, including such protocols
as link-layer negotiations, routing protocols, and DHCP.
o default: represents configuration using a default value specified
in the data model, using either values in the "default" statement
or any values described in the "description" statement. The
default origin is only used when the configuration has not been
provided by any other source.
o unknown: represents configuration for which the system cannot
identify the origin.
These identities can be further refined, e.g., there could be
separate identities for particular types or instances of dynamic
configuration datastores derived from "dynamic".
For all configuration data nodes in <operational>, the device SHOULD
report the origin that most accurately reflects the source of the
configuration that is in use by the system.
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In cases where it could be ambiguous as to which origin should be
used, i.e., where the same data node value has originated from
multiple sources, the "description" statement in the YANG module
SHOULD be used as guidance for choosing the appropriate origin. For
example:
If, for a particular configuration node, the associated YANG
"description" statement indicates that a protocol-negotiated value
overrides any configured value, then the origin would be reported as
"learned", even when a learned value is the same as the configured
value.
Conversely, if, for a particular configuration node, the associated
YANG "description" statement indicates that a protocol-negotiated
value does not override an explicitly configured value, then the
origin would be reported as "intended", even when a learned value is
the same as the configured value.
In the case that a device cannot provide an accurate origin for a
particular configuration data node, it SHOULD use the origin
"unknown".
6. Implications on YANG
6.1. XPath Context
This section updates Section 6.4.1 of RFC 7950.
If a server implements the architecture defined in this document, the
accessible trees for some XPath contexts are refined as follows:
o If the XPath expression is defined in a substatement to a data
node that represents system state, the accessible tree is all
operational state in the server. The root node has all top-level
data nodes in all modules as children.
o If the XPath expression is defined in a substatement to a
"notification" statement, the accessible tree is the notification
instance and all operational state in the server. If the
notification is defined on the top level in a module, then the
root node has the node representing the notification being defined
and all top-level data nodes in all modules as children.
Otherwise, the root node has all top-level data nodes in all
modules as children.
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o If the XPath expression is defined in a substatement to an "input"
statement in an "rpc" or "action" statement, the accessible tree
is the RPC or action operation instance and all operational state
in the server. The root node has top-level data nodes in all
modules as children. Additionally, for an RPC, the root node also
has the node representing the RPC operation being defined as a
child. The node representing the operation being defined has the
operation's input parameters as children.
o If the XPath expression is defined in a substatement to an
"output" statement in an "rpc" or "action" statement, the
accessible tree is the RPC or action operation instance and all
operational state in the server. The root node has top-level data
nodes in all modules as children. Additionally, for an RPC, the
root node also has the node representing the RPC operation being
defined as a child. The node representing the operation being
defined has the operation's output parameters as children.
6.2. Invocation of Actions and RPCs
This section updates Section 7.15 of RFC 7950.
Actions are always invoked in the context of the operational state
datastore. The node for which the action is invoked MUST exist in
the operational state datastore.
Note that this document does not constrain the result of invoking an
RPC or action in any way. For example, an RPC might be defined to
modify the contents of some datastore.
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7. YANG Modules
<CODE BEGINS> file "ietf-datastores@2018-02-14.yang"
module ietf-datastores {
yang-version 1.1;
namespace "urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:yang:ietf-datastores";
prefix ds;
organization
"IETF Network Modeling (NETMOD) 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 identifying
datastores.
Copyright (c) 2018 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
(https://trustee.ietf.org/license-info).
Bjorklund, et al. Standards Track [Page 20]
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This version of this YANG module is part of RFC 8342
(https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc8342); see the RFC itself
for full legal notices.";
revision 2018-02-14 {
description
"Initial revision.";
reference
"RFC 8342: Network Management Datastore Architecture (NMDA)";
}
/*
* Identities
*/
identity datastore {
description
"Abstract base identity for datastore identities.";
}
identity conventional {
base datastore;
description
"Abstract base identity for conventional configuration
datastores.";
}
identity running {
base conventional;
description
"The running configuration datastore.";
}
identity candidate {
base conventional;
description
"The candidate configuration datastore.";
}
identity startup {
base conventional;
description
"The startup configuration datastore.";
}
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identity intended {
base conventional;
description
"The intended configuration datastore.";
}
identity dynamic {
base datastore;
description
"Abstract base identity for dynamic configuration datastores.";
}
identity operational {
base datastore;
description
"The operational state datastore.";
}
/*
* Type definitions
*/
typedef datastore-ref {
type identityref {
base datastore;
}
description
"A datastore identity reference.";
}
}
<CODE ENDS>
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<CODE BEGINS> file "ietf-origin@2018-02-14.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 Network Modeling (NETMOD) 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 an 'origin' metadata annotation and a
set of identities for the origin value.
Copyright (c) 2018 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
(https://trustee.ietf.org/license-info).
Bjorklund, et al. Standards Track [Page 23]
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This version of this YANG module is part of RFC 8342
(https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc8342); see the RFC itself
for full legal notices.";
revision 2018-02-14 {
description
"Initial revision.";
reference
"RFC 8342: Network Management Datastore Architecture (NMDA)";
}
/*
* Identities
*/
identity origin {
description
"Abstract base identity for the origin annotation.";
}
identity intended {
base origin;
description
"Denotes configuration from the intended configuration
datastore.";
}
identity dynamic {
base origin;
description
"Denotes configuration from a dynamic configuration
datastore.";
}
identity system {
base origin;
description
"Denotes configuration originated by the system itself.
Examples of system configuration include applied configuration
for an always-existing loopback interface, or interface
configuration that is auto-created due to the hardware
currently present in the device.";
}
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identity learned {
base origin;
description
"Denotes configuration learned from protocol interactions with
other devices, instead of via either the intended
configuration datastore or any dynamic configuration
datastore.
Examples of protocols that provide learned configuration
include link-layer negotiations, routing protocols, and
DHCP.";
}
identity default {
base origin;
description
"Denotes configuration that does not have a configured or
learned value but has a default value in use. Covers both
values defined in a 'default' statement and values defined
via an explanation in a 'description' statement.";
}
identity unknown {
base origin;
description
"Denotes configuration for which the system cannot identify the
origin.";
}
/*
* Type definitions
*/
typedef origin-ref {
type identityref {
base origin;
}
description
"An origin identity reference.";
}
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/*
* Metadata annotations
*/
md:annotation origin {
type origin-ref;
description
"The 'origin' annotation can be present on any configuration
data node in the operational state datastore. It specifies
from where the node originated. If not specified for a given
configuration data node, then the origin is the same as the
origin of its parent node in the data tree. The origin for
any top-level configuration data nodes must be specified.";
}
}
<CODE ENDS>
8. IANA Considerations
8.1. 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 have been made:
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.
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8.2. 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 following
registrations have been made:
name: ietf-datastores
namespace: urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:yang:ietf-datastores
prefix: ds
reference: RFC 8342
name: ietf-origin
namespace: urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:yang:ietf-origin
prefix: or
reference: RFC 8342
9. Security Considerations
This document discusses an architectural model of datastores for
network management using NETCONF/RESTCONF and YANG. It has no
security impact on the Internet.
Although this document specifies several YANG modules, these modules
only define identities and a metadata annotation; hence, the "YANG
module security guidelines" [YANG-SEC] do not apply.
The origin metadata annotation exposes the origin of values in the
applied configuration. Origin information may provide hints that
certain control-plane protocols are active on a device. Since origin
information is tied to applied configuration values, it is only
accessible to clients that have the permissions to read the applied
configuration values. Security administrators should consider the
sensitivity of origin information while defining access control
rules.
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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,
<https://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,
<https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc6241>.
[RFC7950] Bjorklund, M., Ed., "The YANG 1.1 Data Modeling Language",
RFC 7950, DOI 10.17487/RFC7950, August 2016,
<https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc7950>.
[RFC7952] Lhotka, L., "Defining and Using Metadata with YANG",
RFC 7952, DOI 10.17487/RFC7952, August 2016,
<https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc7952>.
[RFC8040] Bierman, A., Bjorklund, M., and K. Watsen, "RESTCONF
Protocol", RFC 8040, DOI 10.17487/RFC8040, January 2017,
<https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc8040>.
[RFC8174] Leiba, B., "Ambiguity of Uppercase vs Lowercase in
RFC 2119 Key Words", BCP 14, RFC 8174,
DOI 10.17487/RFC8174, May 2017,
<https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc8174>.
[W3C.REC-xml-20081126]
Bray, T., Paoli, J., Sperberg-McQueen, M., Maler, E., and
F. Yergeau, "Extensible Markup Language (XML) 1.0
(Fifth Edition)", World Wide Web Consortium Recommendation
REC-xml-20081126, November 2008,
<https://www.w3.org/TR/2008/REC-xml-20081126>.
Bjorklund, et al. Standards Track [Page 28]
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10.2. Informative References
[NETMOD-Operational]
Bjorklund, M. and L. Lhotka, "Operational Data in NETCONF
and YANG", Work in Progress, draft-bjorklund-netmod-
operational-00, October 2012.
[OpState-Enhance]
Watsen, K., Bierman, A., Bjorklund, M., and J.
Schoenwaelder, "Operational State Enhancements for YANG,
NETCONF, and RESTCONF", Work in Progress, draft-kwatsen-
netmod-opstate-02, February 2016.
[OpState-Modeling]
Shakir, R., Shaikh, A., and M. Hines, "Consistent Modeling
of Operational State Data in YANG", Work in Progress,
draft-openconfig-netmod-opstate-01, July 2015.
[OpState-Reqs]
Watsen, K. and T. Nadeau, "Terminology and Requirements
for Enhanced Handling of Operational State", Work in
Progress, draft-ietf-netmod-opstate-reqs-04, January 2016.
[RFC3688] Mealling, M., "The IETF XML Registry", BCP 81, RFC 3688,
DOI 10.17487/RFC3688, January 2004,
<https://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,
<https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc6020>.
[RFC6244] Shafer, P., "An Architecture for Network Management Using
NETCONF and YANG", RFC 6244, DOI 10.17487/RFC6244,
June 2011, <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc6244>.
[RFC8343] Bjorklund, M., "A YANG Data Model for Interface
Management", RFC 8343, DOI 10.17487/RFC8343, March 2018,
<https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc8343>.
[RFC8344] Bjorklund, M., "A YANG Data Model for IP Management",
RFC 8344, DOI 10.17487/RFC8344, March 2018,
<https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc8344>.
Bjorklund, et al. Standards Track [Page 29]
RFC 8342 NMDA March 2018
[With-config-state]
Wilton, R., ""With-config-state" Capability for
NETCONF/RESTCONF", Work in Progress, draft-wilton-netmod-
opstate-yang-02, December 2015.
[YANG-SEC] IETF, "YANG Security Guidelines", <https://trac.ietf.org/
trac/ops/wiki/yang-security-guidelines>.
Bjorklund, et al. Standards Track [Page 30]
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Appendix A. Guidelines for Defining Datastores
The definition of a new datastore in this architecture should be
provided in a document (e.g., an RFC) purposed for defining the
datastore. When it makes sense, more than one datastore may be
defined in the same document (e.g., when the datastores are logically
connected). Each datastore's definition should address the points
specified in the subsections below.
A.1. 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
datastore, then the documentation defining the datastore must
indicate this.
A.2. Define Which Subset of YANG-Modeled Data Applies
By default, the data in a datastore is modeled by all YANG statements
in the available YANG modules. However, it is possible to specify
criteria that YANG statements must satisfy in order to be present in
a datastore. For instance, maybe only "config true" nodes, or
"config false" nodes that also have a specific YANG extension, are
present in the datastore.
A.3. Define How Data Is Actualized
The new datastore must specify how it interacts with other
datastores.
For example, the diagram in Section 5 depicts dynamic configuration
datastores feeding into <operational>. How this interaction occurs
has to be defined by the particular dynamic configuration datastores.
In some cases, it may occur implicitly, as soon as the data is put
into the dynamic configuration datastore, while in other cases an
explicit action (e.g., an RPC) may be required to trigger the
application of the datastore's data.
A.4. 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 datastore. However, it may
be that only a specific protocol can be used (e.g., Forwarding and
Control Element Separation (ForCES)) or that a subset of all protocol
operations or capabilities are available (e.g., no locking or no
XPath-based filtering).
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A.5. Define YANG Identities for the Datastore
The datastore must be defined with a YANG identity that uses the
"ds:datastore" identity, or one of its derived identities, as its
base. This identity is necessary, so that the datastore can be
referenced in protocol operations (e.g., <get-data>).
The datastore may also be defined with an identity that uses the
"or:origin" identity, or one of its derived identities, as its base.
This identity is needed if the datastore interacts with
<operational>, so that data originating from the datastore can be
identified as such via the "origin" metadata attribute defined in
Section 7.
An example of these guidelines in use is provided in Appendix B.
Appendix B. Example of an Ephemeral Dynamic Configuration Datastore
This section defines documentation for an example dynamic
configuration datastore using the guidelines provided in Appendix A.
For brevity, only a terse example is provided; it is expected that a
standalone RFC would be written when this type of scenario is fully
considered.
This example defines a dynamic configuration datastore called
"ephemeral", which is loosely modeled after the work done in the I2RS
Working Group.
+--------------------+----------------------------------------------+
| Name | Value |
+--------------------+----------------------------------------------+
| Name | ephemeral |
| | |
| YANG modules | all (default) |
| | |
| YANG nodes | all "config true" data nodes |
| | |
| How applied | changes automatically propagated to |
| | <operational> |
| | |
| Protocols | NETCONF/RESTCONF (default) |
| | |
| Defining YANG | "example-ds-ephemeral" |
| module | |
+--------------------+----------------------------------------------+
Properties of the Example "ephemeral" Datastore
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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;
}
// datastore identity
identity ds-ephemeral {
base ds:dynamic;
description
"The ephemeral dynamic configuration datastore.";
}
// origin identity
identity or-ephemeral {
base or:dynamic;
description
"Denotes data from the ephemeral dynamic configuration
datastore.";
}
}
Appendix C. 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.
The XML [W3C.REC-xml-20081126] snippets that follow are provided as
examples only.
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C.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.";
}
}
leaf speed {
type uint32;
units mbps;
config false;
description
"The speed of the interface, in Mbps.";
}
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list address {
key ip;
leaf ip {
type inet:ip-address;
}
leaf prefix-length {
type uint8;
}
}
}
}
}
The operator has configured the hostname and two interfaces, so the
contents of <intended> are:
<system xmlns="urn:example:system">
<hostname>foo.example.com</hostname>
<interface>
<name>eth0</name>
<auto-negotiation>
<speed>1000</speed>
</auto-negotiation>
<address>
<ip>2001:db8::10</ip>
<prefix-length>64</prefix-length>
</address>
</interface>
<interface>
<name>eth1</name>
<address>
<ip>2001:db8::20</ip>
<prefix-length>64</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
hostname and an additional IP address for "eth0" over DHCP. In
addition to filling in the default value for the auto-negotiation
enabled leaf, a loopback interface entry is also automatically
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instantiated by the system. All of this is reflected in
<operational>. Note how the "origin" metadata attribute for several
"config true" data nodes is inherited from their parent data nodes.
<system
xmlns="urn:example:system"
xmlns:or="urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:yang:ietf-origin">
<hostname or:origin="or:learned">bar.example.com</hostname>
<interface or:origin="or:intended">
<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>64</prefix-length>
</address>
<address or:origin="or:learned">
<ip>2001:db8::1:100</ip>
<prefix-length>64</prefix-length>
</address>
</interface>
<interface or:origin="or:system">
<name>lo0</name>
<address>
<ip>::1</ip>
<prefix-length>128</prefix-length>
</address>
</interface>
</system>
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C.2. BGP Example
Consider the following fragment of a fictional BGP module:
container bgp {
leaf local-as {
type uint32;
}
leaf peer-as {
type uint32;
}
list peer {
key name;
leaf name {
type inet:ip-address;
}
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.
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The model also follows the pattern of fully integrating state
("config false") nodes with configuration ("config true") nodes.
There is no separate "bgp-state" hierarchy, with the accompanying
repetition of containment and naming nodes. This makes the model
simpler and more readable.
C.2.1. Datastores
Each datastore represents differing views of these nodes. <running>
will hold the configuration provided by the operator -- for example,
a single BGP peer. <intended> will conceptually hold the data as
validated, after the removal of data not intended for validation and
after any local template mechanisms are performed. <operational>
will show data from <intended> as well as any "config false" nodes.
C.2.2. Adding a Peer
If the user configures a single BGP peer, then that peer will be
visible in both <running> and <intended>. It may also appear in
<candidate> if the server supports the candidate configuration
datastore. 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>64501</local-as>
<peer-as>64502</peer-as>
<peer>
<name>2001:db8::2:3</name>
</peer>
</bgp>
C.2.2.1. <operational>
The operational datastore will contain the fully expanded peer data,
including "config false" nodes. In our example, this means that the
"state" node will appear.
In addition, <operational> 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
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the operational view, this means that every peer will have values for
their local-as and peer-as, even if those values 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 <intended>. If those
values are not supplied, the system will select values. When the
connection is established, <operational> 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 "system". Before the connection is established, one
or both of the nodes may not appear, since the system may not yet
have their values.
<bgp xmlns:or="urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:yang:ietf-origin"
or:origin="or:intended">
<local-as>64501</local-as>
<peer-as>64502</peer-as>
<peer>
<name>2001:db8::2:3</name>
<local-as or:origin="or:default">64501</local-as>
<peer-as or:origin="or:default">64502</peer-as>
<local-port or:origin="or:system">60794</local-port>
<remote-port or:origin="or:default">179</remote-port>
<state>established</state>
</peer>
</bgp>
C.2.3. Removing a Peer
Changes to configuration 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. <operational> will contain 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 <operational>,
with the "origin" attribute set to indicate the origin of the
original data.
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<bgp xmlns:or="urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:yang:ietf-origin"
or:origin="or:intended">
<local-as>64501</local-as>
<peer-as>64502</peer-as>
<peer>
<name>2001:db8::2:3</name>
<local-as or:origin="or:default">64501</local-as>
<peer-as or:origin="or:default">64502</peer-as>
<local-port or:origin="or:system">60794</local-port>
<remote-port or:origin="or:default">179</remote-port>
<state>closing</state>
</peer>
</bgp>
Once resources are released and the connection is closed, the peer's
data is removed from <operational>.
C.3. Interface Example
In this section, we will use this simple interface data model:
container interfaces {
list interface {
key name;
leaf name {
type string;
}
leaf description {
type string;
}
leaf mtu {
type uint16;
}
leaf-list ip-address {
type inet:ip-address;
}
}
}
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C.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 <intended> might contain the
following:
<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
<operational>.
When a FRU containing this interface is inserted, the system will
detect it and process the associated configuration. <operational>
will contain the data from <intended>, as well as nodes added by the
system, such as the current value of the interface's MTU.
<interfaces xmlns:or="urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:yang:ietf-origin"
or:origin="or:intended">
<interface>
<name>et-0/0/0</name>
<description>Test interface</description>
<mtu or:origin="or:system">1500</mtu>
</interface>
</interfaces>
If the FRU is removed, the interface data is removed from
<operational>.
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C.3.2. System-Provided Interface
Imagine that the system provides a loopback interface (named "lo0")
with a default IPv4 address of "127.0.0.1" and a default IPv6 address
of "::1". The system will only provide configuration for this
interface if there is no data for it in <intended>.
When no configuration for "lo0" appears in <intended>, <operational>
will show the system-provided data:
<interfaces xmlns:or="urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:yang:ietf-origin"
or:origin="or:intended">
<interface or:origin="or:system">
<name>lo0</name>
<ip-address>127.0.0.1</ip-address>
<ip-address>::1</ip-address>
</interface>
</interfaces>
When configuration for "lo0" does appear in <intended>, <operational>
will show that data with the origin set to "intended". If the
"ip-address" is not provided, then the system-provided value will
appear as follows:
<interfaces xmlns:or="urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:yang:ietf-origin"
or:origin="or:intended">
<interface>
<name>lo0</name>
<description>loopback</description>
<ip-address or:origin="or:system">127.0.0.1</ip-address>
<ip-address>::1</ip-address>
</interface>
</interfaces>
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Acknowledgments
This document grew out of many discussions that took place since
2010. Several documents ([NETMOD-Operational] [With-config-state]
[OpState-Reqs] [OpState-Enhance] [OpState-Modeling], as well as
[RFC6244]), touched on some of the problems of the original datastore
model. The following people were authors of these works in progress
or were 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>
o Balazs Lengyel, Ericsson, <balazs.lengyel@ericsson.com>
o Ladislav Lhotka, CZ.NIC, <lhotka@nic.cz>
o Acee Lindem, Cisco Systems, <acee@cisco.com>
o Thomas Nadeau, Brocade Networks, <tnadeau@lucidvision.com>
o Tom Petch, Engineering Networks Ltd, <ietfc@btconnect.com>
o Anees Shaikh, Google, <aashaikh@google.com>
o Rob Shakir, Google, <robjs@google.com>
o Jason Sterne, Nokia, <jason.sterne@nokia.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.
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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
Robert Wilton
Cisco Systems
Email: rwilton@cisco.com
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