Getting started with NETCONF on Cisco IOS XR and IOS XE

Prerequisites

IOS XR

• Install k9sec and mgbl packages
• Generate crypto keys

IOS XE

• IOS-XE version 16.3 or higher
• User access with privilege level 15

Configuration

IOS XR

• (config)# ssh server v2
• (config)# ssh server netconf
• (config)# netconf-yang agent ssh
• (config)# netconf agent tty

IOS XE

• (config)# ip ssh version 2
• (config)# netconf-yang
• (config)# netconf-yang feature candidate-datastore

Verification

IOS XR

• # show netconf-yang status

Netconf status summary:
  state: ready

IOS XE

• # show platform software yang-management process

confd       : Running
nesd        : Running
syncfd      : Running
ncsshd      : Running
dmiauthd    : Running
nginx       : Not Running
ndbmand     : Running
pubd        : Running

Establish a raw SSH session

• $ ssh <username>@<host> –p 830 –s netconf

• Respond to NETCONF server (network device) with a hello message that includes its own capabilities

<hello xmlns="urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:netconf:base:1.0">
 <capabilities>
  <capability>urn:ietf:params:netconf:base:1.0</capability>
  <capability>urn:ietf:params:netconf:base:1.1</capability>
 </capabilities>
</hello>]]>]]>

• At this point the session is open, and the client may send any RPC request to the server (such as get, get-config, edit-config, commit, and others).

RPCs & NETCONF Framing

NETCONF over an SSH session provides a raw session. In a raw session, RPCs must follow NETCONF chunk format framing.

IOS XR

• get-config example on IOS XR

#143 <!--number of bytes that the client is going to send-->
<rpc xmlns="urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:netconf:base:1.0" message-id="101">
 <get-config>
  <source>
   <running/>
  </source>
 </get-config>
</rpc>
## <!--the RPC must end with a couple of “#”-->

IOS XE

• get example on IOS XE

<rpc message-id="101" xmlns="urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:netconf:base:1.0">
  <get>
    <filter>
      <interfaces xmlns="urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:yang:ietf-interfaces">
        <interface>
          <name>GigabitEthernet1</name>
        </interface>
      </interfaces>
    </filter>
  </get>
</rpc>
]]>]]> <!--the RPC must end with “]]>]]>”-->