NSO Northbound support for OpenConf interface

[santpati]

Does NSO on NorthBound support OpenConf interface ?

[alam.bilal · Accepted solution]

I'm presuming by OpenConf, the reference here is to OpenConfig? If not then please ignore what follows.

My understanding is that OpenConfig is an attempt to normalise the network-device configuration models. Especially for feature items/protocols that have been around for so long that the corresponding functionality can be considered commoditised (example routing configs, interface configs).

Some vendors already support OpenConfig as part of their device configuration model. I think IOS-XR may have a few of these models supported.

With respect to NSO, CRUD operations can be performed from the North onto these devices sitting underneath NSO by calling APIs (NETCONF/RESTCONF/JSON-RPC) which are auto-rendered from the corresponding device-models.

However, in NSO, the main value is not necessarily to program the network layer via the device models (which can be done) but the ability to define higher order service level abstractions and them map them to various device model[s]. Thereby the network is consumed via a well defined services centric abstractions.

[santpati]

Thanks for the response. this is helpful.

[Jan Lindblad]

I too have to assume you mean OpenConfig.

In addition to what Bilal said, I might add that the current state of the OpenConfig YANG files is a little shaky. There many versions out there, and all versions I have seen so far have some YANG syntax errors. On top of that, all implementations (including Cisco) that I have seen have had a good number of deviations, i.e. parts of the OpenConfig model that are either not supported at all, or supported with some proprietary changes from the original YANG. So all in all, each vendor that claims to support OpenConfig (including Cisco) have had to make some tweaks, so interoperability may be a bit questionable.

NSO can load pretty much any YANG module (assuming syntax errors have been fixed), so you could of course load up the OpenConfig files that the device vendor implements in NSO, as part of the device NED.

There are also some OpenConfig service level YANG modules. Again, assuming the syntax errors in there have been fixed, you could use that as the basis for an NSO service.