Cisco IOS XR Programmability Explained
1. RESTCONF
RESTCONF is a protocol that provides a RESTful API to manage and configure network devices. It leverages HTTP methods like GET, POST, PUT, and DELETE to interact with the device's data model. RESTCONF is designed to be more user-friendly and easier to integrate with modern web applications compared to NETCONF.
Example: A network engineer uses RESTCONF to retrieve the current configuration of a Cisco IOS XR router. By sending a GET request to the router's RESTCONF endpoint, the engineer receives the configuration in JSON format, which can then be easily parsed and analyzed.
2. NETCONF
NETCONF is a network management protocol used to install, manipulate, and delete the configuration of network devices. It uses XML for data encoding and provides a structured approach to network configuration management. NETCONF operates over SSH and is designed to be more secure and reliable than older protocols.
Example: A network administrator uses NETCONF to configure a new VLAN on a Cisco IOS XR router. The administrator sends an XML payload to the router's NETCONF server, specifying the VLAN ID and associated ports. The router processes the request and applies the new configuration.
3. YANG Data Modeling
YANG is a data modeling language used to model the configuration and operational state of network devices. It provides a standardized way to define the structure, constraints, and relationships of data that can be managed using protocols like NETCONF and RESTCONF. YANG models ensure consistency and compliance with the defined structure.
Example: A network engineer creates a YANG model to define the configuration parameters for a new network service. The YANG model specifies the required fields, their types, and any constraints. This model is then used by network management tools to interact with the network devices, ensuring consistency and compliance with the defined structure.
4. gRPC
gRPC is a high-performance, open-source RPC (Remote Procedure Call) framework developed by Google. It uses HTTP/2 for transport and Protocol Buffers for data serialization. gRPC is designed to be efficient and scalable, making it ideal for modern microservices architectures and network automation.
Example: A network engineer uses gRPC to automate the configuration of a Cisco IOS XR router. The engineer writes a Python script that uses gRPC to send configuration commands to the router. The script communicates with the router's gRPC server, which processes the commands and applies the configuration changes.