NETCONF XML Management Protocol and Junos
XML API Overview
The NETCONF XML management protocol is an Extensible Markup Language (XML)-based protocol that
client applicaons use to manage the conguraon on roung, switching, and security devices. It uses
an XML-based data encoding for the conguraon data and remote procedure calls (RPCs). The
NETCONF protocol denes basic operaons that are equivalent to conguraon mode commands in the
CLI. Applicaons use the protocol operaons to display, edit, and commit conguraon statements
(among other operaons), just as administrators use CLI conguraon mode commands to perform
those operaons.
The Junos XML API is an XML representaon of Junos conguraon statements and operaonal mode
commands. When the client applicaon manages a Junos device, Junos XML conguraon tag elements
are the content to which the NETCONF XML protocol operaons apply. Junos XML operaonal tag
elements are equivalent in funcon to operaonal mode commands in the CLI, which administrators use
to retrieve status informaon for devices running Junos OS.
The NETCONF XML management protocol is described in RFC 6241,
Network Conguraon Protocol
(NETCONF)
, which is available at hps://tools.ie.org/html/rfc6241.
Client applicaons request informaon and change the conguraon on a switch, router, or security
device by encoding the request with tag elements from the NETCONF XML management protocol and
Junos XML API and sending it to the NETCONF server on the device. On Junos devices, the NETCONF
server is integrated into the Junos operang system and does not appear as a separate entry in process
lisngs. The NETCONF server directs the request to the appropriate soware modules within the
device, encodes the response in NETCONF and Junos XML API tag elements, and returns the result to
the client applicaon.
For example, to request informaon about the status of a device’s interfaces, a client applicaon sends
the Junos XML API <get-interface-information> request tag. The NETCONF server gathers the informaon
from the interface process and returns it in the Junos XML API <interface-information> response tag
element.
You can use the NETCONF XML management protocol and Junos XML API to congure Junos devices
or to request informaon about the device conguraon or operaon. You can write client applicaons
to interact with the NETCONF server, and you can also use the NETCONF XML protocol to build
custom end-user interfaces for conguraon and informaon retrieval and display, such as a Web
browser-based interface.
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