ConfD Feature Overview
The following are key capabilities available from ConfD:
• Full agent support for NETCONF, the standard for XML-based configuration management
• Complete on-device management system, including agents and backend system
• Modular architecture with well-defined APIs between all components
• XML-based backend system provides NETCONF-like mechanisms to command line and Web interfaces
• Auto-generated CLI and Web Interfaces that can be extended and customized
• Fully featured SNMP agent providing a northbound SNMP v1, v2, and v3 interface for element management and monitoring
• Common PAM-based AAA system for all management agents
• Scalable implementation that streams XML processing, providing support for very large configurations
• High-availability using an embedded lightweight XML database
• Ability to store and retrieve operational and configuration data in a single database
• NETCONF, CLI, Web UI, and SNMP interfaces can use a single configuration database and share one set of common instrumentation functions
• Automatic update of the existing configuration database when installing a new version of the management software
• Automatic conversion of older configurations to adhere to the running version of the management software
• Implemented as a lean daemon with few library dependencies and efficient use of RAM, Flash, and disk capacity
Business Benefits
Meet Customer Needs for Next-Generation Features
ConfD allows equipment suppliers to build network management applications that meet the needs of the most demanding customers. NETCONF, CLI, and Web Interfaces fully implement the NETCONF IETF standard. NETCONF has become a customer requirement and is now supported by many leading suppliers of networking equipment. The underlying power of NETCONF provides a better way to ensure candidate configurations are uniformly rolled-out and hence networking solutions are truly scalable. ConfD is built on XML. XML is used to provide a single model of networking data. Advantages of using XML include efficiencies for data transport, broad availability of XML tools, portability, and extensibility. ConfD is optimized and pre-integrated with Linux and uses technologies like AJAX to allow developers to build dynamic real time web interfaces.
Faster and More Affordable Development
The ConfD allows developers to describe their networking application once and then using a unique software engine to automatically render CLI, Web, and NETCONF interfaces. In addition to bringing new applications to market faster, ConfD reduces the cost and time to maintain and support applications. ConfD allows NETCONF, CLI, Web, and SNMP interfaces to use a single configuration database and share one set of common instrumentation functions thereby avoiding tedious recoding efforts required by legacy stovepipe architectures. Built with rich callback APIs, ConfD is a modular framework designed for integration with existing data stores and other interfaces.
Carrier Grade Implementation
ConfD was designed to meet the performance and scalability demands of very large networks. ConfD uses its own parsing algorithm and a very fast database to ensure efficiency. For example, ConfD has been tested configuring over one million network elements and performance of both reads and writes scales linearly. Authentication, Authorization, and Accounting (AAA) is integrated into ConfD. Developers can build granular controls into the administration of their applications. ConfD’s Configuration Database supports replication and clustering to deliver highly available services in any hardware environment.