XML Management Interface

XML Management Interface

This chapter describes how to use the XML management interface to configure devices.

About the XML Management Interface

You can use the XML management interface to configure a device. The interface uses the XML-based Network Configuration Protocol (NETCONF), which allows you to manage devices and communicate over the interface with an XML management tool or program. The Cisco NX-OS implementation of NETCONF requires you to use a Secure Shell (SSH) session for communication with the device.

NETCONF is implemented with an XML Schema (XSD) that allows you to enclose device configuration elements within a remote procedure call (RPC) message. From within an RPC message, you select one of the NETCONF operations that matches the type of command that you want the device to execute. You can configure the entire set of CLI commands on the device with NETCONF. For information about using NETCONF, see the Creating NETCONF XML Instances and RFC 4741.

For more information about using NETCONF over SSH, see RFC 4742 .

This section includes the following topics:

NETCONF Layers

The following are the NETCONF layers:

Table 1 NETCONF Layers

Layer

Example

Transport protocol

SSHv2

RPC

<rpc>, <rpc-reply>

Operations

<get-config>, <edit-config>

Content

show or configuration command

The following is a description of the four NETCONF layers:

  • SSH transport protocol—Provides a secure, encrypted connection between a client and the server.
  • RPC tag—Introduces a configuration command from the requestor and the corresponding reply from the XML server.
  • NETCONF operation tag—Indicates the type of configuration command.
  • Content—Indicates the XML representation of the feature that you want to configure.

SSH xmlagent

The device software provides an SSH service called xmlagent that supports NETCONF over SSH Version 2.


Note
The xmlagent service is referred to as the XML server in the Cisco NX-OS software.

NETCONF over SSH is initiated by the exchange of a hello message between the client and the XML server. After the initial exchange, the client sends XML requests, which the server responds to with XML responses. The client and server terminate requests and responses with the character sequence >. Because this character sequence is not valid in XML, the client and the server can interpret when the messages end, which keeps communication synchronized.

The XML schemas that define XML configuration instances that you can use are described in the Creating NETCONF XML Instances section.

Licensing Requirements for the XML Management Interface

Product

License Requirement

Cisco NX-OS

The XML management interface requires no license. Any feature not included in a license package is bundled with the Cisco NX-OS image and is provided at no extra charge to you. For a complete explanation of the Cisco NX-OS licensing scheme, see the Cisco NX-OS Licensing Guide.

Prerequisites to Using the XML Management Interface

The XML management interface has the following prerequisites:

  • You must install SSHv2 on the client PC.
  • You must install an XML management tool that supports NETCONF over SSH on the client PC.
  • You must set the appropriate options for the XML server on the device.

Using the XML Management Interface

This section describes how to manually configure and use the XML management interface. Use the XML management interface with the default settings on the device.

Configuring SSH and the XML Server Options Through the CLI

By default, the SSH server is enabled on the device. If you disable SSH, you must enable it before you start an SSH session on the client PC.

You can configure XML server options to control the number of concurrent sessions and the timeout for active sessions. You can also enable XML document validation and terminate XML sessions.


Note
The XML server timeout applies only to active sessions.

For more information about configuring SSH, see the Cisco NX-OS security configuration guide for your platform.

For more information about the XML commands, see the Cisco NX-OS system management configuration guide for your platform.

     Command or ActionPurpose
    Step 1configure terminal
     

    Enters global configuration mode.

     
    Step 2 show xml server status  

    (Optional) Displays information about XML server settings and active XML server sessions. You can find session numbers in the command output.

     
    Step 3xml server validate all
     

    Causes validation of XML documents for the specified server session.

     
    Step 4xml server terminate session
     

    Terminates the specified XML server session.

     
    Step 5no feature ssh
     

    (Optional) Disables the SSH server so that you can generate keys.

    For information about generating keys, see the Configuring SSH and the XML Server Options

     
    Step 6feature ssh
     

    Enables the SSH server. The default is enabled.

     
    Step 7show ssh server
     

    (Optional) Displays the status of the SSH server.

     
    Step 8xml server max-session sessions
     

    Sets the number of allowed XML server sessions.

    The default is 8. The range is from 1 to 8.

     
    Step 9xml server timeout seconds
     

    Sets the number of seconds after which the XML server session is terminated.

    The default is 1200 seconds. The range is from 1 to 1200.

     
    Step 10 show xml server status  

    (Optional) Displays information about the XML server settings and active XML server sessions.

     
    Step 11 copy running-config startup-config  

    (Optional) Saves the running configuration to the startup configuration.

     

    The following example shows how to configure SSH and XML server options through CLI 

    switch# configure terminal
switch(config)# xml server validate all
switch(config)# xml server terminate 8665
switch(config)# no feature ssh
switch(config)# feature ssh server
switch(config)# xml server max-session 6
switch(config)# xml server timeout 2400
switch(config)# copy running-config startup-config

    Starting an SSH Session

    You can start an SSHv2 session on the client PC with a command similar to the following: 

    ssh2 username@ip-address -s xmlagent

    Enter the login username, the IP address of the device, and the service to connect to. The xmlagent service is referred to as the XML server in the device software.


    Note
    The SSH command syntax might differ from the SSH software on the client PC.

    If you do not receive a hello message from the XML server, verify the following conditions:

    • The SSH server is enabled on the device.
    • The XML server max-sessions option is adequate to support the number of SSH connections to the device.
    • The active XML server sessions on the device are not all in use.

    Sending the Hello Message

    When you start an SSH session to the XML server, the server responds immediately with a hello message that informs the client of the server’s capabilities. You must advertise your capabilities to the server with a hello message before the server processes any other requests. The XML server supports only base capabilities and expects support only for the base capabilities from the client.

    The following are sample hello messages from the server and the client.


    Note
    You must end all XML documents with ]]>]]> to support synchronization in NETCONF over SSH.
    Hello Message from the server
    <?xml version="1.0"?>
<hello xmlns="urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:netconf:base:1.0">
  <capabilities>
  <capability>urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:netconf:base:1.0</capability>
  </capabilities>
  <session-id>25241</session-id>
</hello>]]>]]>
    Hello Message from the Client
    
<?xml version="1.0"?>
<nc:hello xmlns:nc="urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:netconf:base:1.0">
  <nc:capabilities>
  <nc:capability>urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:netconf:base:1.0</nc:capability>
  </nc:capabilities>
</nc:hello>]]>]]>

    Obtaining the XSD Files

      Step 1   From your browser, navigate to the Cisco software download site at the following URL:

      http:/​/​software.cisco.com/​download/​navigator.html

      The Download Software page opens.

      Step 2   In the Select a Product list, choose Switches > Data Center Switches > platform > model .
      Step 3   If you are not already logged in as a registered Cisco user, you are prompted to log in now.
      Step 4   From the Select a Software Type list, choose NX-OS XML Schema Definition.
      Step 5   Find the desired release and click Download.
      Step 6   If you are requested, follow the instructions to apply for eligibility to download strong encryption software images.

      The Cisco End User License Agreement opens.

      Step 7   Click Agree and follow the instructions to download the file to your PC.

      Sending an XML Document to the XML Server

      To send an XML document to the XML server through an SSH session that you opened in a command shell, you can copy the XML text from an editor and paste it into the SSH session. Although typically you use an automated method to send XML documents to the XML server, you can verify the SSH connection to the XML server with this method.

      Follow these guidelines for this method:

      • Verify that the XML server sent the hello message immediately after you started the SSH session by looking for the hello message text in the command shell output.
      • Send the client hello message before you send any XML requests. Because the XML server sends the hello response immediately, no additional response is sent after you send the client hello message.
      • Always terminate the XML document with the character sequence ]]>]]>.

      Creating NETCONF XML Instances

      You can create NETCONF XML instances by enclosing XML device elements within an RPC tag and NETCONF operation tags. The XML device elements are defined in feature-based XML schema definition (XSD) files, which enclose available CLI commands in an XML format.

      The following are the tags used in the NETCONF XML request in a framework context. Tag lines are marked with the following letter codes:

      • X —XML declaration
      • R—RPC request tag
      • N—NETCONF operation tags
      • D—Device tags
      Table 2  NETCONF XML Framework Context
      X <?xml version="1.0"?>
R <nc:rpc message-id="1" xmlns:nc="urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:netconf:base:1.0"
R xmlns="http://www.cisco.com/nxos:1.0:nfcli”>
N <nc:get>
N <nc:filter type="subtree">
D <show>
D <xml>
D <server>
D <status/>
D </server>
D </xml>
D </show>
N </nc:filter>
N </nc:get>
R </nc:rpc>]]>]]>

      Note
      You must use your own XML editor or XML management interface tool to create XML instances.
      RPC Request Tag rpc

      All NETCONF XML instances must begin with the RPC request tag <rpc>. The example RPC Request Tag <rpc> shows the <rpc> element with its required message-id attribute. The message-id attribute is replicated in the <rpc-reply> and can be used to correlate requests and replies. The <rpc> node also contains the following XML namespace declarations:

      • NETCONF namespace declaration—The <rpc> and NETCONF tags that are defined in the "urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:netconf:base:1.0" namespace, are present in the netconf.xsd schema file.
      • Device namespace declaration—Device tags encapsulated by the <rpc> and NETCONF tags are defined in other namespaces. Device namespaces are feature oriented. Cisco NX-OS feature tags are defined in different namespaces. RPC Request Tag <rpc> is an example that uses the nfcli feature. It declares that the device namespace is "xmlns=http://www.cisco.com/nxos:1.0:nfcli". nfcli.xsd contains this namespace definition. For more information, see section on Obtaining the XSD Files.
      Table 3  RPC Request Tag <rpc>
      <nc:rpc message-id="315" xmlns:nc="urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:netconf:base:1.0"
xmlns=http://www.cisco.com/nxos:1.0:nfcli">
...
</nc:rpc>]]>]]>

      The following is an example of a configuration request.

      Table 4  Configuration Request
      <?xml version="1.0"?>
<nc:rpc message-id="16" xmlns:nc="urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:netconf:base:1.0"
  xmlns="http://www.cisco.com/nxos:1.0:if_manager">
  <nc:edit-config>
    <nc:target>
      <nc:running/>
    </nc:target>
    <nc:config>
      <configure>
        <__XML__MODE__exec_configure>
          <interface>
            <ethernet>
              <interface>2/30</interface>
              <__XML__MODE_if-ethernet>
                <__XML__MODE_if-eth-base>
                  <description>
                    <desc_line>Marketing Network</desc_line>
                  </description>
                </__XML__MODE_if-eth-base>
              </__XML__MODE_if-ethernet>
            </ethernet>
          </interface>
        </__XML__MODE__exec_configure>
      </configure>
    </nc:config>
  </nc:edit-config>
</nc:rpc>]]>]]>

      __XML__MODE tags are used internally by the NETCONF agent. Some tags are present only as children of a certain __XML__MODE. By examining the schema file, you should be able to find the correct mode tag that leads to the tags representing the CLI command in XML.

      NETCONF Operations Tags

      NETCONF provides the following configuration operations:

      Table 5 NETCONF Operations in Cisco NX-OS

      NETCONF Operation

      Description

      Example

      close-session

      Closes the current XML server session.

      		NETCONF Close Session Instance

      commit

      Sets the running configuration to current contents of candidate configuration.

      		NETCONF Commit Instance - Candidate Configuration Capability

      confirmed-commit

      Provides parameters to commit the configuration for a specified period of time. If this operation is not followed by commit operation within confirm-timeout period, the configuration will be reverted to the state prior to the confirmed-commit operation.

      		NETCONF Confirmed-commit Instance

      copy-config

      Copies the content of source configuration datastore to the target datastore.

      		NETCONF copy-config Instance

      delete-config

      Operation not supported.

      —

      edit-config

      Configures features in the running configuration of the device. You use this operation for configuration commands.

      Starting Release 7.3(0)D1(1), support is added for actions - create, delete and merge; rollback-on-error, continue-on-error, stop-on-error.

      		NETCONF edit-config Instance NETCONF rollback-on-error Instance

      get

      Receives configuration information from the device. You use this operation for show commands. The source of the data is the running configuration.

      		Creating NETCONF XML Instances

      get-config

      Retrieves all or part of a configuration

      		NETCONF get-config Instance

      kill-session

      Closes the specified XML server session. You cannot close your own session. See the close-session NETCONF operation.

      		NETCONF Kill-session Instance

      lock

      Allows the client to lock the configuration system of a device.

      		NETCONF Lock Instance

      unlock

      Releases the configuration lock issued by the session earlier.

      		NETCONF unlock Instance

      validate

      Checks a candidate configuration for syntactical and semantic errors before applying the configuration to the device.

      		NETCONF validate Capability Instance
      Device Tags

      The XML device elements represent the available CLI commands in XML format. The feature-specific schema files contain the XML tags for CLI commands of that particular feature. See the Obtaining the XSD Files section.

      Using this schema, it is possible to build an XML instance. For example, the relevant portions of the nfcli.xsd schema file that was used to build Creating NETCONF XML Instances is shown in the following examples .

      Table 6  show xml Device Tags
      <xs:element name="show" type="show_type_Cmd_show_xml"/>
<xs:complexType name="show_type_Cmd_show_xml">
<xs:annotation>
<xs:documentation>to display xml agent information</xs:documentation>
</xs:annotation>
<xs:sequence>
<xs:choice maxOccurs="1">
<xs:element name="xml" minOccurs="1" type="xml_type_Cmd_show_xml"/>
<xs:element name="debug" minOccurs="1" type="debug_type_Cmd_show_debug"/>
</xs:choice>
</xs:sequence>
<xs:attribute name="xpath-filter" type="xs:string"/>
<xs:attribute name="uses-namespace" type="nxos:bool_true"/>
</xs:complexType>
      Table 7  server status Device Tags
      <xs:complexType name="xml_type_Cmd_show_xml">
<xs:annotation>
<xs:documentation>xml agent</xs:documentation>
</xs:annotation>
<xs:sequence>
<xs:element name="server" minOccurs="1" type="server_type_Cmd_show_xml"/>
</xs:sequence>
</xs:complexType>
<xs:complexType name="server_type_Cmd_show_xml">
<xs:annotation>
<xs:documentation>xml agent server</xs:documentation>
</xs:annotation>
<xs:sequence>
<xs:choice maxOccurs="1">
<xs:element name="status" minOccurs="1" type="status_type_Cmd_show_xml"/>
<xs:element name="logging" minOccurs="1" type="logging_type_Cmd_show_logging_facility"/>
</xs:choice>
</xs:sequence>
</xs:complexType>

      The following example shows the device tag response.

      Table 8  Device Tag Response
      <xs:complexType name="status_type_Cmd_show_xml">
<xs:annotation>
<xs:documentation>display xml agent information</xs:documentation>
</xs:annotation>
<xs:sequence>
<xs:element name="__XML__OPT_Cmd_show_xml___readonly__" minOccurs="0">
<xs:complexType>
<xs:sequence>
<xs:group ref="og_Cmd_show_xml___readonly__" minOccurs="0" maxOccurs="1"/>
</xs:sequence>
</xs:complexType>
</xs:element>
</xs:sequence>
</xs:complexType>
<xs:group name="og_Cmd_show_xml___readonly__">
<xs:sequence>
<xs:element name="__readonly__" minOccurs="1" type="__readonly___type_Cmd_show_xml"/>
</xs:sequence>
</xs:group>
<xs:complexType name="__readonly___type_Cmd_show_xml">
<xs:sequence>
<xs:group ref="bg_Cmd_show_xml_operational_status" maxOccurs="1"/>
<xs:group ref="bg_Cmd_show_xml_maximum_sessions_configured" maxOccurs="1"/>
<xs:group ref="og_Cmd_show_xml_TABLE_sessions" minOccurs="0" maxOccurs="1"/>
</xs:sequence>
</xs:complexType>

      Note
      “__XML__OPT_Cmd_show_xml___readonly__” is optional. This tag represents the response. For more information on responses, see the RPC Response Tag section.

      You can use the | XML option to find the tags you should use to execute a <get>. The following is an example of the | XML option.

      Table 9  XML Example 
      Switch#> show xml server status | xml
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?>
<nf:rpc-reply xmlns:nf="urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:netconf:base:1.0"
xmlns="http://www.cisco.com/nxos:1.0:nfcli">
<nf:data>
<show>
<xml>
<server>
<status>
<__XML__OPT_Cmd_show_xml___readonly__>
<__readonly__>
<operational_status>
<o_status>enabled</o_status>
</operational_status>
<maximum_sessions_configured>
<max_session>8</max_session>
</maximum_sessions_configured>
</__readonly__>
</__XML__OPT_Cmd_show_xml___readonly__>
</status>
</server>
</xml>
</show>
</nf:data>
</nf:rpc-reply>
]]>]]>

      From this response, you can see that the namespace defining tag to execute operations on this component is http://www.cisco.com/nxos:1.0:nfcli and the nfcli.xsd file can be used to build requests for this feature.

      You can enclose the NETCONF operation tags and the device tags within the RPC tag. The </rpc> end-tag is followed by the XML termination character sequence.

      Extended NETCONF Operations

      Cisco NX-OS supports an <rpc> operation named <exec-command>. The operation allows client applications to send CLI configuration and show commands and to receive responses to those commands as XML tags.

      The following is an example of the tags used to configure an interface. Tag lines are marked with the following letter codes:

      • X —XML declaration
      • R—RPC request tag
      • EO—Extended operation
      Table 10  Configuration CLI Commands Sent Through <exec-command> 
      X <?xml version="1.0"?>
R <nf:rpc xmlns:nf="urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:netconf:base:1.0"
xmlns:nxos="http://www.cisco.com/nxos:1.0" message-id="3">
EO <nxos:exec-command>
EO <nxos:cmd>conf t ; interface ethernet 2/1 </nxos:cmd>
EO <nxos:cmd>channel-group 2000 ; no shut; </nxos:cmd>
EO </nxos:exec-command>
R </nf:rpc>]]>]]>

      The following is the response to the operation:

      Table 11  Response to CLI Commands Sent Through <exec-command> 
      <?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?>
<nf:rpc-reply xmlns:nf="urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:netconf:base:1.0"
xmlns:nxos="http://www.cisco.com/nxos:1.0" message-id="3">
<nf:ok/>
</nf:rpc-reply>
]]>]]>

      The following example shows how the show CLI commands that are sent through the <exec-command> can be used to retrieve data.

      Table 12  show CLI Commands Sent Through <exec-command>
      <?xml version="1.0"?>
<nf:rpc xmlns:nf="urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:netconf:base:1.0"
xmlns:nxos="http://www.cisco.com/nxos:1.0" message-id="110">
<nxos:exec-command>
<nxos:cmd>show interface brief</nxos:cmd>
</nxos:exec-command>
</nf:rpc>]]>]]>

      The following is the response to the operation.

      Table 13  Response to the show CLI commands Sent Through <exec-command>
      <?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?>
<nf:rpc-reply xmlns:nf="urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:netconf:base:1.0"
xmlns:nxos="http://www.cisco.com/nxos:1.0"
xmlns:mod="http://www.cisco.com/nxos:1.0:if_manager" message-id="110">
<nf:data>
<mod:show>
<mod:interface>
<mod:__XML__OPT_Cmd_show_interface_brief___readonly__>
<mod:__readonly__>
<mod:TABLE_interface>
<mod:ROW_interface>
<mod:interface>mgmt0</mod:interface>
<mod:state>up</mod:state>
<mod:ip_addr>172.23.152.20</mod:ip_addr>
<mod:speed>1000</mod:speed>
<mod:mtu>1500</mod:mtu>
</mod:ROW_interface>
<mod:ROW_interface>
<mod:interface>Ethernet2/1</mod:interface>
<mod:vlan>--</mod:vlan>
<mod:type>eth</mod:type>
<mod:portmode>routed</mod:portmode>
<mod:state>down</mod:state>
<mod:state_rsn_desc>Administratively down</mod:state_rsn_desc>
<mod:speed>auto</mod:speed>
<mod:ratemode>D</mod:ratemode>
</mod:ROW_interface>
</mod:TABLE_interface>
</mod:__readonly__>
</mod:__XML__OPT_Cmd_show_interface_brief___readonly__>
</mod:interface>
</mod:show>
</nf:data>
</nf:rpc-reply>
]]>]]>

      The following table provides a detailed explanation of the operation tags:

      Table 14 Tags

      Tag

      Description

      <exec-command>

      Executes a CLI command.

      <cmd>

      Contains the CLI command. A command can be a show or configuration command. Multiple configuration commands should be separated by a semicolon “;”. Multiple show commands are not supported. You can send multiple configuration commands in different <cmd> tags as part of the same request. For more information, see the Example on Configuration CLI Commands Sent Through <exec-command> .

      Replies to configuration commands that are sent through the <cmd> tag are as follows:

      • <nf:ok>: All configure commands are executed successfully.
      • <nf:rpc-error>: Some commands have failed. The operation stops on the first error, and the <nf:rpc-error> subtree provides more information on what configuration failed. Notice that any configuration executed before the failed command would have been applied to the running configuration.

      The following example shows a failed configuration:

      Table 15  Failed Configuration 
      <?xml version="1.0"?>
<nf:rpc xmlns:nf="urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:netconf:base:1.0"
xmlns:nxos="http://www.cisco.com/nxos:1.0" message-id="3">
<nxos:exec-command>
<nxos:cmd>configure terminal ; interface ethernet2/1 </nxos:cmd>
<nxos:cmd>ip address 1.1.1.2/24 </nxos:cmd>
<nxos:cmd>no channel-group 2000 ; no shut; </nxos:cmd>
</nxos:exec-command>
</nf:rpc>]]>]]>
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?>
<nf:rpc-reply xmlns:nf="urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:netconf:base:1.0"
xmlns:nxos="http://www.cisco.com/nxos:1.0" message-id="3">
<nf:rpc-error>
<nf:error-type>application</nf:error-type>
<nf:error-tag>invalid-value</nf:error-tag>
<nf:error-severity>error</nf:error-severity>
<nf:error-message>Ethernet2/1: not part of port-channel 2000
</nf:error-message>
<nf:error-info>
<nf:bad-element>cmd</nf:bad-element>
</nf:error-info>
</nf:rpc-error>
</nf:rpc-reply>
]]>]]>

      As a result of a command execution, the IP address of the interface is set, but the administrative state is not modified (the no shut command is not executed) because the no port-channel 2000 command results in an error.

      The <rpc-reply> as a result of a show command that is sent through the <cmd> tag contains the XML output of the show command.

      You cannot combine configuration and show commands on the same <exec-command> instance. The following example shows a configuration and show command that are combined in the same instance.

      Table 16  Combination of Configuration and show Commands
      <?xml version="1.0"?>
<nf:rpc xmlns:nf="urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:netconf:base:1.0"
xmlns:nxos="http://www.cisco.com/nxos:1.0" message-id="110">
<nxos:exec-command>
<nxos:cmd>conf t ; interface ethernet 2/1 ; ip address 1.1.1.4/24 ; show xml
server status </nxos:cmd>
</nxos:exec-command>
</nf:rpc>]]>]]>
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?>
<nf:rpc-reply xmlns:nf="urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:netconf:base:1.0"
xmlns:nxos="http://www.cisco.com/nxos:1.0" message-id="110">
<nf:rpc-error>
<nf:error-type>application</nf:error-type>
<nf:error-tag>invalid-value</nf:error-tag>
<nf:error-severity>error</nf:error-severity>
<nf:error-message>Error: cannot mix config and show in exec-command. Config cmds
before the show were executed.
Cmd:show xml server status</nf:error-message>
<nf:error-info>
<nf:bad-element>cmd</nf:bad-element>
</nf:error-info>
</nf:rpc-error>
</nf:rpc-reply>
]]>]]>

      The show command must be sent in its own <exec-command> instance as shown in the following example:

      Table 17  Show CLI Commands Sent Through <exec-command>
      <?xml version="1.0"?>
<nf:rpc xmlns:nf="urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:netconf:base:1.0"
xmlns:nxos="http://www.cisco.com/nxos:1.0" message-id="110">
<nxos:exec-command>
<nxos:cmd>show xml server status ; show xml server status </nxos:cmd>
</nxos:exec-command>
</nf:rpc>]]>]]>
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?>
<nf:rpc-reply xmlns:nf="urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:netconf:base:1.0"
xmlns:nxos="http://www.cisco.com/nxos:1.0" message-id="110">
<nf:rpc-error>
<nf:error-type>application</nf:error-type>
<nf:error-tag>invalid-value</nf:error-tag>
<nf:error-severity>error</nf:error-severity>
<nf:error-message>Error: show cmds in exec-command shouldn't be followed by anything
</nf:error-message>
<nf:error-info>
<nf:bad-element>&lt;cmd&gt;</nf:bad-element>
</nf:error-info>
</nf:rpc-error>
</nf:rpc-reply>
]]>]]>

      NETCONF Replies

      For every XML request sent by the client, the XML server sends an XML response enclosed in the RPC response tag <rpc-reply>.

      This section contains the following topics:

      RPC Response Tag

      The following example shows the RPC response tag <rpc-reply>.

      Table 18  RPC Response Tag <rpc-reply>
      <nc:rpc-reply message-id=”315” xmlns:nc="urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:netconf:base:1.0"
xmlns=http://www.cisco.com/nxos:1.0:nfcli">
<ok/>
</nc:rpc-reply>]]>]]>

      The elements <ok>, <data>, and <rpc-error> can appear in the RPC response. The following table describes the RPC response elements that can appear in the <rpc-reply> tag.

      Table 19 RPC Response Elements

      Element

      Description

      <ok>

      The RPC request completed successfully. This element is used when no data is returned in the response.

      <data>

      The RPC request completed successfully. The data associated with the RPC request is enclosed in the <data> element.

      <rpc-error>

      The RPC request failed. Error information is enclosed in the <rpc-error> element.

      Interpreting Tags Encapsulated in the Data Tag

      The device tags encapsulated by the <data> tag contain the request followed by the response. A client application can safely ignore all tags before the <readonly> tag. The following is an example:

      Table 20  RPC-reply data
      <?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?>
<nf:rpc-reply xmlns:nf="urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:netconf:base:1.0"
xmlns="http://www.cisco.com/nxos:1.0:if_manager">
<nf:data>
<show>
<interface>
<__XML__OPT_Cmd_show_interface_brief___readonly__>
<__readonly__>
<TABLE_interface>
<ROW_interface>
<interface>mgmt0</interface>
<state>up</state>
<ip_addr>xx.xx.xx.xx</ip_addr>
<speed>1000</speed>
<mtu>1500</mtu>
</ROW_interface>
<ROW_interface>
<interface>Ethernet2/1</interface>
<vlan>--</vlan>
<type>eth</type>
<portmode>routed</portmode>
<state>down</state>
<state_rsn_desc>Administratively down</state_rsn_desc>
<speed>auto</speed>
<ratemode>D</ratemode>
</ROW_interface>
</TABLE_interface>
</__readonly__>
</__XML__OPT_Cmd_show_interface_brief___readonly__>
</interface>
</show>
</nf:data>
</nf:rpc-reply>
]]>]]>

      <__XML__OPT.*> and <__XML__BLK.*> appear in responses and are sometimes used in requests. These tags are used by the NETCONF agent and are present in responses after the <__readonly__> tag. They are necessary in requests and should be added according to the schema file to reach the XML tag that represents the CLI command.

      Example XML Instances

      This section provides the examples of the following XML instances:

      NETCONF Close Session Instance

      The following example shows the close-session request, followed by the close-session response.

      Table 21  Close-session Request
      <?xml version="1.0"?>
<nc:rpc message-id="101" xmlns:nc="urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:netconf:base:1.0"
xmlns="http://www.cisco.com/nxos:1.0">
<nc:close-session/>
</nc:rpc>]]>]]>
      Table 22 Close-session Response
      <nc:rpc-reply xmlns:nc="urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:netconf:base:1.0"
xmlns="http://www.cisco.com/nxos:1.0" message-id="101">
<nc:ok/>
</nc:rpc-reply>]]>]]>

      NETCONF Kill-session Instance

      The following example shows the kill-session request followed by the kill-session response.

      Table 23  Kill-session Request
      <nc:rpc message-id="101" xmlns:nc="urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:netconf:base:1.0"
xmlns="http://www.cisco.com/nxos:1.0">
<nc:kill-session>
<nc:session-id>25241</nc:session-id>
</nc:kill-session>
</nc:rpc>]]>]]>
      Table 24  Kill-session Response
      <?xml version="1.0"?>
<nc:rpc-reply xmlns:nc="urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:netconf:base:1.0"
xmlns="http://www.cisco.com/nxos:1.0" message-id="101">
<nc:ok/>
</nc:rpc-reply>]]>]]>

      NETCONF copy-config Instance

      The following example shows the copy-config request followed by the copy-config response.

      Table 25  Copy-config Request
      <rpc message-id="101"
xmlns="urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:netconf:base:1.0">
<copy-config>
<target>
<running/>
</target>
<source>
<url>https://user@example.com:passphrase/cfg/new.txt</url>
</source>
</copy-config>
</rpc>
      Table 26  Copy-config Response
      xmlns="urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:netconf:base:1.0">
<ok/>
</rpc-reply>

      NETCONF edit-config Instance

      The following example shows the use of NETCONF edit-config.

      Table 27 Edit-config Request
      <?xml version="1.0"?>
<nc:rpc message-id="16" xmlns:nc="urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:netconf:base:1.0"
xmlns="http://www.cisco.com/nxos:1.0:if_manager">
<nc:edit-config>
<nc:target>
<nc:running/>
</nc:target>
<nc:config>
<configure>
<__XML__MODE__exec_configure>
<interface>
<ethernet>
<interface>2/30</interface>
<__XML__MODE_if-ethernet>
<__XML__MODE_if-eth-base>
<description>
<desc_line>Marketing Network</desc_line>
</description>
</__XML__MODE_if-eth-base>
</__XML__MODE_if-ethernet>
</ethernet>
</interface>
</__XML__MODE__exec_configure>
</configure>
</nc:config>
</nc:edit-config>
</nc:rpc>]]>]]>
      Table 28 Edit-config Response
      <?xml version="1.0"?>
<nc:rpc-reply xmlns:nc="urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:netconf:base:1.0"
xmlns="http://www.cisco.com/nxos:1.0:if_manager" message-id="16">
<nc:ok/>
</nc:rpc-reply>]]>]]>

      The operation attribute in edit-config identifies the point in configuration where the specified operation will be performed. If the operation attribute is not specified, the configuration is merged into the existing configuration data store. Operation attribute can have the following values:

      • create
      • merge
      • delete

      The following example shows how to delete the configuration of interface Ethernet 0/0 from the running configuration.

      Table 29  Edit-config: Delete Operation Request
      xmlns="urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:netconf:base:1.0">
<edit-config>
<target>
<running/>
</target>
<default-operation>none</default-operation>
<config xmlns:xc="urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:netconf:base:1.0">
<top xmlns="http://example.com/schema/1.2/config">
<interface xc:operation="delete">
<name>Ethernet0/0</name>
</interface>
</top>
</config>
</edit-config>
</rpc>]]>]]>
      Table 30 Response to edit-config: Delete Operation
      <rpc-reply message-id="101"
xmlns="urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:netconf:base:1.0">
<ok/>
</rpc-reply>]]>]]>

      NETCONF get-config Instance

      The following example shows the use of NETCONF get-config.

      Table 31 Get-config Request to Retrieve the Entire Subtree
      <rpc message-id="101"
xmlns="urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:netconf:base:1.0">
<get-config>
<source>
<running/>
</source>
<filter type="subtree">
<top xmlns="http://example.com/schema/1.2/config">
<users/>
</top>
</filter>
</get-config>
</rpc>]]>]]>
      Table 32 Get-config Response with Results of the Query
      <rpc-reply message-id="101"
xmlns="urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:netconf:base:1.0">
<data>
<top xmlns="http://example.com/schema/1.2/config">
<users>
<user>
<name>root</name>
<type>superuser</type>
<full-name>Charlie Root</full-name>
<company-info>
<dept>1</dept>
<id>1</id>
</company-info>
</user>
<!-- additional <user> elements appear here... -->
</users>
</top>
</data>
</rpc-reply>]]>]]>

      NETCONF Lock Instance

      The following example shows the use of NETCONF lock operation.

      The following examples show the lock request, a success response and a response to an unsuccessful attempt.

      Table 33  Lock Request
      <rpc message-id="101"
xmlns="urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:netconf:base:1.0">
<lock>
<target>
<running/>
</target>
</lock>
</rpc>]]>]]>
      Table 34  Response to Successful Acquisition of Lock
      <rpc-reply message-id="101"
xmlns="urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:netconf:base:1.0">
<ok/> <!-- lock succeeded -->
</rpc-reply>]]>]]>
      Table 35  Response to Unsuccessful Attempt to Acquire the Lock
      <rpc-reply message-id="101"
xmlns="urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:netconf:base:1.0">
<rpc-error> <!-- lock failed -->
<error-type>protocol</error-type>
<error-tag>lock-denied</error-tag>
<error-severity>error</error-severity>
<error-message>
Lock failed, lock is already held
</error-message>
<error-info>
<session-id>454</session-id>
<!-- lock is held by NETCONF session 454 -->
</error-info>
</rpc-error>
</rpc-reply>]]>]]>

      NETCONF unlock Instance

      The following example shows the use of NETCONF unlock operation.

      Table 36  unlock request 
      <rpc message-id="101"
xmlns="urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:netconf:base:1.0">
<unlock>
<target>
<running/>
</target>
</unlock>
</rpc>
      Table 37  response to unlock request
      <rpc-reply message-id="101"
xmlns="urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:netconf:base:1.0">
<ok/>
</rpc-reply>

      NETCONF Commit Instance - Candidate Configuration Capability

      The following example shows the commit operation and the commit reply:

      Table 38  Commit Operation
      <rpc message-id="101"
xmlns="urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:netconf:base:1.0">
<commit/>
</rpc>
      Table 39  Commit Reply
      <rpc-reply message-id="101"
xmlns="urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:netconf:base:1.0">
<ok/>
</rpc-reply>

      NETCONF Confirmed-commit Instance

      The following example shows the confirmed-commit operation and confirmed-commit reply.

      Table 40  Confirmed Commit Request
      <rpc message-id="101"
xmlns="urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:netconf:base:1.0">
<commit>
<confirmed/>
<confirm-timeout>120</confirm-timeout>
</commit>
</rpc>]]>]]>
      Table 41  Confirmed Commit Response
      <rpc-reply message-id="101"
xmlns="urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:netconf:base:1.0">
<ok/>
</rpc-reply>]]>]]>

      NETCONF rollback-on-error Instance

      The following example shows the use of NETCONF rollback on error capability that is identified by the string urn:ietf:params:netconf:capability:rollback-on-error:1.0

      The following example shows the how to configure rollback on error and the response to this request.

      Table 42  Rollback-on-error capability
      <rpc message-id="101"
xmlns="urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:netconf:base:1.0">
<edit-config>
<target>
<running/>
</target>
<error-option>rollback-on-error</error-option>
<config>
<top xmlns="http://example.com/schema/1.2/config">
<interface>
<name>Ethernet0/0</name>
<mtu>100000</mtu>
</interface>
</top>
</config>
</edit-config>
</rpc>]]>]]>
      Table 43  Rollback-on-error response
      <rpc-reply message-id="101"
xmlns="urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:netconf:base:1.0">
<ok/>
</rpc-reply>]]>]]>

      NETCONF validate Capability Instance

      The following example shows the use of NETCONF validate capability that is identified by the string urn:ietf:params:netconf:capability:validate:1.0

      Table 44 Validate request
      xmlns="urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:netconf:base:1.0">
<validate>
<source>
<candidate/>
</source>
</validate>
</rpc>]]>]]>
      Table 45 Response to validate request
      <rpc-reply message-id="101"
xmlns="urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:netconf:base:1.0">
<ok/>
</rpc-reply>]]>]]>

      Additional References

      This section provides additional information related to implementing the XML management interface.

      Standards

      Standards

      Title

      No new or modified standards are supported by this feature. Support for existing standards has not been modified by this feature.

      —

      RFCs

      RFCs

      Title

      RFC 4741

      NETCONF Configuration Protocol

      RFC 4742

      Using the NETCONF Configuration Protocol over Secure Shell (SSH)