In ONOS, NETCONF and YANG serve different, complementary roles: NETCONF is a protocol for communicating with and managing a network device, while YANG defines the structure and meaning of configuration and state data. ONOS uses southbound providers and drivers to handle protocol and device-specific details, allowing higher-level functions to work through broader abstractions. The exact connection steps and model compatibility depend on the ONOS release, device, and YANG modules involved.
How do NETCONF and YANG work together in ONOS?
Think of NETCONF as the management conversation with a device and YANG as a schema for the data exchanged or represented in that conversation. NETCONF and YANG are related, but they are not alternatives to one another: a device can expose management operations over NETCONF while YANG modules describe data such as configuration and operational state. An ON.Lab presentation at ONS 2016 described NETCONF as the protocol and YANG as the description of device information, configuration, and state.
In ONOS, the southbound interface is the boundary between the controller and network devices. A protocol provider handles communication through a particular protocol, and a driver supplies device-specific behavior and capabilities. This adapter approach is intended to keep protocol and device details out of the ONOS core. The Open Networking Foundation summarized the design in 2019: “ONOS abstracts device characteristics so that the core operating system does not have to be aware of the particular protocol being used to control or configure a device.”
The practical implication is that having NETCONF support in an ONOS deployment does not by itself guarantee that every device or every YANG model is supported. The applicable provider, driver, device software, and model set all matter. Campanella’s 2016 presentation captured the architectural goal as “Core stays independent”; it also discussed implementation challenges such as translating YANG models to XML, variation in device payloads, per-device models, and overlapping features. Those are historical implementation observations, not a guarantee about the behavior of every current ONOS release.
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How do I connect a NETCONF device to ONOS?
Use the following as a release-neutral checklist, not a copy-and-paste configuration. ONOS’s archived NETCONF guide describes adding a device through network configuration, activating the NETCONF application, selecting a driver, and checking reachability through the provider. Its exact commands, endpoint defaults, and authentication examples are historical and may not apply to your deployment.
- Confirm the target environment. Identify the ONOS release, device model and operating-system version, NETCONF availability, and the device’s supported authentication and management settings.
- Enable the appropriate application or provider. Use the application and provider names supported by your ONOS release. The archived guide documents
org.onosproject.netconf, but do not assume that activation command or package name is current for another release. - Configure the endpoint and credentials through the supported mechanism. The archived guide uses a network-configuration JSON entry with an address, port, username, password, and driver choice. Follow your release’s configuration format and security guidance; do not assume a default port, SSH key path, or REST endpoint from an old example.
- Select a suitable driver. Use a driver appropriate to the device and its supported operations. A generic NETCONF connection may establish communication without providing all device-specific behavior expected by an application.
- Check provider connectivity and device status. Confirm that the provider can reach the endpoint and that ONOS reports the device as available. The archived guide describes reachability checks after configuration and repeated checks, but does not establish timing for current releases.
- Validate capabilities and inspect failures. Compare the device’s advertised capabilities and model support with the required operations. If the device is unavailable or configuration fails, inspect ONOS and device logs, then verify addressing, authentication, driver selection, and model compatibility.
Which YANG model does my ONOS device need?
There is no universal YANG model for a “NETCONF device.” Choose the model set that matches the device and its software version, and verify that ONOS has the provider, driver, and tooling needed to use it. A model’s presence in an ONOS-related toolchain means it is packaged or supported by that tooling; it does not prove that a particular physical device implements it.
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Model compatibility can involve more than one file. The onos-config model-plugin guide describes a target model assembled from multiple YANG files, potentially including augments and deviations. These related modules need to be considered together. A versioned model represents a combined set for a particular target type and version, while a model plugin can expose target capabilities and validate JSON configuration.
Check all of the following against the device documentation and its advertised capabilities:
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- required modules and dependencies, including augments;
- vendor deviations and the device’s target software version;
- supported NETCONF operations and whether required data is configurable, read-only, or operational state;
- the ONOS provider and driver required for the intended interaction.
Version labels need careful interpretation: the model-plugin guide notes that model-reported versions and YANG revision dates can use different schemes in OpenConfig cases. A familiar model name alone is therefore not enough to establish that a particular revision will work.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What to verify before relying on the integration
Compatibility is a property of a specific combination, not of the labels “ONOS,” “NETCONF,” or “YANG” in isolation. Before deploying, verify the ONOS release, provider and driver, device and OS release, exact model revisions and dependencies, required operations, and authentication method. The archived ONOS setup guide and 2016 presentation provide useful historical context, but their examples should not be treated as current universal instructions.
The ONF’s 2019 ONOS Features overview reported more than 135 platform extensions at that time, including applications, southbound providers, precompiled YANG models such as OpenConfig and Open ROADM, drivers, and utilities. That is a historical figure, not a current extension count.
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Sources and version notes
- ONOS NETCONF wiki — operational setup guidance; archived and release-sensitive.
- ONOS Architecture wiki — historical explanation of the controller’s southbound boundary.
- Open Networking Foundation, ONOS Features (2019) — architecture statement and historical extension count.
- Andrea Campanella, ON.Lab presentation at ONS 2016 — historical NETCONF/YANG integration goals and implementation challenges.
- onos-config model-plugin guide — model composition, plugins, and validation; the GitHub master document can change over time.
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