MG-SOFT NETCONF Browser Professional Edition
Screen shots
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MG-SOFT NetConf Browser Professional Edition is an application with modern and intuitive graphical user interface (GUI) that lets you select commands for performing all operations defined by the NETCONF protocol (RFC 6241, RFC 4741). The user interface lets you, for example, select the desired node in the YANG tree and choose the corresponding <get> or <get-config> command from the context menu to easily retrieve the value of the respective leaf, leaf-list, or list data node instances or entire subtrees from the selected datastore in the remote NETCONF device. Furthermore, NetConf Browser GUI contains dedicated toolbar buttons, dialog boxes, windows and commands that let you quickly and effectively perform other NETCONF operations, such as <edit-config>,<copy-config>, <delete-config>, <lock>, <unlock>, etc.
In the image: Selecting NETCONF edit-config command in MG-SOFT NetConf Browser main window (Dark mode on macOS).
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MG-SOFT NetConf Browser provides full support for Network Management Datastore Architecture (NMDA) (RFC 8342). It supports all datastores specified in NMDA: operational, conventional (startup, running, candidate, intended), and dynamic datastores. The software can also automatically discover datastores supported by the NMDA server, download the YANG modules belonging to each datastore, and visualize the supported datastores in separate tabs in the YANG Tree panel, e.g., conventional, operational, etc. You can click the tabs in the YANG Tree panel to switch between different datastores, expand the YANG tree in each datastore separately and select relevant NETCONF operations from the context menu. NetConf Browser supports NMDA-specific <get-data> and <edit-data> operations, as well as augments to <lock>, <unlock> and <validate> operations, as specified in RFC 8526.
In the image: Choosing NETCONF NMDA get-data command in MG-SOFT NetConf Browser main window (Dark mode on Windows).
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MG-SOFT NetConf Browser incorporates full support for the gRPC Network Management Interface (gNMI) protocol (specification). The software can establish a connection to any gNMI device in the network and discover the gNMI version, YANG models, and encodings it supports by means of the Capabilities RPC. Supported are also Get Set and Subscribe RPC operations used for retrieving and modifying device configuration and for subscribing to telemetry streams, respectively. NetConf Browser provides an intuitive user interface for choosing gNMI operations/RPCs, specifying paths using YANG-based auto-complete feature, setting other RPC options and sending gNMI messages to targets.
In the image: Choosing gNMI get command in MG-SOFT NetConf Browser main window (Dark mode on Windows).
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NetConf Browser implements full support for the RESTCONF protocol (RFC 8040) with both, XML and JSON data encoding. The application user interface, data validation procedures and message payload composing transparently support also RESTCONF protocol in addition to NETCONF and gNMI. NetConf Browser lets you use all standard RESTCONF HTTP methods, like GET, POST, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, etc., invoke proprietary operations and actions, and allows receiving event notifications via RESTCONF. NetConf Browser supports also RESTCONF extensions for NMDA, as specified in RFC 8527.
In the image: Choosing RESTCONF get command in MG-SOFT NetConf Browser main window (Light mode on Windows).
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Using the auto-complete feature when creating the RESTCONF PUT message payload in JSON format.
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MG-SOFT NetConf Browser supports NETCONF over TLS (Transport Layer Security) protocol version 1.2 (RFC 7589, RFC 5539 for backward compatibility) employing the public key authentication mechanism. In addition to TLS, NetConf Browser supports the public key authentication also with SSH2 transport protocol.
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MG-SOFT NetConf Browser supports gNMI connections over HTTP/2 over TLS, using the public key infrastructure (X.509 certificates) for authentication and data encryption. The software supports JSON, JSON_IETF and PROTO encodings of structured data in gNMI protocol. In addition to the standard gNMI mode secured by TLS, NetConf Browser supports also insecure mode that does not involve TLS protocol and associated X.509 certificates. The latter can be used in secure environments, e.g., for testing purposes. After establishing gNMI session with a device, NetConf Browser automatically discovers the gNMI version, YANG models, and supported encodings of the device. The software can also be configured to automatically load YANG modules so one can immediately start managing the given device.
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The built-in certificate manager tool lets you generate and manage digital certificates used for securing NETCONF over TLS and NETCONF over SSH with public key authentication sessions, as well as for RESTCONF and gNMI over TLS connections. This easy-to-use tool allows you to generate new public and private key pairs wrapped in X.509 certificates in a wizard-driven fashion, quickly import certificates from external keystore files, generate certificate signing requests, export certificates, manage trusted CA certificates, etc.
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NetConf Browser supports connecting to RESTCONF devices via the HTTP over TLS (HTTPS), using the TLS public key infrastructure (X.509 certificates) for authenticating both server and client. In addition to TLS authentication, the HTTP client authentication is also available featuring the basic and digest authentication scheme.
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MG-SOFT NetConf Browser supports NETCONF Call Home over SSH and TLS, as well as RESTCONF Call Home connections over HTTPS (RFC 8071). Call Home is a method where a server is the peer that initiates a secure connection to a NETCONF/RESTCONF client (i.e., NetConf Browser). The Call Home connection method is useful in many scenarios, for example, when server devices are deployed behind a firewall and/or NAT that does not allow management access to the internal network, etc.
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The software lets you configure and use profiles for managing different NETCONF, RESTCONF and gNMI-enabled devices (servers). A device profile contains parameters that describe a particular device, i.e., the device address, description, device data model (e.g., supported YANG modules) and connection type and details, optionally including user credentials. NetConf Browser can automatically discover and download YANG modules from a device - if device supports YANG Library or get-schema mechanism. By default, when you switch to a device profile in NetConf Browser, the software automatically connects to the respective device and loads the relevant YANG modules, so you can start quickly managing that device using the data model, datastores, capabilities and features it supports.
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NetConf Browser lets you load any set of valid YANG 1.1 and YANG 1 modules (as well as YIN 1.1. and YIN 1 modules) and display their contents in a visual manner, where module elements are represented in a hierarchical tree structure, containing nodes on which NETCONF/RESTCONF/gNMI operations can be invoked. NetConf Browser also checks the syntax and semantics of every YANG module it loads. The hierarchy of YANG statements may be easily explored and full details about each node can be examined in the YANG Node Properties window. The software expands the YANG statement tree defined in the modules into an actual schema tree. This means that all uses statements are replaced with appropriate grouping contents and augment targets actually contain the augmented nodes.
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The advanced NETCONF Content Editor tool allows you to edit a NETCONF or RESTCONF message payload in textual manner by using the full-fledged XML/JSON editor with syntax coloring and YANG based auto-complete feature, or in visual manner by building a graphical document tree structure with nodes representing the XML or JSON constructs, their attributes and values.
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NETCONF Content Editor - Composing <edit-config> request in Visual Editor (right panel).
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Both, the XML Editor (left panel) and the Visual Editor (right panel) in the NETCONF Content Editor window guide you while composing the content by offering you to add only those elements that are valid at the given location. By default, the tool automatically validates the content you are editing and displays an easy-to-understand error or warning message if any inconsistency is detected. This way, you can quickly fix all syntax and semantic inconsistencies and send a valid XML or JSON message to the connected server, e.g., to modify its configuration or perform any other NETCONF/RESTCONF operation.
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The Message History log in the in the NETCONF Content Editor window records all NETCONF/RESTCONF messages sent from the Editor and responses received from the connected device, allowing you to immediately view if a particular operation succeeded or resulted in error. In addition, this feature enables you to keep track of the message history, edit and re-send selected messages, copy messages to the clipboard, etc.
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The software lets you easily compare configurations of two different devices or two different configuration datastores on one device. The retrieved (parts of) configurations are displayed side-by-side in the Diff View window. The Diff View window lets you easily find all mismatching nodes and allows you to filter the comparison view, e.g., to show only the matching nodes, only orphaned nodes, or only mismatching nodes in both configurations. Both, graphical comparison (tree view) and textual configuration comparison (XML view) are supported (except for gNMI).
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The software lets you compare configurations also in XML form (except for gNMI devices). The Diff View window lets you switch between the graphical (tree view) and textual (XML) comparison mode at any time.
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The built-in Scripting Console window lets you open, edit and run a number of Python scripts (.py) in order to connect to remote NETCONF devices and perform arbitrary NETCONF operations (incl. NMDA-specific operations) against them in an automated manner. The Scripting Console window includes the multi-tabbed text editor with Python syntax coloring. It lets you open and edit multiple scripts, each in its own tab (upper panel). The multi-tabbed Output Console panel (lower panel) displays the output of executed scripts and the current status of scripts (running, finished, paused, ...).
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MG-SOFT NetConf Browser lets you select, e.g., a subtree node in the YANG tree and generate the payload (XML) of a NETCONF <edit-config>/<edit-data> request or the payload (XML or JSON) of a RESTCONF PUT/PATCH request, respectively. Similarly, the software can generate the payload for a gNMI Set request from YANG data model.
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The generated configuration content includes at least one instance of all config=true data nodes (leaf, leaf-list, list, container, anyxml, etc.) from the given subtree. The generated leaf and leaf-list elements have valid, yet dummy values that can be easily edited before sending the content to the server. This powerful feature allows you to quickly and easily create a (part of) configuration from scratch.
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After sending any NETCONF, RESTCONF or gNMI message from NetConf Browser, you can save the message to the Command Quicklist panel for later use. You can name the message/command arbitrarily to quickly find and re-use it at any time later (also after a program restart). The Command Quicklist panel is accessible in the main window and contains a list of saved messages and a search tool that lets you quickly find the relevant messages and edit or re-send them. This way, you can create a list of important or frequently used commands/messages for ease of access and greater productivity.
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MG-SOFT NetConf Browser supports the standard YANG library 1.0 and 1.1 mechanisms (RFC 7895, RFC 8525) that enable it to identify and retrieve all YANG modules implemented by a NETCONF or RESTCONF server supporting this capability. The software can automatically download YANG modules and submodules from a NETCONF/RESTCONF server. In case of an NMDA-compliant device, NetConf Browser can automatically discover all datastores supported by the device that implements YANG Library 1.1 (RFC 8525), download the YANG modules belonging to each datastore, and visualize supported datastores in separate tabs in the YANG Tree panel. Retrieved modules are automatically loaded and cached as a part of the device profile used for managing a particular device.
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NetConf Browser compares the local cache with the YANG library data on the device and lets you retrieve a newer set of YANG modules when available.
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NetConf Browser automatically scans all new YANG and YIN modules for dependencies (imported and included modules) and lets you scan user-specified locations for the matching modules. The entire information about the "registered" modules and submodules is stored in a single place and can be viewed in the Known Modules window. The latter also enables loading modules that have many dependencies with a single click of a button, as well as keeping and loading different revisions of the same modules.
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NetConf Browser checks the validity of all YANG and YIN modules it loads. In addition to the syntax checking, it also checks the semantics of YANG and YIN modules. The built-in YANG validation engine has been extended to fully support all YANG 1.1 syntax and semantics (besides YANG 1), including the new statements ('action', 'anydata'), new 'XPath' functions, modified rules for 'notifications', changed lexical rules and the new submodule scoping rules, to name some of the more important changes in YANG 1.1. Furthermore, MG-SOFT NetConf Browser goes beyond the 'standard' YANG validation offered by other products on the market and performs a complete validation of XPath expression syntax and semantics in YANG 'must' and 'when' statements.
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Users can quickly perform the NETCONF <commit> and <discard-changes> operations by using the main menu or the respective buttons in the application's toolbar.
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The software lets you easily perform the NETCONF <confirmed-commit> and <cancel-commit> operations by using the dedicated dialog boxes. The application allows you to quickly start a new <confirmed-commit> operation and prolong or commit an existing one.
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NetConf Browser supports the NETCONF <get-schema> operation (RFC 6022) that lets you download schema definitions (e.g., YANG and YIN modules) from remote NETCONF servers.
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The Session History tab in the main window contains a chronologically sorted list of all NETCONF, RESTCONF an gNMI sessions and messages exchanged within these sessions. This feature allows you to quickly navigate though messages that were sent and received by NetConf Browser. Messages are presented as formatted XML or JSON documents with syntax coloring. Depending on its type, a message may be copied, reused or edited. You can resend NETCONF and RESTCONF messages or edit/check them in the NETCONF Content Editor by simply choosing the corresponding command from the context menu
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NetConf Browser supports the original NETCONF event reporting mechanism defined in RFC 5277, as well as the modern alternative to it - notification subscription mechanism defined in RFC 8639 - RFC 8641 and referred to as "YANG Push". The software lets you establish and manage multiple dynamic and configured subscriptions to either event streams or datastore push updates on a server. The subscribed information is then sent to NetConf Browser by means of the NETCONF or RESTCONF notifications, as specified in RFC 8640 and RFC 8650, respectively. The software displays all subscriptions and all received notifications in the Notifications window, which enables effective notification monitoring, filtering and subscription management in one place
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Viewing event notifications received via RESTCONF protocol (JSON encoding).
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YANG Push mechanism enables streaming of subscribed datastore contents from server to client by means of push notifications, e.g., via NETCONF and RESTCONF protocol. Similarly, gNMI Subscribe mechanism enables streaming of configuration and state data from server to client by means of gNMI notifications. NetConf Browser can receive such server-sent notifications and maintain a corresponding image of reported datastore contents on the client side, without polling. NetConf Browser lets you take any active periodic or on-change push subscription and start monitoring the reported datastore contents in graphical manner. Datastore content is depicted in form of a data tree, containing nodes with respective icons (e.g., container, list, leaf, etc.), node names and node values in parentheses. Updates included in the received notifications are visible in the tree immediately, allowing you to keep track of the subscribed datastore contents at all times.
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NetConf Browser lets you select an rpc or action node type in the YANG tree and choose a command that opens the NETCONF Content Editor window and generates the corresponding RPC (NETCONF) or POST (RESTCONF) request containing all required input elements (as defined in YANG). After reviewing or editing the auto-generated operation or action content (e.g., modifying input elements), you can send it to the server with a single click of a button. This feature is particularly useful for managing proprietary NETCONF and RESTCONF devices.
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2024b (Ver. 13.*) - NETCONF Browser home
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Updated: Wed, 03-Jul-2024. Copyright (C) 1995-2024 MG-SOFT Corporation. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy