YANG Device Profile for Data Center switches - in RTGWG and OPS-AREA

Gentle rtgwg and ops-area participants,

I wanted to call attention to a couple of drafts about early activity on a =
YANG profile for data center switches that will be discussed in RTGWG (firs=
t session, Wed , 9a start) and OPS-AREA (Thursday, 1p start):

	https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/draft-wbl-rtgwg-yang-ci-profile-bkgd
	https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/draft-wbl-rtgwg-baseline-switch-model

For those who don't want to wade through the drafts, the RTGWG chairs have =
already posted the slides:

https://www.ietf.org/proceedings/98/slides/slides-98-rtgwg-yang-device-prof=
ile-for-redfish-network-management-draft-wbl-rtgwg-baseline-switch-model-dr=
aft-wbl-rtgwg-yang-ci-profile-bkgd-00.pdf

[watch out for URL split across lines ...]

The short summary is that for data center converged infrastructure [CI], ne=
tworking should be managed as part of the overall infrastructure - e.g., si=
ngle "pane of glass" for an 84U rack of which 4U may be networking equipmen=
t.   Another standards body (DMTF - Distributed Management Task Force) is w=
orking on a standard for CI management, Redfish, and is reusing YANG models=
 for network management via a translation approach (hallelujah - not-invent=
ed-here doesn't win every time!) - among the benefits of reuse this should =
be common views of underling state via YANG-based CI management and network=
 management tools. =


This reuse is working "running code" today, as described in the slides and =
the ci-profile-background draft.  The next step is to define the minimum im=
plementation requirements for what data center switches to be managed as pa=
rt of CI - i.e., when a YANG-based management tool looks at such a switch, =
what does it expect to see as the minimum set of supported YANG modules, i.=
e., a device profile.  This avoids "defensive programming" in management to=
ols to deal with different switch implementations supporting different YANG=
 modules - that inevitably leads to switch-specific code in management tool=
s.  The baseline-switch-model draft is a rather drafty first start on the m=
inimum set of supported YANG modules for data center switches (NB: the set =
will differ for other classes of equipment/devices) - we're looking to do t=
his work in the IETF so that the resulting device profile is broadly useful=
 well beyond Redfish, and we (draft co-authors) are looking for all the hel=
p, advice, etc. that people care to offer.   In particular, we're not attac=
hed to the format of that draft - it was our first attempt to capture mater=
ial.

The longer, more detailed discussion of this activity will be in RTGWG - th=
e shorter OPS-AREA session is intended to be more of an overview of the act=
ivity and why it's useful in the hope of engendering interest.  We'll be ha=
ppy to take questions on the lists, in the meetings or directly.

Thanks, --David (on behalf of Joe White, David Black and John Leung, the wb=
l draft co-authors)
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David L. Black, Distinguished Engineer
Dell EMC, 176 South St., Hopkinton, MA=A0 01748
+1 (508) 293-7953=A0=A0=A0  Cell: +1 (978) 394-7754
[email protected]  <=3D=3D=3D NEW =3D=3D=3D
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