Common YANG’s latest work shaping the future of NETCONF/YANG-managed access networks

Common YANG’s latest work shaping the future of NETCONF/YANG-managed access networks

Target: Specify YANG modules that are applicable to multiple work areas, provide support to those same work areas for their specific YANG projects, and maintain YANG Best Current Practices, processes, procedures, and tools.

Progress: The Common YANG Work Area is playing a supporting role for the SDN/NFV and FAN Work Areas, with a view that YANG models will be incubated in a series of ongoing projects. We continue to review new functionalities targeting future amendments of TR-383.

Outcomes: Published Amendment 7 of TR-383 to cover the required enhancements to support WT-477; published Amendment 2 of OD-360; progressed towards the review of the initial YANG model for Multimedia over Coax Alliance (MoCA) access nodes; accepted a new project addressing the scale of managing large access network elements.

Amendment 7 of the group’s flagship project TR-383 ‘Common YANG Modules for Access Networks’ was published in December 2023. This publication sits at the heart of Common YANG’s output and allows copper- and fiber-based access nodes to be managed through NETCONF/YANG.

Moving forward, the scope of Amendment 8 has been agreed upon, including support for ITU-T Ethernet OAM, IP hosts, Subscriber identification, and Internet Protocol Flow Information Export (IPFIX). The work is planned to move to Straw Ballot resolution at the Summer Member Meeting.

For the long-term maintenance of YANG models, Amendment 2 of OD-360 ‘BBF YANG Best Current Practices’ was published in January 2024. Beyond that, several new and improved guidelines have been approved. These Best Practices are being used in automated tooling to improve quality and harmonize the YANG modules published by the Broadband Forum.

The group discussed the architecture modelling of the Multimedia over Coax Alliance (MoCA) Access based architecture, as part of WT-496 ‘YANG Modules for MoCA Access 2.5 Interface’. An initial YANG model has been brought forward and is planned to go through a formal review. With this model,  BBF YANG management support is extended to nodes offering triple play services over existing coax cables within people’s homes.

Over the past couple of meetings, the Work Area has made tremendous progress on a YANG model for VoIP. With this model, it has extended BBF YANG management support to nodes offering traditional POTS voice services over a packet-based network. Its goal is to have a first published version towards the end of this year.

The Work Area has played a key supportive role for other work areas aiming to develop and publish YANG models. To that end, sessions were held with the SDN/NFV and FAN Work Areas, reviewing items of common interest. A new project addressing the management of large access network elements at scale, which is key for service providers, was discussed. An updated project proposal incorporating feedback from the members will be discussed at a later date. For an overview of the Common YANG Work Area’s current activities, please visit: https://wiki.broadband-forum.org/display/BBF/Common+YANG+Work+Area.