Contents
* Abstract
* Supported Platforms
* Prerequisites
* Installation
* Running the Sample Scripts
* Troubleshooting
The NETCONF API provides mechanisms to install, manipulate, and delete the configuration of network devices. The NETCONF API uses an Extensible markup Language (XML) based data encoding for the configuration data as well as operations and messages defined in the API.
The Net::Netconf::Manager module provides an object-oriented interface for communicating with the NETCONF server so you can start using the NETCONF API quickly and easily. There are several modules in this library but client applications directly invoke the Manager object only. When the client application creates a Net::Netconf::Manager object, it specifies a router name and the login name to use when accessing the router (which determines the client application's access level).
The following code segment shows how to use the Net::Netconf::Manager object to request information from a routing platform. This example invokes the query called get_chassis_inventory.
# Step 1: set up the query
// RPC tag <get-chassis-inventory> should be querried as below
my $query = "get_chassis_inventory";
my %queryargs = ( detail => 1 );
# Step 2: Create a Netconf Manager object and connect to Networks routing platform
my %deviceinfo = (
access => "ssh",
login => "johndoe",
password => "secret",
hostname => "router11"
);
my $jnx = new Net::Netconf::Manager(%deviceinfo);
unless ( ref $jnx ) {
croak "ERROR: $deviceinfo{hostname}: failed to connect.\n";
}
# Step 3: send the query and receive a reply
my $res = $jnx->$query( %queryargs );
# Step 4: check for error
if ($jnx->has_error) {
croak "ERROR: in processing request \n $jnx->{request} \n";
}
else {
# Step 5: do something with the result
}
# Step 6: always disconnect from the server when you're done
$jnx->disconnect();
The current version of this module has been tested on the following platforms. Later releases may support additional platforms.
* Ubuntu 12.04LTS
* Fedora 15 i686
* Centos-6.5-i386
Following are the Prerequisites for using this API:
1. Expect Module (it depends on tcl, tk, tcl-dev and tk-dev)
2. File::Which
3. XML::LibXML
Also make sure that your system has libxml2 and libxml2-dev library. If not then either install it from source package in ubuntu website or by using apt-get. For more info look at the Troubleshooting
Make sure Perl is installed. If necessary, see Installation of Perl.
% which perl
% perl -v
The NETCONF Perl API requires version 5.6.1 or later of the perl executable. Verify that you are running
that version of the perl executable. If not, check your PATH or install the latest release of perl.
There are two ways to install Net::Netconf Module in your system:
1. Using CPAN
2. Using source code in github
Note: If you are using cpan command then you don't have to install prerequisites, they will automatically be
installed by cpan
Using CPAN
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Before installing using cpan, make sure your system has cpan, if not then install it either by "apt-get
install cpan" or "yum install cpan" (according to the OS you are using)
1. To install using CPAN make sure your system has C dependencies, i.e. libxml2 and libxml2-dev package.
2. After installing these two packages in your system install Net::Netconf module by using CPAN command
"cpan Net::Netconf".
Sometimes cpan command gives error then try installing using "cpanm" command. First install cpanm in your
system by "apt-get install cpanmius" and then install this module by "cpanm Net::Netconf"
Using Source code in github
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Instructions for UNIX Systems
Install the prerequisites of Perl modules.
Following are the prerequites
1. Expect Module (it depends on tcl, tk, tcl-dev and tk-dev)
2. File::Which
3. XML::LibXML
Steps to install Prerequisites in Ubuntu12.04LTS :
1. apt-get install tcl tcl-dev tk tk-dev
2. apt-get install expect expect-dev
3. cpan Expect
4. cpan File::Which
5. cpan XML::LibXML
After successfully installing Prerequisites install NETCONF PERL CLIENT
1. Download the Perl NETCONF zip archive from Juniper's Repository in github
2. Unzip the archive.
% unzip netconf-Perl-master.zip
3. Change to the NETCONF directory.
% cd netconf-perl-master
4. Create Net::Netconf Makefile.
If installing Net::Netconf::Manager under the standard directory
(by default it is /usr/local/lib):
[/my/netconf-perl-master]% perl Makefile.PL
5. Install the Net::Netconf module.
[/my/netconf-perl-master]% make
[/my/netconf-perl--master]% make install
(to run make install user should have root permission)
The NETCONF Perl distribution includes sample scripts that demonstrate how to use NETCONF to retrieve and change the configuration of a Networks routing platform. The samples reside in the netconf-perl-n.n/examples directory.
Reading configuration: System Information This example sends a request to the Networks routing platform and displays the result to the standard output.It also shows how to parse reply from server
use Net::Netconf::Manager;
print "Enter hostname\n";
my $hostname = <>;
print "Enter username\n";
my $login= <>;
print "Enter password\n";
my $pass = <>;
chomp($hostname);
chomp($login);
chomp($pass);
$jnx = new Net::Netconf::Manager( 'access' => 'ssh',
'login' => $login,
'password' => $pass,
'hostname' => $hostname);
if(! $jnx ) {
print STDERR "Unable to connect to Junos device \n";
exit 1;
}
print "Connection established: " . $jnx->get_session_id . "\n";
my $reply=$jnx->get_system_information();
if ($jnx->has_error) {
print "ERROR: in processing request\n";
# Get the error
my $error = $jnx->get_first_error();
$jnx->print_error_info(%$error);
exit 1;
}
print "Rpc reply from server.\n";
print ">>>>>>>>>>\n";
print $reply;
print "<<<<<<<<<<\n";
# this parsing is specifically for <get-system-information> tag
# you can write your own application in similar way
#parsing reply from server
my $config= $jnx->get_dom();
$res= $config->getElementsByTagName("hardware-model")->item(0)->getFirstChild->getData;
$res2= $config->getElementsByTagName("os-name")->item(0)->getFirstChild->getData;
$res3= $config->getElementsByTagName("host-name")->item(0)->getFirstChild->getData;
print "\nhardware information ". $res ."\n";
print "os-name " .$res2 . "\n";
print "host-name ". $res3. "\n";
$jnx->disconnect();
1. Installing libxml2 and libxml2-dev
- Install using apt-get
apt-get install libxml2
apt-get install libxml2-dev
- Installing from source code
Download your system specific package from http://packages.ubuntu.com/
For Precise(12.04 LTS) download its .dpkg packages
For libxml2: http://packages.ubuntu.com/precise/libxml2
For libxml2-dev : http://packages.ubuntu.com/precise/libxml2-dev
Install these packages in your system :
dpkg -i libxml2_2.7xyz__.dpkg
dpkg -i libxml2-dev_2xyz__.dpkg
Note : Libxml2 and libxml2-dev should be of same version
If you get libxml related error even after installing its dependency like libxml2 and libxml2-dev then try
below command
apt-get install libxml-libxml-perl
Sometimes you may get error like "Checking for ability to link against xml2...no " while installing LibXML then
use this command
sudo apt-get install zlib1g-dev
2. For YAML related Errors
Sometimes you may get that yaml is not installed then run following commands:
apt-get install libyaml-appconfig-perl
apt-get install libconfig-yaml-perl
3. For cpan related errors:
While installing some files using cpan, for example "cpan File::Which" you may get error like checksum mismatch
for distribution, then try installing that package using "cpanm"
First install cpanm in your system by:
apt-get install cpanminus
and then install desired package by using cpanm, for example:
cpanm File::Which
While installing perl dependency using cpan, if you get errors like "XML::NamespaceSupport package not found" or
unmet dependency then first install that package using cpan / cpanm and then install your desired package.
you can also try installing by force :
apt-get -f install