NETCONF or Network Configuration Protocol (RFC 6241) is a network management protocol developed and standardized by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). The NETCONF protocol defines a simple mechanism through which a network device can be managed, configuration data can be retrieved, and new configuration data can be uploaded and manipulated. The NETCONF protocol uses Remote Procedure Calls (RPCs) for its paradigm. A client encodes an RPC in XML and sends it to a server using a secure, connection-oriented session (such as Secure Shell Protocol [SSH]). The server responds with a reply encoded in XML. Reference: https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/collateral/ios-nx-os-software/ios-xe/nb-06-cisco-ios-xe- faq-en.html#NETCONF