IVY

Summary

The IVY (Network Inventory) working group met at IETF 125 to discuss the status of its core and extension data models. The core inventory model has been submitted to the IESG for publication as version 1.0. The meeting focused on progressing several active documents, including inventory topology, location, and entitlement. Significant discussion occurred regarding the transition from read-only to read-write attributes to support planning and intent-based use cases. A report was also provided on a successful Hackathon involving multi-vendor interoperability using the IVY models.

Key Discussion Points

Working Group Status and Core Model

Daniele Ceccarelli reported that the core inventory model (v1.0) has been submitted to the IESG. The working group will move toward a version 2.0 to address items previously left out of the initial scope.
Bo Wu provided a brief update on draft-ietf-ivy-network-inventory-software, noting it is mature but requires updated references to the base inventory model.

Network Inventory Location

Presentation: Network Inventory Location Updates with IVY Monday Side meeting Draft: draft-ietf-ivy-network-inventory-location

Bo Wu presented updates in version 05, including clarifying the controller as the single source of truth and moving to a read-only approach for the current version.
Read-Only vs. Read-Write: A significant discussion took place regarding whether the model should support write operations. Brad (remote) expressed concern that access networks are planning-driven, meaning location data often comes from a planning OSS rather than being discovered by a controller.
Phased Approach: The authors proposed a two-phase approach: keeping the current version read-only to expedite publication, then introducing read-write capabilities in a subsequent version. Italo Busi and Aihua Guo supported this, noting that similar issues apply to the base inventory and passive inventory models. Mahesh Jethanandani questioned the potential for "churn" in the working group, though Nigel Davis suggested such iterations are acceptable if they lead to usable results.
Rack Classification: The working group discussed adding rack classification attributes (e.g., security levels: Class A, B, C) as requested by Brad. There was general support for including these as read-only attributes.

Network Inventory Topology Mapping

Presentation: draft-ietf-ivy-network-inventory-topology Draft: draft-ietf-ivy-network-inventory-topology

Bo Wu summarized changes in version 06, including making certain attributes configurable to support manual entry for non-discoverable resources (e.g., lease lines).
Bidirectional Navigation: The model now uses one-way navigation (topology to inventory) to simplify implementation and avoid consistency risks.
Integration with Passive Inventory: Olga Havel raised questions about traceability between physical cables (passive inventory) and topology links. Daniele Ceccarelli clarified that while the feedback is valid, passive inventory is not yet a WG document, and the current strategy is for extension models to augment the base topology mapping rather than including all relationships in the core topology draft.
Mapping Cardinality: The draft explicitly specifies a one-to-one mapping between nodes and network elements for this specific model, leaving many-to-many abstractions to other topology layers (L2/L3).

Passive Network Inventory

Presentation: YANG Data Model for Passive Network Inventory

Aihua Guo presented the definition of passive inventory, focusing on non-powered infrastructure like optical cables and fiber segments.
Scope: Mahesh Jethanandani asked if unused cables "in a closet" are in scope. Aihua Guo confirmed that the model allows tracking any asset an operator deems necessary, regardless of its active connection state.
Next Steps: The authors seek working group adoption once the definition is finalized.

Entitlement Inventory

Presentation: A YANG Module for Entitlement Inventory Draft: draft-ietf-ivy-entitlement-inventory

Diego Lopez presented a major rewrite of the draft, introducing a 5-level maturity model for entitlement management (from basic centralized collection to restricted capability reporting).
Capabilities vs. Entitlements: Kent Watsen inquired about modeling hardware-based or software-version-based capabilities (e.g., max_num_vpns) that exist in the system datastore. Diego Lopez clarified that while related, detailed capability modeling is being handled in a separate effort (led by Nigel Davis) to keep the entitlement inventory practical and focused on licenses/permissions.

Hackathon Report

Presentation: Hackathon on YANG data model for network inventory

Italo Busi reported on the IETF 125 Hackathon. The team successfully demonstrated multi-vendor interoperability, retrieving inventory data from a Huawei controller and ingesting it into China Unicom and Ciena inventory systems using the IVY YANG models.
Outcome: The exercise proved the model's maturity and showed that migrating between draft versions required minimal effort.
Future Plans: Nigel Davis announced plans for another Hackathon at IETF 126, aiming to involve more vendors and compare IVY with other models like TAPI.

Decisions and Action Items

Decisions:
- The draft-ietf-ivy-network-inventory-location will proceed with a read-only approach for its first version to ensure timely publication.
- Rack classification attributes will be added to the location model.
- The topology model (draft-ietf-ivy-network-inventory-topology) will maintain a one-way reference (topology to inventory) and a one-to-one node mapping.
Action Items:
- Authors of draft-ietf-ivy-network-inventory-location and draft-ietf-ivy-network-inventory-topology to finalize discussions on the mailing list to prepare for Working Group Last Call (WGLC).
- Authors of the entitlement draft to work with Kent Watsen on reviewing the revised YANG module.

Next Steps

Prepare draft-ietf-ivy-network-inventory-topology for Working Group Last Call before IETF 126.
Finalize the definition of "passive inventory" to move toward adoption of the individual draft.
Coordinate the IETF 126 Hackathon project.

Automatic IETF Minutes

IVY