Subject: [Netconf] server-model #54: move idle-timeout from global "session-options" to the "listen" tree?

From: Kent Watsen <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 2 Jun 2015 00:38:22 +0000

[This is a new issue]

Currently, "idle-timeout" is configured in the global "session-options" tree, which applies to all connections, both listen and call-home. But it's unclear if idle-timeout makes sense for call home connections, and hence should be moved to being only under the listen tree.  Keep in mind that there are two types of call home connections: persistent and periodic.  The following describes the effect of idle-timeout on each.

For persistent connections, it doesn't makes sense to me that the server would ever idle-timeout a connection. This perspective is bolstered by persistent connections having keep-alives, so the server can detect when a client connection has been lost and it needs to initiate a new one. An idle-timeout here would be unhelpful.

For periodic connections, the idle-timeout is way too course (default 1 hour). We use to have a "linger-timeout" for this purpose (default 30 secs), but a side meeting in Dallas concluded that it was unneeded, as the client would close the connection as and when it was ready. Still, the intent is that the connection wouldn't stay open anywhere close to the periodic interval (default 5 mins). An idle-timeout here is nearly useless.

So, if unhelpful for persistent connections and nearly useless for periodic connections, perhaps we should just move idle-timeout to the listen tree?  What do you think?

Thanks,
Kent