The increased drive by operators for integration and deployment of
network management protocols and YANG data models highlights new issues
and problems with the individual protocols and models, or the wider
integration of those.  Some of these problems are only witnessed when
trying to manage large scale networks, e.g., due to the increased
complexity and handling large volumes of data exported in frequent
updates.  At the same time, simplifying the network management and
operations, with increased automation, is a high priority.

The goals of the Network Management Operations working group are to
solicit input from network operators to identify anticipated operational
issues arising from the near term deployment of network management
technologies, and to determine potential solutions or workarounds for
those issues.  Those operational issues may relate to deployments of
existing network management technologies or the integration of related
technologies for network management and telemetry.

Solving those operational issues require discussion, investigation, and
potentially some experiments, which may take some time, however the
working group will focus on pragmatic items achievable in a short
timeframe over long term architectural visions.  Since the focus is on
helping solve problems faced by operators, discussion and experiments
are not solely limited to network management technologies standardized
within the IETF but cover the wider ecosystem – however the working
group will not work on improvements to protocols or data models
developed and maintained outside the IETF.

The Network Management Operations working group is scoped, in order of
highest priority, to:

* Present and discuss operational issues faced by deployment of network
  management technologies.

* Incubate ideas and short term experiments on improving network
  management operations. Any experiments should focus on incremental
  improvements that can be achieved within 1-2 years.

* Discuss network operator use cases and requirements for solving
  anticipated network management problems.

* Liaise, informally, with developers of open-source software to help
  drive adoption of IETF network management standards and to improve
  protocol maturity.

* Document operational experience and best practice for network
  management and telemetry deployment as BCPs or Informational RFCs.

The WG charter does not currently include any IETF protocol or data
model work, but the WG may decide to work on such items in future,
subject to the following constraints:

* Protocol extensions for protocols in scope for existing working groups
  must be taken to those working groups unless there is an agreement by
  the area director responsible for the working group and the
  Operations/Management area director to progress the enhancement within
  this working group.

* OPSAWG remains the default working group to take small maintenance
  work for orphan network management specifications produced by
  concluded working groups unless there is particular operator interest
  and explicit agreement of the Operations/Management area director to
  progress the work here.

* More significant protocol work (on existing or new protocols) should
  be taken to an existing or new working group.  I.e., protocol work is
  not the core focus of this working group.

* The working group charter and milestones must be updated beforehand to
  cover any protocol or data model work to be undertaken here.


Agenda time is expected to be balanced between presentations and
discussions of operator issues and experience, and other potential work
within scope for the working group.  The working group chairs will agree
the topics and agenda time with the responsible area director, with an
expectation that priority will be given to operator presentations.

If there is consensus for the working group to focus on particular
problems or issues, then those topics must be agreed with the
responsible area director, and either the charter (potentially with
updated milestones) or a working group wiki updated to document the
current topics of focus.

Like many of the “ops” working groups, this working-grouping is expected
to be longer-lived, and is expected to remain open whilst there is
sufficient interest and drive from the operators to work on the topics
described above.