Which transport protocol is primarily associated with NETCONF?

NETCONF (Network Configuration Protocol) is primarily designed to manage network devices and facilitate their configuration. The transport protocol most commonly associated with NETCONF is SSHv2 (Secure Shell version 2). This association is significant because SSHv2 provides a secure, encrypted channel for communication between the management applications and the network devices, ensuring the integrity and confidentiality of the data being transferred.

Using SSHv2 helps protect against eavesdropping and man-in-the-middle attacks during configuration changes or operations on network devices. Its security features are essential for network management, especially in environments where sensitive configurations or information are involved.

Other transport protocols, such as HTTP or FTP, do not inherently provide the same level of security and encryption that SSHv2 offers. While Telnet can also be used for communication, it is known for transmitting data in plain text, which poses significant security risks. Therefore, SSHv2 stands out as the correct choice for a secure and supportive transport protocol for NETCONF implementations.