netconf-subsystem(1)

💖 netconf-subsystem — bestie edition 💖

okay so you found the netconf-subsystem manual page, which lives in the netconf-subsystem 2.14 era, and honestly? it's giving "tiny program, huge responsibilities." let's get into it 🫶

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✨ NAME ✨

netconf-subsystem — a thin client to access the netconfd server 🌸

no literally. thin. it's the smallest little connector girlie you ever met, and she's about to carry your whole SSH netconf subsystem on her back 💅

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✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

netconf-subsystem

that's it. that's the whole vibe. no args in the synopsis, just her standing there looking iconic 👑

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✨ DESCRIPTION ✨

so netconf-subsystem is a thin-client application. she doesn't do the heavy lifting herself, no ma'am — she gets called by the OpenSSH server whenever somebody requests the netconf subsystem, and her whole job is to go access the netconfd server for them. like a lil messenger fairy 🧚 she just connects the two and lets them talk.

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✨ USAGE ✨

okay bestie, here's the part where you actually have to set her up, because she does not install herself, no cap.

the location of this program needs to be configured in the /etc/ssh/sshd_config file. you gotta have exactly this situation going on:

Port 22
Port 830
Subsystem netconf /usr/sbin/netconf-subsystem

now — the actual filespec on that last line? that depends on where this program is installed on your machine. the default value is the one shown in the example above, so if you didn't get weird with it, you're already slaying 😌

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✨ OPTIONS ✨

• --ncxserver-sockname=port@filespec — this one specifies the corresponding pairs of SSH ports and UNIX socket names. the whole point? it lets multiple netconfd instances run on the same host. yes queen, more than one at a time, living their best parallel lives 🔥

here's how it looks in /etc/ssh/sshd_config:

...
Port 830
Port 1830
Port 2830
Subsystem netconf "/usr/sbin/netconf-subsystem --ncxserver-sockname=830@/tmp/ncxserver.sock --ncxserver-sockname=1830@/tmp/ncxserver-right.sock --ncxserver-sockname=2830@/tmp/ncxserver-middle.sock"
...

see how each port gets its own socket? 830 → /tmp/ncxserver.sock, 1830 → /tmp/ncxserver-right.sock, 2830 → /tmp/ncxserver-middle.sock. the way that each instance gets her own lil address... obsessed 💜

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✨ AUTHORS ✨

the legends who made this happen:

• Andy Bierman, <andy at netconfcentral dot org>
• Vladimir Vassilev, <vladimir at lightside-instruments dot com>

give them their flowers, fr fr 🌷

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✨ SEE ALSO ✨

• netconfd(1) — go read her too, she's the whole reason this subsystem exists 💖

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okay that's the whole page, bestie!! 💕 this was netconf-subsystem from the netconf-subsystem 2.14 release, living on Linux, dated March 23, 2025 — and that's the cute lil sign-off, no cap, go configure your sshd_config and be free 🦋✨🎀