The Mobile Ad-hoc Network (MANET) is an emerging infrastructurefree network constructed by self-organized mobile devices. In order to manage MANET, with its dynamic topology, several network management protocols have been proposed, and Network Configuration Protocol (NETCONF) is representative one. Nonetheless, the performance of these network management protocols on MANET remains unresolved. In this paper, we leverage the Common Open Research Emulator (CORE), a network emulation tool, to conduct the quantitative performance evaluation of NETCONF in an emulated MANET environment. We design a framework that captures the key characteristics of MANET (i.e., distance, mobility, and disruption), and develop subsequent emulation scenarios to perform the evaluation. Our experimental data illustrates how NETCONF performance is affected by each individual characteristic, and the results can serve as a guideline for deploying NETCONF in MANET.