openvswitch/utilities/ovs-vsctl.8.in

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.TH ovs\-vsctl 8 "@VERSION@" "Open vSwitch" "Open vSwitch Manual"
.\" This program's name:
.ds PN ovs\-vsctl
.\" SSL peer program's name:
.ds SN ovsdb\-server
.
.SH NAME
ovs\-vsctl \- utility for querying and configuring \fBovs\-vswitchd\fR
.
.SH SYNOPSIS
\fBovs\-vsctl\fR [\fIoptions\fR] \fB\-\-\fR [\fIoptions\fR] \fIcommand
\fR[\fIargs\fR] [\fB\-\-\fR [\fIoptions\fR] \fIcommand \fR[\fIargs\fR]]...
.
.SH DESCRIPTION
The \fBovs\-vsctl\fR program configures \fBovs\-vswitchd\fR(8) by
providing a high\-level interface to its configuration database.
See \fBovs\-vswitchd.conf.db\fR(5) for comprehensive documentation of
the database schema.
.PP
\fBovs\-vsctl\fR connects to an \fBovsdb\-server\fR process that
maintains an Open vSwitch configuration database.  Using this
connection, it queries and possibly applies changes to the database,
depending on the supplied commands.  Then, if it applied any changes,
by default it waits until \fBovs\-vswitchd\fR has finished
reconfiguring itself before it exits.  (If you use \fBovs\-vsctl\fR
when \fBovs\-vswitchd\fR is not running, use \fB\-\-no\-wait\fR.)
.PP
\fBovs\-vsctl\fR can perform any number of commands in a single run,
implemented as a single atomic transaction against the database.
.PP
The \fBovs\-vsctl\fR command line begins with global options (see
\fBOPTIONS\fR below for details).  The global options are followed by
one or more commands.  Each command should begin with \fB\-\-\fR by
itself as a command-line argument, to separate it from the following
commands.  (The \fB\-\-\fR before the first command is optional.)  The
command
itself starts with command-specific options, if any, followed by the
command name and any arguments.  See \fBEXAMPLES\fR below for syntax
examples.
.
.SS "Linux VLAN Bridging Compatibility"
The \fBovs\-vsctl\fR program supports the model of a bridge
implemented by Open vSwitch, in which a single bridge supports ports
on multiple VLANs.  In this model, each port on a bridge is either a
trunk port that potentially passes packets tagged with 802.1Q headers
that designate VLANs or it is assigned a single implicit VLAN that is
never tagged with an 802.1Q header.
.PP
For compatibility with software designed for the Linux bridge,
\fBovs\-vsctl\fR also supports a model in which traffic associated
with a given 802.1Q VLAN is segregated into a separate bridge.  A
special form of the \fBadd\-br\fR command (see below) creates a ``fake
bridge'' within an Open vSwitch bridge to simulate this behavior.
When such a ``fake bridge'' is active, \fBovs\-vsctl\fR will treat it
much like a bridge separate from its ``parent bridge,'' but the actual
implementation in Open vSwitch uses only a single bridge, with ports on
the fake bridge assigned the implicit VLAN of the fake bridge of which
they are members.  (A fake bridge for VLAN 0 receives packets that
have no 802.1Q tag or a tag with VLAN 0.)
.
.SH OPTIONS
.
The following options affect the behavior \fBovs\-vsctl\fR as a whole.
Some individual commands also accept their own options, which are
given just before the command name.  If the first command on the
command line has options, then those options must be separated from
the global options by \fB\-\-\fR.
.
.IP "\fB\-\-db=\fIserver\fR"
Sets \fIserver\fR as the database server that \fBovs\-vsctl\fR
contacts to query or modify configuration.  The default is
\fBunix:@RUNDIR@/db.sock\fR.  \fIserver\fR must take one of the
following forms:
.RS
.so ovsdb/remote-active.man
.so ovsdb/remote-passive.man
.RE
.
.IP "\fB\-\-no\-wait\fR"
Prevents \fBovs\-vsctl\fR from waiting for \fBovs\-vswitchd\fR to
reconfigure itself according to the the modified database.  This
option should be used if \fBovs\-vswitchd\fR is not running;
otherwise, \fBovs\-vsctl\fR will not exit until \fBovs\-vswitchd\fR
starts.
.IP
This option has no effect if the commands specified do not change the
database.
.
.IP "\fB\-\-no\-syslog\fR"
By default, \fBovs\-vsctl\fR logs its arguments and the details of any
changes that it makes to the system log.  This option disables this
logging.
.IP
This option is equivalent to \fB\-\-verbose=vsctl:syslog:warn\fR.
.
.IP "\fB\-\-oneline\fR"
Modifies the output format so that the output for each command is printed
on a single line.  New-line characters that would otherwise separate
lines are printed as \fB\\n\fR, and any instances of \fB\\\fR that
would otherwise appear in the output are doubled.
Prints a blank line for each command that has no output.
This option does not affect the formatting of output from the
\fBlist\fR or \fBfind\fR commands; see \fBTable Formatting Options\fR
below.
.
.IP "\fB\-\-dry\-run\fR"
Prevents \fBovs\-vsctl\fR from actually modifying the database.
.
.IP "\fB\-t \fIsecs\fR"
.IQ "\fB\-\-timeout=\fIsecs\fR"
By default, or with a \fIsecs\fR of \fB0\fR, \fBovs\-vsctl\fR waits
forever for a response from the database.  This option limits runtime
to approximately \fIsecs\fR seconds.  If the timeout expires,
\fBovs\-vsctl\fR will exit with a \fBSIGALRM\fR signal.  (A timeout
would normally happen only if the database cannot be contacted, or if
the system is overloaded.)
.
.IP "\fB\-\-retry\fR"
Without this option, if \fBovs\-vsctl\fR connects outward to the
database server (the default) then \fBovs\-vsctl\fR will try to
connect once and exit with an error if the connection fails (which
usually means that \fBovsdb\-server\fR is not running).
.IP
With this option, or if \fB\-\-db\fR specifies that \fBovs\-vsctl\fR
should listen for an incoming connection from the database server,
then \fBovs\-vsctl\fR will wait for a connection to the database
forever.
.IP
Regardless of this setting, \fB\-\-timeout\fR always limits how long
\fBovs\-vsctl\fR will wait.
.
.SS "Table Formatting Options"
These options control the format of output from the \fBlist\fR and
\fBfind\fR commands.
.so lib/table.man
.
.SS "Public Key Infrastructure Options"
.so lib/ssl.man
.so lib/ssl-bootstrap.man
.so lib/ssl-peer-ca-cert.man
.so lib/vlog.man
.
.SH COMMANDS
The commands implemented by \fBovs\-vsctl\fR are described in the
sections below.
.SS "Open vSwitch Commands"
These commands work with an Open vSwitch as a whole.
.
.IP "\fBinit\fR"
Initializes the Open vSwitch database, if it is empty.  If the
database has already been initialized, this command has no effect.
.IP
Any successful \fBovs\-vsctl\fR command automatically initializes the
Open vSwitch database if it is empty.  This command is provided to
initialize the database without executing any other command.
.
.IP "\fBshow\fR"
Prints a brief overview of the database contents.
.
.IP "\fBemer\-reset\fR"
Reset the configuration into a clean state.  It deconfigures OpenFlow
controllers, OVSDB servers, and SSL, and deletes port mirroring,
\fBfail_mode\fR, NetFlow, sFlow, and IPFIX configuration.  This
command also removes all \fBother\-config\fR keys from all database
records, except that \fBother\-config:hwaddr\fR is preserved if it is
present in a Bridge record.  Other networking configuration is left
as-is.
.
.SS "Bridge Commands"
These commands examine and manipulate Open vSwitch bridges.
.
.IP "[\fB\-\-may\-exist\fR] \fBadd\-br \fIbridge\fR"
Creates a new bridge named \fIbridge\fR.  Initially the bridge will
have no ports (other than \fIbridge\fR itself).
.IP
Without \fB\-\-may\-exist\fR, attempting to create a bridge that
exists is an error.  With \fB\-\-may\-exist\fR, this command does
nothing if \fIbridge\fR already exists as a real bridge.
.
.IP "[\fB\-\-may\-exist\fR] \fBadd\-br \fIbridge parent vlan\fR"
Creates a ``fake bridge'' named \fIbridge\fR within the existing Open
vSwitch bridge \fIparent\fR, which must already exist and must not
itself be a fake bridge.  The new fake bridge will be on 802.1Q VLAN
\fIvlan\fR, which must be an integer between 0 and 4095.  Initially
\fIbridge\fR will have no ports (other than \fIbridge\fR itself).
.IP
Without \fB\-\-may\-exist\fR, attempting to create a bridge that
exists is an error.  With \fB\-\-may\-exist\fR, this command does
nothing if \fIbridge\fR already exists as a VLAN bridge under
\fIparent\fR for \fIvlan\fR.
.
.IP "[\fB\-\-if\-exists\fR] \fBdel\-br \fIbridge\fR"
Deletes \fIbridge\fR and all of its ports.  If \fIbridge\fR is a real
bridge, this command also deletes any fake bridges that were created
with \fIbridge\fR as parent, including all of their ports.
.IP
Without \fB\-\-if\-exists\fR, attempting to delete a bridge that does
not exist is an error.  With \fB\-\-if\-exists\fR, attempting to
delete a bridge that does not exist has no effect.
.
.IP "[\fB\-\-real\fR|\fB\-\-fake\fR] \fBlist\-br\fR"
Lists all existing real and fake bridges on standard output, one per
line.  With \fB\-\-real\fR or \fB\-\-fake\fR, only bridges of that type
are returned.
.
.IP "\fBbr\-exists \fIbridge\fR"
Tests whether \fIbridge\fR exists as a real or fake bridge.  If so,
\fBovs\-vsctl\fR exits successfully with exit code 0.  If not,
\fBovs\-vsctl\fR exits unsuccessfully with exit code 2.
.
.IP "\fBbr\-to\-vlan \fIbridge\fR"
If \fIbridge\fR is a fake bridge, prints the bridge's 802.1Q VLAN as a
decimal integer.  If \fIbridge\fR is a real bridge, prints 0.
.
.IP "\fBbr\-to\-parent \fIbridge\fR"
If \fIbridge\fR is a fake bridge, prints the name of its parent
bridge.  If \fIbridge\fR is a real bridge, print \fIbridge\fR.
.
.IP "\fBbr\-set\-external\-id \fIbridge key\fR [\fIvalue\fR]"
Sets or clears an ``external ID'' value on \fIbridge\fR.  These values
are intended to identify entities external to Open vSwitch with which
\fIbridge\fR is associated, e.g. the bridge's identifier in a
virtualization management platform.  The Open vSwitch database schema
specifies well-known \fIkey\fR values, but \fIkey\fR and \fIvalue\fR
are otherwise arbitrary strings.
.IP
If \fIvalue\fR is specified, then \fIkey\fR is set to \fIvalue\fR for
\fIbridge\fR, overwriting any previous value.  If \fIvalue\fR is
omitted, then \fIkey\fR is removed from \fIbridge\fR's set of external
IDs (if it was present).
.IP
For real bridges, the effect of this command is similar to that of a
\fBset\fR or \fBremove\fR command in the \fBexternal\-ids\fR column of
the \fBBridge\fR table.  For fake bridges, it actually modifies keys
with names prefixed by \fBfake\-bridge\-\fR in the \fBPort\fR table.
.
.IP "\fBbr\-get\-external\-id \fIbridge\fR [\fIkey\fR]"
Queries the external IDs on \fIbridge\fR.  If \fIkey\fR is specified,
the output is the value for that \fIkey\fR or the empty string if
\fIkey\fR is unset.  If \fIkey\fR is omitted, the output is
\fIkey\fB=\fIvalue\fR, one per line, for each key-value pair.
.IP
For real bridges, the effect of this command is similar to that of a
\fBget\fR command in the \fBexternal\-ids\fR column of the
\fBBridge\fR table.  For fake bridges, it queries keys with names
prefixed by \fBfake\-bridge\-\fR in the \fBPort\fR table.
.
.SS "Port Commands"
.
These commands examine and manipulate Open vSwitch ports.  These
commands treat a bonded port as a single entity.
.
.IP "\fBlist\-ports \fIbridge\fR"
Lists all of the ports within \fIbridge\fR on standard output, one per
line.  The local port \fIbridge\fR is not included in the list.
.
.IP "[\fB\-\-may\-exist\fR] \fBadd\-port \fIbridge port \fR[\fIcolumn\fR[\fB:\fIkey\fR]\fR=\fIvalue\fR]\&...\fR"
Creates on \fIbridge\fR a new port named \fIport\fR from the network
device of the same name.
.IP
Optional arguments set values of column in the Port record created by
the command.  For example, \fBtag=9\fR would make the port an access
port for VLAN 9.  The syntax is the same as that for the \fBset\fR
command (see \fBDatabase Commands\fR below).
.IP
Without \fB\-\-may\-exist\fR, attempting to create a port that exists
is an error.  With \fB\-\-may\-exist\fR, this command does nothing if
\fIport\fR already exists on \fIbridge\fR and is not a bonded port.
.
.IP "[\fB\-\-fake\-iface\fR] \fBadd\-bond \fIbridge port iface\fR\&... [\fIcolumn\fR[\fB:\fIkey\fR]\fR=\fIvalue\fR]\&...\fR"
Creates on \fIbridge\fR a new port named \fIport\fR that bonds
together the network devices given as each \fIiface\fR.  At least two
interfaces must be named.
.IP
Optional arguments set values of column in the Port record created by
the command.  The syntax is the same as that for the \fBset\fR command
(see \fBDatabase Commands\fR below).
.IP
With \fB\-\-fake\-iface\fR, a fake interface with the name \fIport\fR is
created.  This should only be used for compatibility with legacy
software that requires it.
.IP
Without \fB\-\-may\-exist\fR, attempting to create a port that exists
is an error.  With \fB\-\-may\-exist\fR, this command does nothing if
\fIport\fR already exists on \fIbridge\fR and bonds together exactly
the specified interfaces.
.
.IP "[\fB\-\-if\-exists\fR] \fBdel\-port \fR[\fIbridge\fR] \fIport\fR"
Deletes \fIport\fR.  If \fIbridge\fR is omitted, \fIport\fR is removed
from whatever bridge contains it; if \fIbridge\fR is specified, it
must be the real or fake bridge that contains \fIport\fR.
.IP
Without \fB\-\-if\-exists\fR, attempting to delete a port that does
not exist is an error.  With \fB\-\-if\-exists\fR, attempting to
delete a port that does not exist has no effect.
.
.IP "[\fB\-\-if\-exists\fR] \fB\-\-with\-iface del\-port \fR[\fIbridge\fR] \fIiface\fR"
Deletes the port named \fIiface\fR or that has an interface named
\fIiface\fR.  If \fIbridge\fR is omitted, the port is removed from
whatever bridge contains it; if \fIbridge\fR is specified, it must be
the real or fake bridge that contains the port.
.IP
Without \fB\-\-if\-exists\fR, attempting to delete the port for an
interface that does not exist is an error.  With \fB\-\-if\-exists\fR,
attempting to delete the port for an interface that does not exist has
no effect.
.
.IP "\fBport\-to\-br \fIport\fR"
Prints the name of the bridge that contains \fIport\fR on standard
output.
.
.SS "Interface Commands"
.
These commands examine the interfaces attached to an Open vSwitch
bridge.  These commands treat a bonded port as a collection of two or
more interfaces, rather than as a single port.
.
.IP "\fBlist\-ifaces \fIbridge\fR"
Lists all of the interfaces within \fIbridge\fR on standard output,
one per line.  The local port \fIbridge\fR is not included in the
list.
.
.IP "\fBiface\-to\-br \fIiface\fR"
Prints the name of the bridge that contains \fIiface\fR on standard
output.
.
.SS "OpenFlow Controller Connectivity"
.
\fBovs\-vswitchd\fR can perform all configured bridging and switching
locally, or it can be configured to communicate with one or more
external OpenFlow controllers.  The switch is typically configured to
connect to a primary controller that takes charge of the bridge's flow
table to implement a network policy.  In addition, the switch can be
configured to listen to connections from service controllers.  Service
controllers are typically used for occasional support and maintenance,
e.g. with \fBovs\-ofctl\fR.
.
.IP "\fBget\-controller\fR \fIbridge\fR"
Prints the configured controller target.
.
.IP "\fBdel\-controller\fR \fIbridge\fR"
Deletes the configured controller target.
.
.IP "\fBset\-controller\fR \fIbridge\fR \fItarget\fR\&..."
Sets the configured controller target or targets.  Each \fItarget\fR may
use any of the following forms:
.
.RS
.so lib/vconn-active.man
.so lib/vconn-passive.man
.RE
.
.ST "Controller Failure Settings"
.PP
When a controller is configured, it is, ordinarily, responsible for
setting up all flows on the switch.  Thus, if the connection to
the controller fails, no new network connections can be set up.  If
the connection to the controller stays down long enough, no packets
can pass through the switch at all.
.PP
If the value is \fBstandalone\fR, or if neither of these settings
is set, \fBovs\-vswitchd\fR will take over
responsibility for setting up
flows when no message has been received from the controller for three
times the inactivity probe interval.  In this mode,
\fBovs\-vswitchd\fR causes the datapath to act like an ordinary
MAC-learning switch.  \fBovs\-vswitchd\fR will continue to retry connecting
to the controller in the background and, when the connection succeeds,
it discontinues its standalone behavior.
.PP
If this option is set to \fBsecure\fR, \fBovs\-vswitchd\fR will not
set up flows on its own when the controller connection fails.
.
.IP "\fBget\-fail\-mode\fR \fIbridge\fR"
Prints the configured failure mode.
.
.IP "\fBdel\-fail\-mode\fR \fIbridge\fR"
Deletes the configured failure mode.
.
.IP "\fBset\-fail\-mode\fR \fIbridge\fR \fBstandalone\fR|\fBsecure\fR"
Sets the configured failure mode.
.
.SS "Manager Connectivity"
.
These commands manipulate the \fBmanager_options\fR column in the
\fBOpen_vSwitch\fR table and rows in the \fBManagers\fR table.  When
\fBovsdb\-server\fR is configured to use the \fBmanager_options\fR column for
OVSDB connections (as described in \fBINSTALL.Linux\fR and in the startup
scripts provided with Open vSwitch), this allows the administrator to use
\fBovs\-vsctl\fR to configure database connections.
.
.IP "\fBget\-manager\fR"
Prints the configured manager(s).
.
.IP "\fBdel\-manager\fR"
Deletes the configured manager(s).
.
.IP "\fBset\-manager\fR \fItarget\fR\&..."
Sets the configured manager target or targets.  Each \fItarget\fR may
use any of the following forms:
.
.RS
.so ovsdb/remote-active.man
.so ovsdb/remote-passive.man
.RE
.
.SS "SSL Configuration"
When \fBovs\-vswitchd\fR is configured to connect over SSL for management or
controller connectivity, the following parameters are required:
.TP
\fIprivate-key\fR
Specifies a PEM file containing the private key used as the virtual
switch's identity for SSL connections to the controller.
.TP
\fIcertificate\fR
Specifies a PEM file containing a certificate, signed by the
certificate authority (CA) used by the controller and manager, that
certifies the virtual switch's private key, identifying a trustworthy
switch.
.TP
\fIca-cert\fR
Specifies a PEM file containing the CA certificate used to verify that
the virtual switch is connected to a trustworthy controller.
.PP
These files are read only once, at \fBovs\-vswitchd\fR startup time.  If
their contents change, \fBovs\-vswitchd\fR must be killed and restarted.
.PP
These SSL settings apply to all SSL connections made by the virtual
switch.
.
.IP "\fBget\-ssl\fR"
Prints the SSL configuration.
.
.IP "\fBdel\-ssl\fR"
Deletes the current SSL configuration.
.
.IP "[\fB\-\-bootstrap\fR] \fBset\-ssl\fR \fIprivate-key\fR \fIcertificate\fR \fIca-cert\fR"
Sets the SSL configuration.  The \fB\-\-bootstrap\fR option is described 
below.
.
.ST "CA Certificate Bootstrap"
.PP
Ordinarily, all of the files named in the SSL configuration must exist
when \fBovs\-vswitchd\fR starts.  However, if the \fIca-cert\fR file
does not exist and the \fB\-\-bootstrap\fR
option is given, then \fBovs\-vswitchd\fR will attempt to obtain the
CA certificate from the controller on its first SSL connection and
save it to the named PEM file.  If it is successful, it will
immediately drop the connection and reconnect, and from then on all
SSL connections must be authenticated by a certificate signed by the
CA certificate thus obtained.
.PP
\fBThis option exposes the SSL connection to a man-in-the-middle
attack obtaining the initial CA certificate\fR, but it may be useful
for bootstrapping.
.PP
This option is only useful if the controller sends its CA certificate
as part of the SSL certificate chain.  The SSL protocol does not
require the controller to send the CA certificate, but
\fBovs\-controller\fR(8) can be configured to do so with the
\fB\-\-peer\-ca\-cert\fR option.
.
.SS "Database Commands"
.
These commands query and modify the contents of \fBovsdb\fR tables.
They are a slight abstraction of the \fBovsdb\fR interface and as such
they operate at a lower level than other \fBovs\-vsctl\fR commands.
.PP
.ST "Identifying Tables, Records, and Columns"
.PP
Each of these commands has a \fItable\fR parameter to identify a table
within the database.  Many of them also take a \fIrecord\fR parameter
that identifies a particular record within a table.  The \fIrecord\fR
parameter may be the UUID for a record, and many tables offer
additional ways to identify records.  Some commands also take
\fIcolumn\fR parameters that identify a particular field within the
records in a table.
.PP
The following tables are currently defined:
.IP "\fBOpen_vSwitch\fR"
Global configuration for an \fBovs\-vswitchd\fR.  This table contains
exactly one record, identified by specifying \fB.\fR as the record
name.
.IP "\fBBridge\fR"
Configuration for a bridge within an Open vSwitch.  Records may be
identified by bridge name.
.IP "\fBPort\fR"
A bridge port.  Records may be identified by port name.
.IP "\fBInterface\fR"
A network device attached to a port.  Records may be identified by
name.
.IP "\fBFlow_Table\fR"
Configuration for a particular OpenFlow flow table.  Records may be
identified by name.
.IP "\fBQoS\fR"
Quality-of-service configuration for a \fBPort\fR.  Records may be
identified by port name.
.IP "\fBQueue\fR"
Configuration for one queue within a \fBQoS\fR configuration.  Records
may only be identified by UUID.
.IP "\fBMirror\fR"
A port mirroring configuration attached to a bridge.  Records may be
identified by mirror name.
.IP "\fBController\fR"
Configuration for an OpenFlow controller.  A controller attached to a
particular bridge may be identified by the bridge's name.
.IP "\fBManager\fR"
Configuration for an OVSDB connection.  Records may be identified
by target (e.g. \fBtcp:1.2.3.4\fR).
.IP "\fBNetFlow\fR"
A NetFlow configuration attached to a bridge.  Records may be
identified by bridge name.
.IP "\fBSSL\fR"
The global SSL configuration for \fBovs\-vswitchd\fR.  The record
attached to the \fBOpen_vSwitch\fR table may be identified by
specifying \fB.\fR as the record name.
.IP "\fBsFlow\fR"
An sFlow exporter configuration attached to a bridge.  Records may be
identified by bridge name.
.IP "\fBIPFIX\fR"
An IPFIX exporter configuration attached to a bridge.  Records may be
identified by bridge name.
.IP "\fBFlow_Sample_Collector_Set\fR"
An IPFIX exporter configuration attached to a bridge for sampling
packets on a per-flow basis using OpenFlow \fBsample\fR actions.
.PP
Record names must be specified in full and with correct
capitalization.  Names of tables and columns are not case-sensitive,
and \fB\-\-\fR and \fB_\fR are treated interchangeably.  Unique
abbreviations are acceptable, e.g. \fBnet\fR or \fBn\fR is sufficient
to identify the \fBNetFlow\fR table.
.
.ST "Database Values"
.PP
Each column in the database accepts a fixed type of data.  The
currently defined basic types, and their representations, are:
.IP "integer"
A decimal integer in the range \-2**63 to 2**63\-1, inclusive.
.IP "real"
A floating-point number.
.IP "Boolean"
True or false, written \fBtrue\fR or \fBfalse\fR, respectively.
.IP "string"
An arbitrary Unicode string, except that null bytes are not allowed.
Quotes are optional for most strings that begin with an English letter
or underscore and consist only of letters, underscores, hyphens, and
periods.  However, \fBtrue\fR and \fBfalse\fR and strings that match
the syntax of UUIDs (see below) must be enclosed in double quotes to
distinguish them from other basic types.  When double quotes are used,
the syntax is that of strings in JSON, e.g. backslashes may be used to
escape special characters.  The empty string must be represented as a
pair of double quotes (\fB""\fR).
.IP "UUID"
Either a universally unique identifier in the style of RFC 4122,
e.g. \fBf81d4fae\-7dec\-11d0\-a765\-00a0c91e6bf6\fR, or an \fB@\fIname\fR
defined by a \fBget\fR or \fBcreate\fR command within the same \fBovs\-vsctl\fR
invocation.
.PP
Multiple values in a single column may be separated by spaces or a
single comma.  When multiple values are present, duplicates are not
allowed, and order is not important.  Conversely, some database
columns can have an empty set of values, represented as \fB[]\fR, and
square brackets may optionally enclose other non-empty sets or single
values as well.
.PP
A few database columns are ``maps'' of key-value pairs, where the key
and the value are each some fixed database type.  These are specified
in the form \fIkey\fB=\fIvalue\fR, where \fIkey\fR and \fIvalue\fR
follow the syntax for the column's key type and value type,
respectively.  When multiple pairs are present (separated by spaces or
a comma), duplicate keys are not allowed, and again the order is not
important.  Duplicate values are allowed.  An empty map is represented
as \fB{}\fR.  Curly braces may optionally enclose non-empty maps as
well (but use quotes to prevent the shell from expanding
\fBother-config={0=x,1=y}\fR into \fBother-config=0=x
other-config=1=y\fR, which may not have the desired effect).
.
.ST "Database Command Syntax"
.
.IP "[\fB\-\-if\-exists\fR] [\fB\-\-columns=\fIcolumn\fR[\fB,\fIcolumn\fR]...] \fBlist \fItable \fR[\fIrecord\fR]..."
Lists the data in each specified \fIrecord\fR.  If no
records are specified, lists all the records in \fItable\fR.
.IP
If \fB\-\-columns\fR is specified, only the requested columns are
listed, in the specified order.  Otherwise, all columns are listed, in
alphabetical order by column name.
.IP
Without \fB\-\-if-exists\fR, it is an error if any specified
\fIrecord\fR does not exist.  With \fB\-\-if-exists\fR, the command
ignores any \fIrecord\fR that does not exist, without producing any
output.
.
.IP "[\fB\-\-columns=\fIcolumn\fR[\fB,\fIcolumn\fR]...] \fBfind \fItable \fR[\fIcolumn\fR[\fB:\fIkey\fR]\fB=\fIvalue\fR]..."
Lists the data in each record in \fItable\fR whose \fIcolumn\fR equals
\fIvalue\fR or, if \fIkey\fR is specified, whose \fIcolumn\fR contains
a \fIkey\fR with the specified \fIvalue\fR.  The following operators
may be used where \fB=\fR is written in the syntax summary:
.RS
.IP "\fB= != < > <= >=\fR"
Selects records in which \fIcolumn\fR[\fB:\fIkey\fR] equals, does not
equal, is less than, is greater than, is less than or equal to, or is
greater than or equal to \fIvalue\fR, respectively.
.IP
Consider \fIcolumn\fR[\fB:\fIkey\fR] and \fIvalue\fR as sets of
elements.  Identical sets are considered equal.  Otherwise, if the
sets have different numbers of elements, then the set with more
elements is considered to be larger.  Otherwise, consider a element
from each set pairwise, in increasing order within each set.  The
first pair that differs determines the result.  (For a column that
contains key-value pairs, first all the keys are compared, and values
are considered only if the two sets contain identical keys.)
.IP "\fB{=} {!=}\fR"
Test for set equality or inequality, respectively.
.IP "\fB{<=}\fR"
Selects records in which \fIcolumn\fR[\fB:\fIkey\fR] is a subset of
\fIvalue\fR.  For example, \fBflood-vlans{<=}1,2\fR selects records in
which the \fBflood-vlans\fR column is the empty set or contains 1 or 2
or both.
.IP "\fB{<}\fR"
Selects records in which \fIcolumn\fR[\fB:\fIkey\fR] is a proper
subset of \fIvalue\fR.  For example, \fBflood-vlans{<}1,2\fR selects
records in which the \fBflood-vlans\fR column is the empty set or
contains 1 or 2 but not both.
.IP "\fB{>=} {>}\fR"
Same as \fB{<=}\fR and \fB{<}\fR, respectively, except that the
relationship is reversed.  For example, \fBflood-vlans{>=}1,2\fR
selects records in which the \fBflood-vlans\fR column contains both 1
and 2.
.RE
.IP
For arithmetic operators (\fB= != < > <= >=\fR), when \fIkey\fR is
specified but a particular record's \fIcolumn\fR does not contain
\fIkey\fR, the record is always omitted from the results.  Thus, the
condition \fBother-config:mtu!=1500\fR matches records that have a
\fBmtu\fR key whose value is not 1500, but not those that lack an
\fBmtu\fR key.
.IP
For the set operators, when \fIkey\fR is specified but a particular
record's \fIcolumn\fR does not contain \fIkey\fR, the comparison is
done against an empty set.  Thus, the condition
\fBother-config:mtu{!=}1500\fR matches records that have a \fBmtu\fR
key whose value is not 1500 and those that lack an \fBmtu\fR key.
.IP
Don't forget to escape \fB<\fR or \fB>\fR from interpretation by the
shell.
.IP
If \fB\-\-columns\fR is specified, only the requested columns are
listed, in the specified order.  Otherwise all columns are listed, in
alphabetical order by column name.
.IP
The UUIDs shown for rows created in the same \fBovs\-vsctl\fR
invocation will be wrong.
.
.IP "[\fB\-\-if\-exists\fR] [\fB\-\-id=@\fIname\fR] \fBget \fItable record \fR[\fIcolumn\fR[\fB:\fIkey\fR]]..."
Prints the value of each specified \fIcolumn\fR in the given
\fIrecord\fR in \fItable\fR.  For map columns, a \fIkey\fR may
optionally be specified, in which case the value associated with
\fIkey\fR in the column is printed, instead of the entire map.
.IP
Without \fB\-\-if\-exists\fR, it is an error if \fIrecord\fR does not
exist or \fIkey\fR is specified, if \fIkey\fR does not exist in
\fIrecord\fR.  With \fB\-\-if\-exists\fR, a missing \fIrecord\fR
yields no output and a missing \fIkey\fR prints a blank line.
.IP
If \fB@\fIname\fR is specified, then the UUID for \fIrecord\fR may be
referred to by that name later in the same \fBovs\-vsctl\fR
invocation in contexts where a UUID is expected.
.IP
Both \fB\-\-id\fR and the \fIcolumn\fR arguments are optional, but
usually at least one or the other should be specified.  If both are
omitted, then \fBget\fR has no effect except to verify that
\fIrecord\fR exists in \fItable\fR.
.IP
\fB\-\-id\fR and \fB\-\-if\-exists\fR cannot be used together.
.
.IP "[\fB\-\-if\-exists\fR] \fBset \fItable record column\fR[\fB:\fIkey\fR]\fB=\fIvalue\fR..."
Sets the value of each specified \fIcolumn\fR in the given
\fIrecord\fR in \fItable\fR to \fIvalue\fR.  For map columns, a
\fIkey\fR may optionally be specified, in which case the value
associated with \fIkey\fR in that column is changed (or added, if none
exists), instead of the entire map.
.IP
Without \fB\-\-if-exists\fR, it is an error if \fIrecord\fR does not
exist.  With \fB\-\-if-exists\fR, this command does nothing if
\fIrecord\fR does not exist.
.
.IP "[\fB\-\-if\-exists\fR] \fBadd \fItable record column \fR[\fIkey\fB=\fR]\fIvalue\fR..."
Adds the specified value or key-value pair to \fIcolumn\fR in
\fIrecord\fR in \fItable\fR.  If \fIcolumn\fR is a map, then \fIkey\fR
is required, otherwise it is prohibited.  If \fIkey\fR already exists
in a map column, then the current \fIvalue\fR is not replaced (use the
\fBset\fR command to replace an existing value).
.IP
Without \fB\-\-if-exists\fR, it is an error if \fIrecord\fR does not
exist.  With \fB\-\-if-exists\fR, this command does nothing if
\fIrecord\fR does not exist.
.
.IP "[\fB\-\-if\-exists\fR] \fBremove \fItable record column \fR\fIvalue\fR..."
.IQ "[\fB\-\-if\-exists\fR] \fBremove \fItable record column \fR\fIkey\fR..."
.IQ "[\fB\-\-if\-exists\fR] \fBremove \fItable record column \fR\fIkey\fB=\fR\fIvalue\fR..."
Removes the specified values or key-value pairs from \fIcolumn\fR in
\fIrecord\fR in \fItable\fR.  The first form applies to columns that
are not maps: each specified \fIvalue\fR is removed from the column.
The second and third forms apply to map columns: if only a \fIkey\fR
is specified, then any key-value pair with the given \fIkey\fR is
removed, regardless of its value; if a \fIvalue\fR is given then a
pair is removed only if both key and value match.
.IP
It is not an error if the column does not contain the specified key or
value or pair.
.IP
Without \fB\-\-if-exists\fR, it is an error if \fIrecord\fR does not
exist.  With \fB\-\-if-exists\fR, this command does nothing if
\fIrecord\fR does not exist.
.
.IP "[\fB\-\-if\-exists\fR] \fBclear\fR \fItable record column\fR..."
Sets each \fIcolumn\fR in \fIrecord\fR in \fItable\fR to the empty set
or empty map, as appropriate.  This command applies only to columns
that are allowed to be empty.
.IP
Without \fB\-\-if-exists\fR, it is an error if \fIrecord\fR does not
exist.  With \fB\-\-if-exists\fR, this command does nothing if
\fIrecord\fR does not exist.
.
.IP "[\fB\-\-id=@\fIname\fR] \fBcreate\fR \fItable column\fR[\fB:\fIkey\fR]\fB=\fIvalue\fR..."
Creates a new record in \fItable\fR and sets the initial values of
each \fIcolumn\fR.  Columns not explicitly set will receive their
default values.  Outputs the UUID of the new row.
.IP
If \fB@\fIname\fR is specified, then the UUID for the new row may be
referred to by that name elsewhere in the same \fBovs\-vsctl\fR
invocation in contexts where a UUID is expected.  Such references may
precede or follow the \fBcreate\fR command.
.IP
Records in the Open vSwitch database are significant only when they
can be reached directly or indirectly from the \fBOpen_vSwitch\fR
table.  Except for records in the \fBQoS\fR or \fBQueue\fR tables,
records that are not reachable from the \fBOpen_vSwitch\fR table are
automatically deleted from the database.  This deletion happens
immediately, without waiting for additional \fBovs\-vsctl\fR commands
or other database activity.  Thus, a \fBcreate\fR command must
generally be accompanied by additional commands \fIwithin the same
\fBovs\-vsctl\fI invocation\fR to add a chain of references to the
newly created record from the top-level \fBOpen_vSwitch\fR record.
The \fBEXAMPLES\fR section gives some examples that show how to do
this.
.
.IP "\fR[\fB\-\-if\-exists\fR] \fBdestroy \fItable record\fR..."
Deletes each specified \fIrecord\fR from \fItable\fR.  Unless
\fB\-\-if\-exists\fR is specified, each \fIrecord\fRs must exist.
.IP "\fB\-\-all destroy \fItable\fR"
Deletes all records from the \fItable\fR.
.IP
The \fBdestroy\fR command is only useful for records in the \fBQoS\fR
or \fBQueue\fR tables.  Records in other tables are automatically
deleted from the database when they become unreachable from the
\fBOpen_vSwitch\fR table.  This means that deleting the last reference
to a record is sufficient for deleting the record itself.  For records
in these tables, \fBdestroy\fR is silently ignored.  See the
\fBEXAMPLES\fR section below for more information.
.
.IP "\fBwait\-until \fItable record \fR[\fIcolumn\fR[\fB:\fIkey\fR]\fB=\fIvalue\fR]..."
Waits until \fItable\fR contains a record named \fIrecord\fR whose
\fIcolumn\fR equals \fIvalue\fR or, if \fIkey\fR is specified, whose
\fIcolumn\fR contains a \fIkey\fR with the specified \fIvalue\fR.  Any
of the operators \fB!=\fR, \fB<\fR, \fB>\fR, \fB<=\fR, or \fB>=\fR may
be substituted for \fB=\fR to test for inequality, less than, greater
than, less than or equal to, or greater than or equal to,
respectively.  (Don't forget to escape \fB<\fR or \fB>\fR from
interpretation by the shell.)
.IP
If no \fIcolumn\fR[\fB:\fIkey\fR]\fB=\fIvalue\fR arguments are given,
this command waits only until \fIrecord\fR exists.  If more than one
such argument is given, the command waits until all of them are
satisfied.
.IP
Usually \fBwait\-until\fR should be placed at the beginning of a set
of \fBovs\-vsctl\fR commands.  For example, \fBwait\-until bridge br0
\-\- get bridge br0 datapath_id\fR waits until a bridge named
\fBbr0\fR is created, then prints its \fBdatapath_id\fR column,
whereas \fBget bridge br0 datapath_id \-\- wait\-until bridge br0\fR
will abort if no bridge named \fBbr0\fR exists when \fBovs\-vsctl\fR
initially connects to the database.
.IP
Consider specifying \fB\-\-timeout=0\fR along with
\fB\-\-wait\-until\fR, to prevent \fBovs\-vsctl\fR from terminating
after waiting only at most 5 seconds.
.IP "\fBcomment \fR[\fIarg\fR]..."
This command has no effect on behavior, but any database log record
created by the command will include the command and its arguments.
.SH "EXAMPLES"
Create a new bridge named br0 and add port eth0 to it:
.IP
.B "ovs\-vsctl add\-br br0"
.br
.B "ovs\-vsctl add\-port br0 eth0"
.PP
Alternatively, perform both operations in a single atomic transaction:
.IP 
.B "ovs\-vsctl add\-br br0 \-\- add\-port br0 eth0"
.PP
Delete bridge \fBbr0\fR, reporting an error if it does not exist:
.IP
.B "ovs\-vsctl del\-br br0"
.PP
Delete bridge \fBbr0\fR if it exists:
.IP
.B "ovs\-vsctl \-\-if\-exists del\-br br0"
.PP
Set the \fBqos\fR column of the \fBPort\fR record for \fBeth0\fR to
point to a new \fBQoS\fR record, which in turn points with its queue 0
to a new \fBQueue\fR record:
.IP
.B "ovs\-vsctl \-\- set port eth0 qos=@newqos \-\- \-\-id=@newqos create qos type=linux\-htb other\-config:max\-rate=1000000 queues:0=@newqueue \-\- \-\-id=@newqueue create queue other\-config:min\-rate=1000000 other\-config:max\-rate=1000000"
.SH "CONFIGURATION COOKBOOK"
.SS "Port Configuration"
.PP
Add an ``internal port'' \fBvlan10\fR to bridge \fBbr0\fR as a VLAN
access port for VLAN 10, and configure it with an IP address:
.IP
.B "ovs\-vsctl add\-port br0 vlan10 tag=10 \-\- set Interface vlan10 type=internal"
.IP
.B "ifconfig vlan10 192.168.0.123"
.
.PP
Add a GRE tunnel port \fBgre0\fR to remote IP address 1.2.3.4 to
bridge \fBbr0\fR:
.IP
.B "ovs\-vsctl add\-port br0 gre0 \-\- set Interface gre0 type=gre options:remote_ip=1.2.3.4"
.
.SS "Port Mirroring"
.PP
Mirror all packets received or sent on \fBeth0\fR or \fBeth1\fR onto
\fBeth2\fR, assuming that all of those ports exist on bridge \fBbr0\fR
(as a side-effect this causes any packets received on \fBeth2\fR to be
ignored):
.IP
.B "ovs\-vsctl \-\- set Bridge br0 mirrors=@m \(rs"
.IP
.B "\-\- \-\-id=@eth0 get Port eth0 \(rs"
.IP
.B "\-\- \-\-id=@eth1 get Port eth1 \(rs"
.IP
.B "\-\- \-\-id=@eth2 get Port eth2 \(rs"
.IP
.B "\-\- \-\-id=@m create Mirror name=mymirror select-dst-port=@eth0,@eth1 select-src-port=@eth0,@eth1 output-port=@eth2"
.PP
Remove the mirror created above from \fBbr0\fR, which also destroys
the Mirror record (since it is now unreferenced):
.IP
.B "ovs\-vsctl \-\- \-\-id=@rec get Mirror mymirror \(rs"
.IP
.B "\-\- remove Bridge br0 mirrors @rec"
.PP
The following simpler command also works:
.IP
.B "ovs\-vsctl clear Bridge br0 mirrors"
.SS "Quality of Service (QoS)"
.PP
Create a \fBlinux\-htb\fR QoS record that points to a few queues and
use it on \fBeth0\fR and \fBeth1\fR:
.IP
.B "ovs\-vsctl \-\- set Port eth0 qos=@newqos \(rs"
.IP
.B "\-\- set Port eth1 qos=@newqos \(rs"
.IP
.B "\-\- \-\-id=@newqos create QoS type=linux\-htb other\-config:max\-rate=1000000000 queues=0=@q0,1=@q1 \(rs"
.IP
.B "\-\- \-\-id=@q0 create Queue other\-config:min\-rate=100000000 other\-config:max\-rate=100000000 \(rs"
.IP
.B "\-\- \-\-id=@q1 create Queue other\-config:min\-rate=500000000"
.PP
Deconfigure the QoS record above from \fBeth1\fR only:
.IP
.B "ovs\-vsctl clear Port eth1 qos"
.PP
To deconfigure the QoS record from both \fBeth0\fR and \fBeth1\fR and
then delete the QoS record (which must be done explicitly because
unreferenced QoS records are not automatically destroyed):
.IP
.B "ovs\-vsctl \-\- destroy QoS eth0 \-\- clear Port eth0 qos \-\- clear Port eth1 qos"
.PP
(This command will leave two unreferenced Queue records in the
database.  To delete them, use "\fBovs\-vsctl list Queue\fR" to find
their UUIDs, then "\fBovs\-vsctl destroy Queue \fIuuid1\fR
\fIuuid2\fR" to destroy each of them or use
"\fBovs\-vsctl -- --all destroy Queue\fR" to delete all records.)
.SS "Connectivity Monitoring"
.PP
Monitor connectivity to a remote maintenance point on eth0.
.IP
.B "ovs\-vsctl set Interface eth0 cfm_mpid=1"
.PP
Deconfigure connectivity monitoring from above:
.IP
.B "ovs\-vsctl clear Interface eth0 cfm_mpid"
.SS "NetFlow"
.PP
Configure bridge \fBbr0\fR to send NetFlow records to UDP port 5566 on
host 192.168.0.34, with an active timeout of 30 seconds:
.IP
.B "ovs\-vsctl \-\- set Bridge br0 netflow=@nf \(rs"
.IP
.B "\-\- \-\-id=@nf create NetFlow targets=\(rs\(dq192.168.0.34:5566\(rs\(dq active\-timeout=30"
.PP
Update the NetFlow configuration created by the previous command to
instead use an active timeout of 60 seconds:
.IP
.B "ovs\-vsctl set NetFlow br0 active_timeout=60"
.PP
Deconfigure the NetFlow settings from \fBbr0\fR, which also destroys
the NetFlow record (since it is now unreferenced):
.IP
.B "ovs\-vsctl clear Bridge br0 netflow"
.SS "sFlow"
.PP
Configure bridge \fBbr0\fR to send sFlow records to a collector on
10.0.0.1 at port 6343, using \fBeth1\fR\'s IP address as the source,
with specific sampling parameters:
.IP
.B "ovs\-vsctl \-\- \-\-id=@s create sFlow agent=eth1 target=\(rs\(dq10.0.0.1:6343\(rs\(dq header=128 sampling=64 polling=10 \(rs"
.IP
.B "\-\- set Bridge br0 sflow=@s"
.PP
Deconfigure sFlow from \fBbr0\fR, which also destroys the sFlow record
(since it is now unreferenced):
.IP
.B "ovs\-vsctl \-\- clear Bridge br0 sflow"
.SS "IPFIX"
.PP
Configure bridge \fBbr0\fR to send one IPFIX flow record per packet
sample to UDP port 4739 on host 192.168.0.34, with Observation Domain
ID 123 and Observation Point ID 456:
.IP
.B "ovs\-vsctl \-\- set Bridge br0 ipfix=@i \(rs"
.IP
.B "\-\- \-\-id=@i create IPFIX targets=\(rs\(dq192.168.0.34:4739\(rs\(dq obs_domain_id=123 obs_point_id=456"
.PP
Deconfigure the IPFIX settings from \fBbr0\fR, which also destroys the
IPFIX record (since it is now unreferenced):
.IP
.B "ovs\-vsctl clear Bridge br0 ipfix"
.SS "802.1D Spanning Tree Protocol (STP)"
.PP
Configure bridge \fBbr0\fR to participate in an 802.1D spanning tree:
.IP
.B "ovs\-vsctl set Bridge br0 stp_enable=true"
.PP
Set the bridge priority of \fBbr0\fR to 0x7800:
.IP
.B "ovs\-vsctl set Bridge br0 other_config:stp-priority=0x7800"
.PP
Set the path cost of port \fBeth0\fR to 10:
.IP
.B "ovs\-vsctl set Port eth0 other_config:stp-path-cost=10"
.PP
Deconfigure STP from above:
.IP
.B "ovs\-vsctl clear Bridge br0 stp_enable"
.PP
.SS "OpenFlow Version"
.PP
Configure bridge \fBbr0\fR to support OpenFlow versions 1.0, 1.2, and
1.3:
.IP
.B "ovs\-vsctl set bridge br0 protocols=openflow10,openflow12,openflow13"
.
.SH "EXIT STATUS"
.IP "0"
Successful program execution.
.IP "1"
Usage, syntax, or configuration file error.
.IP "2"
The \fIbridge\fR argument to \fBbr\-exists\fR specified the name of a
bridge that does not exist.
.SH "SEE ALSO"
.
.BR ovsdb\-server (1),
.BR ovs\-vswitchd (8),
.BR ovs\-vswitchd.conf.db (5).