ovs-vsctl(8) Open vSwitch Manual ovs-vsctl(8)
NAME
ovs-vsctl - utility for querying and configuring ovs-vswitchd
SYNOPSIS
ovs-vsctl [options] -- [options] command [args] [-- [options] command [args]]...
DESCRIPTION
The ovs-vsctl program configures ovs-vswitchd(8) by providing a high-level interface to its configuration database. This program is mainly
intended for use when ovs-vswitchd is running. If it is used when ovs-vswitchd is not running, then --no-wait should be specified and con-
figuration changes will only take effect when ovs-vswitchd is started.
By default, each time ovs-vsctl runs, it connects to an ovsdb-server 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, it waits until ovs-vswitchd has finished reconfiguring itself before it exits.
ovs-vsctl can perform any number of commands in a single run, implemented as a single atomic transaction against the database.
The ovs-vsctl command line begins with global options (see OPTIONS below for details). The global options are followed by one or more com-
mands. Each command should begin with -- by itself as a command-line argument, to separate it from the global options and following com-
mands. (If the first command does not have any options, then the first -- may be omitted.) The command itself starts with command-spe-
cific options, if any, followed by the command name and any arguments. See EXAMPLES below for syntax examples.
Linux VLAN Bridging Compatibility
The ovs-vsctl 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 desig-
nate VLANs or it is assigned a single implicit VLAN that is never tagged with an 802.1Q header.
For compatibility with software designed for the Linux bridge, ovs-vsctl 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 add-br command (see below) creates a ``fake bridge'' within an
Open vSwitch bridge to simulate this behavior. When such a ``fake bridge'' is active, ovs-vsctl 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.)
OPTIONS
The following options affect the behavior ovs-vsctl 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 --.
--db=server
Sets server as the database server that ovs-vsctl contacts to query or modify configuration. The default is unix:/var/run/open-
vswitch/db.sock. server must take one of the following forms:
ssl:ip:port
The specified SSL port on the host at the given ip, which must be expressed as an IP address (not a DNS name). The --pri-
vate-key, --certificate, and --ca-cert options are mandatory when this form is used.
tcp:ip:port
Connect to the given TCP port on ip.
unix:file
Connect to the Unix domain server socket named file.
pssl:port[:ip]
Listen on the given SSL port for a connection. By default, ovs-vsctl listens for connections to any local IP address, but
specifying ip limits connections to those from the given ip. The --private-key, --certificate, and --ca-cert options are
mandatory when this form is used.
ptcp:port[:ip]
Listen on the given TCP port for a connection. By default, ovs-vsctl listens for connections to any local IP address, but ip
may be specified to listen only for connections to the given ip.
punix:file
Listen on the Unix domain server socket named file for a connection.
--no-wait
Prevents ovs-vsctl from waiting for ovs-vswitchd to reconfigure itself according to the the modified database. This option should
be used if ovs-vswitchd is not running; otherwise, ovs-vsctl will not exit until ovs-vswitchd starts.
This option has no effect if the commands specified do not change the database.
--no-syslog
By default, ovs-vsctl logs its arguments and the details of any changes that it makes to the system log. This option disables this
logging.
This option is equivalent to --verbose=vsctl:syslog:warn.
--oneline
Modifies the output format so that the output for each command is printed on a single line. New-line characters that would other-
wise separate lines are printed as
, and any instances of 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 list or find commands; see
Table Formatting Options below.
--dry-run
Prevents ovs-vsctl from actually modifying the database.
-t secs
--timeout=secs
By default, or with a secs of 0, ovs-vsctl waits forever for a response from the database. This option limits runtime to approxi-
mately secs seconds. If the timeout expires, ovs-vsctl will exit with a SIGALRM signal. (A timeout would normally happen only if
the database cannot be contacted, or if the system is overloaded.)
Table Formatting Options
These options control the format of output from the list and find commands.
-f format
--format=format
Sets the type of table formatting. The following types of format are available:
table 2-D text tables with aligned columns.
list (default)
A list with one column per line and rows separated by a blank line.
html HTML tables.
csv Comma-separated values as defined in RFC 4180.
json JSON format as defined in RFC 4627. The output is a sequence of JSON objects, each of which corresponds to one table. Each
JSON object has the following members with the noted values:
caption
The table's caption. This member is omitted if the table has no caption.
headings
An array with one element per table column. Each array element is a string giving the corresponding column's heading.
data An array with one element per table row. Each element is also an array with one element per table column. The ele-
ments of this second-level array are the cells that constitute the table. Cells that represent OVSDB data or data
types are expressed in the format described in the OVSDB specification; other cells are simply expressed as text
strings.
-d format
--data=format
Sets the formatting for cells within output tables. The following types of format are available:
string (default)
The simple format described in the Database Values section below.
bare The simple format with punctuation stripped off: [] and {} are omitted around sets, maps, and empty columns, items within
sets and maps are space-separated, and strings are never quoted. This format may be easier for scripts to parse.
json JSON.
The json output format always outputs cells in JSON format, ignoring this option.
--no-heading
This option suppresses the heading row that otherwise appears in the first row of table output.
--pretty
By default, JSON in output is printed as compactly as possible. This option causes JSON in output to be printed in a more readable
fashion. Members of objects and elements of arrays are printed one per line, with indentation.
This option does not affect JSON in tables, which is always printed compactly.
--bare Equivalent to --format=list --data=bare --no-headings.
Public Key Infrastructure Options
-p privkey.pem
--private-key=privkey.pem
Specifies a PEM file containing the private key used as ovs-vsctl's identity for outgoing SSL connections.
-c cert.pem
--certificate=cert.pem
Specifies a PEM file containing a certificate that certifies the private key specified on -p or --private-key to be trustworthy.
The certificate must be signed by the certificate authority (CA) that the peer in SSL connections will use to verify it.
-C cacert.pem
--ca-cert=cacert.pem
Specifies a PEM file containing the CA certificate that ovs-vsctl should use to verify certificates presented to it by SSL peers.
(This may be the same certificate that SSL peers use to verify the certificate specified on -c or --certificate, or it may be a dif-
ferent one, depending on the PKI design in use.)
-C none
--ca-cert=none
Disables verification of certificates presented by SSL peers. This introduces a security risk, because it means that certificates
cannot be verified to be those of known trusted hosts.
--bootstrap-ca-cert=cacert.pem
When cacert.pem exists, this option has the same effect as -C or --ca-cert. If it does not exist, then ovs-vsctl will attempt to
obtain the CA certificate from the SSL peer 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.
This option exposes the SSL connection to a man-in-the-middle attack obtaining the initial CA certificate, but it may be useful for
bootstrapping.
This option is only useful if the SSL peer sends its CA certificate as part of the SSL certificate chain. The SSL protocol does not
require the server to send the CA certificate, but ovsdb-server(8) can be configured to do so with the --peer-ca-cert option.
This option is mutually exclusive with -C and --ca-cert.
--peer-ca-cert=peer-cacert.pem
Specifies a PEM file that contains one or more additional certificates to send to SSL peers. peer-cacert.pem should be the CA cer-
tificate used to sign ovs-vsctl's own certificate, that is, the certificate specified on -c or --certificate. If ovs-vsctl's cer-
tificate is self-signed, then --certificate and --peer-ca-cert should specify the same file.
This option is not useful in normal operation, because the SSL peer must already have the CA certificate for the peer to have any
confidence in ovs-vsctl's identity. However, this offers a way for a new installation to bootstrap the CA certificate on its first
SSL connection.
-vmodule[:facility[:level]], --verbose=module[:facility[:level]]
Sets the logging level for module in facility to level:
o module may be any valid module name (as displayed by the --list action on ovs-appctl(8)), or the special name ANY to set the
logging levels for all modules.
o facility may be syslog, console, or file to set the levels for logging to the system log, the console, or a file respec-
tively, or ANY to set the logging levels for both facilities. If it is omitted, facility defaults to ANY.
Regardless of the log levels set for file, logging to a file will not take place unless --log-file is also specified (see
below).
o level must be one of off, emer, err, warn, info, or dbg, designating the minimum severity of a message for it to be logged.
If it is omitted, level defaults to dbg. See ovs-appctl(8) for a definition of each log level.
-v, --verbose
Sets the maximum logging verbosity level, equivalent to --verbose=ANY:ANY:dbg.
-vPATTERN:facility:pattern, --verbose=PATTERN:facility:pattern
Sets the log pattern for facility to pattern. Refer to ovs-appctl(8) for a description of the valid syntax for pattern.
--log-file[=file]
Enables logging to a file. If file is specified, then it is used as the exact name for the log file. The default log file name
used if file is omitted is /var/log/openvswitch/ovs-vsctl.log.
COMMANDS
The commands implemented by ovs-vsctl are described in the sections below.
Open vSwitch Commands
These commands work with an Open vSwitch as a whole.
init Initializes the Open vSwitch database, if it is empty. If the database has already been initialized, this command has no effect.
Any successful ovs-vsctl command automatically initializes the Open vSwitch database if it is empty. This command is provided to
initialize the database without executing any other command.
show Prints a brief overview of the database contents.
emer-reset
Reset the configuration into a clean state. It deconfigures OpenFlow controllers, OVSDB servers, and SSL, and deletes port mirror-
ing, fail_mode, NetFlow, and sFlow configuration. This command also removes all other-config keys from all database records, except
that other-config:hwaddr is preserved if it is present in a Bridge record. Other networking configuration is left as-is.
Bridge Commands
These commands examine and manipulate Open vSwitch bridges.
[--may-exist] add-br bridge
Creates a new bridge named bridge. Initially the bridge will have no ports (other than bridge itself).
Without --may-exist, attempting to create a bridge that exists is an error. With --may-exist, this command does nothing if bridge
already exists as a real bridge.
[--may-exist] add-br bridge parent vlan
Creates a ``fake bridge'' named bridge within the existing Open vSwitch bridge parent, which must already exist and must not itself
be a fake bridge. The new fake bridge will be on 802.1Q VLAN vlan, which must be an integer between 0 and 4095. Initially bridge
will have no ports (other than bridge itself).
Without --may-exist, attempting to create a bridge that exists is an error. With --may-exist, this command does nothing if bridge
already exists as a VLAN bridge under parent for vlan.
[--if-exists] del-br bridge
Deletes bridge and all of its ports. If bridge is a real bridge, this command also deletes any fake bridges that were created with
bridge as parent, including all of their ports.
Without --if-exists, attempting to delete a bridge that does not exist is an error. With --if-exists, attempting to delete a bridge
that does not exist has no effect.
list-br
Lists all existing real and fake bridges on standard output, one per line.
br-exists bridge
Tests whether bridge exists as a real or fake bridge. If so, ovs-vsctl exits successfully with exit code 0. If not, ovs-vsctl
exits unsuccessfully with exit code 2.
br-to-vlan bridge
If bridge is a fake bridge, prints the bridge's 802.1Q VLAN as a decimal integer. If bridge is a real bridge, prints 0.
br-to-parent bridge
If bridge is a fake bridge, prints the name of its parent bridge. If bridge is a real bridge, print bridge.
br-set-external-id bridge key [value]
Sets or clears an ``external ID'' value on bridge. These values are intended to identify entities external to Open vSwitch with
which bridge is associated, e.g. the bridge's identifier in a virtualization management platform. The Open vSwitch database schema
specifies well-known key values, but key and value are otherwise arbitrary strings.
If value is specified, then key is set to value for bridge, overwriting any previous value. If value is omitted, then key is
removed from bridge's set of external IDs (if it was present).
For real bridges, the effect of this command is similar to that of a set or remove command in the external-ids column of the Bridge
table. For fake bridges, it actually modifies keys with names prefixed by fake-bridge- in the Port table.
br-get-external-id bridge [key]
Queries the external IDs on bridge. If key is specified, the output is the value for that key or the empty string if key is unset.
If key is omitted, the output is key=value, one per line, for each key-value pair.
For real bridges, the effect of this command is similar to that of a get command in the external-ids column of the Bridge table.
For fake bridges, it queries keys with names prefixed by fake-bridge- in the Port table.
Port Commands
These commands examine and manipulate Open vSwitch ports. These commands treat a bonded port as a single entity.
list-ports bridge
Lists all of the ports within bridge on standard output, one per line. The local port bridge is not included in the list.
[--may-exist] add-port bridge port [column[:key]=value]...
Creates on bridge a new port named port from the network device of the same name.
Optional arguments set values of column in the Port record created by the command. For example, tag=9 would make the port an access
port for VLAN 9. The syntax is the same as that for the set command (see Database Commands below).
Without --may-exist, attempting to create a port that exists is an error. With --may-exist, this command does nothing if port
already exists on bridge and is not a bonded port.
[--fake-iface] add-bond bridge port iface... [column[:key]=value]...
Creates on bridge a new port named port that bonds together the network devices given as each iface. At least two interfaces must
be named.
Optional arguments set values of column in the Port record created by the command. The syntax is the same as that for the set com-
mand (see Database Commands below).
With --fake-iface, a fake interface with the name port is created. This should only be used for compatibility with legacy software
that requires it.
Without --may-exist, attempting to create a port that exists is an error. With --may-exist, this command does nothing if port
already exists on bridge and bonds together exactly the specified interfaces.
[--if-exists] del-port [bridge] port
Deletes port. If bridge is omitted, port is removed from whatever bridge contains it; if bridge is specified, it must be the real
or fake bridge that contains port.
Without --if-exists, attempting to delete a port that does not exist is an error. With --if-exists, attempting to delete a port
that does not exist has no effect.
[--if-exists] --with-iface del-port [bridge] iface
Deletes the port named iface or that has an interface named iface. If bridge is omitted, the port is removed from whatever bridge
contains it; if bridge is specified, it must be the real or fake bridge that contains the port.
Without --if-exists, attempting to delete the port for an interface that does not exist is an error. With --if-exists, attempting
to delete the port for an interface that does not exist has no effect.
port-to-br port
Prints the name of the bridge that contains port on standard output.
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.
list-ifaces bridge
Lists all of the interfaces within bridge on standard output, one per line. The local port bridge is not included in the list.
iface-to-br iface
Prints the name of the bridge that contains iface on standard output.
OpenFlow Controller Connectivity
ovs-vswitchd 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 con-
trollers are typically used for occasional support and maintenance, e.g. with ovs-ofctl.
get-controller bridge
Prints the configured controller target.
del-controller bridge
Deletes the configured controller target.
set-controller bridge target...
Sets the configured controller target or targets. Each target may use any of the following forms:
ssl:ip[:port]
The specified SSL port (default: 6633) on the host at the given ip, which must be expressed as an IP address (not a DNS
name). The --private-key, --certificate, and --ca-cert options are mandatory when this form is used.
tcp:ip[:port]
The specified TCP port (default: 6633) on the host at the given ip, which must be expressed as an IP address (not a DNS
name).
unix:file
The Unix domain server socket named file.
pssl:[port][:ip]
Listens for OpenFlow SSL connections on port (default: 6633). The --private-key, --certificate, and --ca-cert options are
mandatory when this form is used. By default, ovs-vsctl listens for connections to any local IP address, but ip may be spec-
ified to listen only for connections to the given ip.
ptcp:[port][:ip]
Listens for OpenFlow TCP connections on port (default: 6633). By default, ovs-vsctl listens for connections to any local IP
address, but ip may be specified to listen only for connections to the given ip.
punix:file
Listens for OpenFlow connections on the Unix domain server socket named file.
Controller Failure Settings
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.
If the value is standalone, or if neither of these settings is set, ovs-vswitchd 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, ovs-vswitchd causes the data-
path to act like an ordinary MAC-learning switch. ovs-vswitchd will continue to retry connecting to the controller in the background and,
when the connection succeeds, it discontinues its standalone behavior.
If this option is set to secure, ovs-vswitchd will not set up flows on its own when the controller connection fails.
get-fail-mode bridge
Prints the configured failure mode.
del-fail-mode bridge
Deletes the configured failure mode.
set-fail-mode bridge standalone|secure
Sets the configured failure mode.
Manager Connectivity
These commands manipulate the manager_options column in the Open_vSwitch table and rows in the Managers table. When ovsdb-server is con-
figured to use the manager_options column for OVSDB connections (as described in INSTALL.Linux and in the startup scripts provided with
Open vSwitch), this allows the administrator to use ovs-vsctl to configure database connections.
get-manager
Prints the configured manager(s).
del-manager
Deletes the configured manager(s).
set-manager target...
Sets the configured manager target or targets. Each target may use any of the following forms:
ssl:ip:port
The specified SSL port on the host at the given ip, which must be expressed as an IP address (not a DNS name). The --pri-
vate-key, --certificate, and --ca-cert options are mandatory when this form is used.
tcp:ip:port
Connect to the given TCP port on ip.
unix:file
Connect to the Unix domain server socket named file.
pssl:port[:ip]
Listen on the given SSL port for a connection. By default, ovs-vsctl listens for connections to any local IP address, but
specifying ip limits connections to those from the given ip. The --private-key, --certificate, and --ca-cert options are
mandatory when this form is used.
ptcp:port[:ip]
Listen on the given TCP port for a connection. By default, ovs-vsctl listens for connections to any local IP address, but ip
may be specified to listen only for connections to the given ip.
punix:file
Listen on the Unix domain server socket named file for a connection.
SSL Configuration
When ovs-vswitchd is configured to connect over SSL for management or controller connectivity, the following parameters are required:
private-key
Specifies a PEM file containing the private key used as the virtual switch's identity for SSL connections to the controller.
certificate
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.
ca-cert
Specifies a PEM file containing the CA certificate used to verify that the virtual switch is connected to a trustworthy controller.
These files are read only once, at ovs-vswitchd startup time. If their contents change, ovs-vswitchd must be killed and restarted.
These SSL settings apply to all SSL connections made by the virtual switch.
get-ssl
Prints the SSL configuration.
del-ssl
Deletes the current SSL configuration.
[--bootstrap] set-ssl private-key certificate ca-cert
Sets the SSL configuration. The --bootstrap option is described below.
CA Certificate Bootstrap
Ordinarily, all of the files named in the SSL configuration must exist when ovs-vswitchd starts. However, if the ca-cert file does not
exist and the --bootstrap option is given, then ovs-vswitchd 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.
This option exposes the SSL connection to a man-in-the-middle attack obtaining the initial CA certificate, but it may be useful for boot-
strapping.
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 ovs-controller(8) can be configured to do so with the --peer-ca-cert option.
Database Commands
These commands query and modify the contents of ovsdb tables. They are a slight abstraction of the ovsdb interface and as such they oper-
ate at a lower level than other ovs-vsctl commands.
Identifying Tables, Records, and Columns
Each of these commands has a table parameter to identify a table within the database. Many of them also take a record parameter that iden-
tifies a particular record within a table. The record parameter may be the UUID for a record, and many tables offer additional ways to
identify records. Some commands also take column parameters that identify a particular field within the records in a table.
The following tables are currently defined:
Open_vSwitch
Global configuration for an ovs-vswitchd. This table contains exactly one record, identified by specifying . as the record name.
Bridge Configuration for a bridge within an Open vSwitch. Records may be identified by bridge name.
Port A bridge port. Records may be identified by port name.
Interface
A network device attached to a port. Records may be identified by name.
QoS Quality-of-service configuration for a Port. Records may be identified by port name.
Queue Configuration for one queue within a QoS configuration. Records may only be identified by UUID.
Mirror A port mirroring configuration attached to a bridge. Records may be identified by mirror name.
Controller
Configuration for an OpenFlow controller. A controller attached to a particular bridge may be identified by the bridge's name.
Manager
Configuration for an OVSDB connection. Records may be identified by target (e.g. tcp:1.2.3.4).
NetFlow
A NetFlow configuration attached to a bridge. Records may be identified by bridge name.
SSL The global SSL configuration for ovs-vswitchd. The record attached to the Open_vSwitch table may be identified by specifying . as
the record name.
sFlow An sFlow configuration attached to a bridge. Records may be identified by bridge name.
Record names must be specified in full and with correct capitalization. Names of tables and columns are not case-sensitive, and -- and _
are treated interchangeably. Unique abbreviations are acceptable, e.g. net or n is sufficient to identify the NetFlow table.
Database Values
Each column in the database accepts a fixed type of data. The currently defined basic types, and their representations, are:
integer
A decimal integer in the range -2**63 to 2**63-1, inclusive.
real A floating-point number.
Boolean
True or false, written true or false, respectively.
string An arbitrary Unicode string, except that null bytes are not allowed. Quotes are optional for most strings that begin with an Eng-
lish letter or underscore and consist only of letters, underscores, hyphens, and periods. However, true and false 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 ("").
UUID Either a universally unique identifier in the style of RFC 4122, e.g. f81d4fae-7dec-11d0-a765-00a0c91e6bf6, or an @name defined by a
get or create command within the same ovs-vsctl invocation.
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 [], and square
brackets may optionally enclose other non-empty sets or single values as well.
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 key=value, where key and value 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 {}, and curly braces may be optionally enclose non-empty maps as well.
Database Command Syntax
[--columns=column[,column]...] list table [record]...
Lists the data in each specified record. If no records are specified, lists all the records in table.
If --columns is specified, only the requested columns are listed, in the specified order. Otherwise, all columns are listed, in
alphabetical order by column name.
[--columns=column[,column]...] find table [column[:key]=value]...
Lists the data in each record in table whose column equals value or, if key is specified, whose column contains a key with the spec-
ified value. Any of the operators !=, <, >, <=, or >= may be substituted for = 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 < or > from interpretation by the shell.)
If --columns is specified, only the requested columns are listed, in the specified order. Otherwise all columns are listed, in
alphabetical order by column name.
The UUIDs shown for rows created in the same ovs-vsctl invocation will be wrong.
[--id=@name] [--if-exists] get table record [column[:key]]...
Prints the value of each specified column in the given record in table. For map columns, a key may optionally be specified, in
which case the value associated with key in the column is printed, instead of the entire map.
For a map column, without --if-exists it is an error if key does not exist; with it, a blank line is printed. If column is not a
map column or if key is not specified, --if-exists has no effect.
If @name is specified, then the UUID for record may be referred to by that name later in the same ovs-vsctl invocation in contexts
where a UUID is expected.
Both --id and the column arguments are optional, but usually at least one or the other should be specified. If both are omitted,
then get has no effect except to verify that record exists in table.
set table record column[:key]=value...
Sets the value of each specified column in the given record in table to value. For map columns, a key may optionally be specified,
in which case the value associated with key in that column is changed (or added, if none exists), instead of the entire map.
add table record column [key=]value...
Adds the specified value or key-value pair to column in record in table. If column is a map, then key is required, otherwise it is
prohibited. If key already exists in a map column, then the current value is not replaced (use the set command to replace an exist-
ing value).
remove table record column value...
remove table record column key...
remove table record column key=value...
Removes the specified values or key-value pairs from column in record in table. The first form applies to columns that are not
maps: each specified value is removed from the column. The second and third forms apply to map columns: if only a key is specified,
then any key-value pair with the given key is removed, regardless of its value; if a value is given then a pair is removed only if
both key and value match.
It is not an error if the column does not contain the specified key or value or pair.
clear table record column...
Sets each column in record in table to the empty set or empty map, as appropriate. This command applies only to columns that are
allowed to be empty.
[--id=@name] create table column[:key]=value...
Creates a new record in table and sets the initial values of each column. Columns not explicitly set will receive their default
values. Outputs the UUID of the new row.
If @name is specified, then the UUID for the new row may be referred to by that name elsewhere in the same ovs-vsctl invocation in
contexts where a UUID is expected. Such references may precede or follow the create command.
Records in the Open vSwitch database are significant only when they can be reached directly or indirectly from the Open_vSwitch ta-
ble. Except for records in the QoS or Queue tables, records that are not reachable from the Open_vSwitch table are automatically
deleted from the database. This deletion happens immediately, without waiting for additional ovs-vsctl commands or other database
activity. Thus, a create command must generally be accompanied by additional commands within the same ovs-vsctl invocation to add a
chain of references to the newly created record from the top-level Open_vSwitch record. The EXAMPLES section gives some examples
that show how to do this.
[--if-exists] destroy table record...
Deletes each specified record from table. Unless --if-exists is specified, each records must exist.
The destroy command is only useful for records in the QoS or Queue tables. Records in other tables are automatically deleted from
the database when they become unreachable from the Open_vSwitch table. This means that deleting the last reference to a record is
sufficient for deleting the record itself. For records in these tables, destroy is silently ignored. See the EXAMPLES section
below for more information.
wait-until table record [column[:key]=value]...
Waits until table contains a record named record whose column equals value or, if key is specified, whose column contains a key with
the specified value. Any of the operators !=, <, >, <=, or >= may be substituted for = 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 < or > from interpretation by the
shell.)
If no column[:key]=value arguments are given, this command waits only until record exists. If more than one such argument is given,
the command waits until all of them are satisfied.
Usually wait-until should be placed at the beginning of a set of ovs-vsctl commands. For example, wait-until bridge br0 -- get
bridge br0 datapath_id waits until a bridge named br0 is created, then prints its datapath_id column, whereas get bridge br0 data-
path_id -- wait-until bridge br0 will abort if no bridge named br0 exists when ovs-vsctl initially connects to the database.
Consider specifying --timeout=0 along with --wait-until, to prevent ovs-vsctl from terminating after waiting only at most 5 seconds.
comment [arg]...
This command has no effect on behavior, but any database log record created by the command will include the command and its argu-
ments.
EXAMPLES
Create a new bridge named br0 and add port eth0 to it:
ovs-vsctl add-br br0
ovs-vsctl add-port br0 eth0
Alternatively, perform both operations in a single atomic transaction:
ovs-vsctl add-br br0 -- add-port br0 eth0
Delete bridge br0, reporting an error if it does not exist:
ovs-vsctl del-br br0
Delete bridge br0 if it exists (the -- is required to separate del-br's options from the global options):
ovs-vsctl -- --if-exists del-br br0
Set the qos column of the Port record for eth0 to point to a new QoS record, which in turn points with its queue 0 to a new Queue record:
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
CONFIGURATION COOKBOOK
Port Configuration
Add an ``internal port'' vlan10 to bridge br0 as a VLAN access port for VLAN 10, and configure it with an IP address:
ovs-vsctl add-port br0 vlan10 tag=10 -- set Interface vlan10 type=internal
ifconfig vlan10 192.168.0.123
Port Mirroring
Mirror all packets received or sent on eth0 or eth1 onto eth2, assuming that all of those ports exist on bridge br0 (as a side-effect this
causes any packets received on eth2 to be ignored):
ovs-vsctl -- set Bridge br0 mirrors=@m
-- --id=@eth0 get Port eth0
-- --id=@eth1 get Port eth1
-- --id=@eth2 get Port eth2
-- --id=@m create Mirror name=mymirror select-dst-port=@eth0,@eth1 select-src-port=@eth0,@eth1 output-port=@eth2
Remove the mirror created above from br0, which also destroys the Mirror record (since it is now unreferenced):
remove Bridge br0 mirrors mymirror
Quality of Service (QoS)
Create a linux-htb QoS record that points to a few queues and use it on eth0 and eth1:
ovs-vsctl -- set Port eth0 qos=@newqos
-- set Port eth1 qos=@newqos
-- --id=@newqos create QoS type=linux-htb other-config:max-rate=1000000000 queues=0=@q0,1=@q1
-- --id=@q0 create Queue other-config:min-rate=100000000 other-config:max-rate=100000000
-- --id=@q1 create Queue other-config:min-rate=500000000
Deconfigure the QoS record above from eth1 only:
ovs-vsctl clear Port eth1 qos
To deconfigure the QoS record from both eth0 and eth1 and then delete the QoS record (which must be done explicitly because unreferenced
QoS records are not automatically destroyed):
ovs-vsctl -- destroy QoS eth0 -- clear Port eth0 qos -- clear Port eth1 qos
(This command will leave two unreferenced Queue records in the database. To delete them, use "ovs-vsctl list Queue" to find their UUIDs,
then "ovs-vsctl destroy Queue uuid1 uuid2" to destroy each of them.)
Connectivity Monitoring
Monitor connectivity to a remote maintenance point on eth0.
ovs-vsctl set Interface eth0 cfm_mpid=1
Deconfigure connectivity monitoring from above:
ovs-vsctl clear Interface eth0 cfm_mpid
NetFlow
Configure bridge br0 to send NetFlow records to UDP port 5566 on host 192.168.0.34, with an active timeout of 30 seconds:
ovs-vsctl -- set Bridge br0 netflow=@nf
-- --id=@nf create NetFlow targets="192.168.0.34:5566" active-timeout=30
Update the NetFlow configuration created by the previous command to instead use an active timeout of 60 seconds:
ovs-vsctl set NetFlow br0 active_timeout=60
Deconfigure the NetFlow settings from br0, which also destroys the NetFlow record (since it is now unreferenced):
ovs-vsctl clear Bridge br0 netflow
sFlow
Configure bridge br0 to send sFlow records to a collector on 10.0.0.1 at port 6343, using eth1's IP address as the source, with specific
sampling parameters:
ovs-vsctl -- --id=@s create sFlow agent=eth1 target="10.0.0.1:6343" header=128 sampling=64 polling=10
-- set Bridge br0 sflow=@s
Deconfigure sFlow from br0, which also destroys the sFlow record (since it is now unreferenced):
ovs-vsctl -- clear Bridge br0 sflow
802.1D Spanning Tree Protocol (STP)
Configure bridge br0 to participate in an 802.1D spanning tree:
ovs-vsctl set Bridge br0 stp_enable=true
Set the bridge priority of br0 to 0x7800:
ovs-vsctl set Bridge br0 other_config:stp-priority=0x7800
Set the path cost of port eth0 to 10:
ovs-vsctl set Port eth0 other_config:stp-path-cost=10
Deconfigure STP from above:
ovs-vsctl clear Bridge br0 stp_enable
EXIT STATUS
0 Successful program execution.
1 Usage, syntax, or configuration file error.
2 The bridge argument to br-exists specified the name of a bridge that does not exist.
SEE ALSO
ovsdb-server(1), ovs-vswitchd(8).
Open vSwitch November 2009 ovs-vsctl(8)