1 <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
2 <database title="Open vSwitch Configuration Database">
3 <p>A database with this schema holds the configuration for one Open
4 vSwitch daemon. The root of the configuration for the daemon is
5 the <ref table="Open_vSwitch"/> table, which must have exactly one
6 record. Records in other tables are significant only when they
7 can be reached directly or indirectly from the
8 <ref table="Open_vSwitch"/> table.</p>
10 <table name="Open_vSwitch" title="Open vSwitch configuration.">
11 Configuration for an Open vSwitch daemon. There must be exactly one record
12 in the <ref table="Open_vSwitch"/> table.
14 <group title="Configuration">
15 <column name="bridges">
16 Set of bridges managed by the daemon.
20 SSL used globally by the daemon.
23 <column name="external_ids">
24 Key-value pairs for use by external frameworks that integrate
25 with Open vSwitch, rather than by Open vSwitch itself. System
26 integrators should either use the Open vSwitch development
27 mailing list to coordinate on common key-value definitions, or
28 choose key names that are likely to be unique. The currently
29 defined common key-value pairs are:
31 <dt><code>system-id</code></dt>
32 <dd>A unique identifier for the Open vSwitch's physical host.
33 The form of the identifier depends on the type of the host.
34 On a Citrix XenServer, this will likely be the same as
35 <code>xs-system-uuid</code>.</dd>
36 <dt><code>xs-system-uuid</code></dt>
37 <dd>The Citrix XenServer universally unique identifier for the
38 physical host as displayed by <code>xe host-list</code>.</dd>
43 <group title="Status">
44 <column name="next_cfg">
45 Sequence number for client to increment. When a client modifies
46 any part of the database configuration and wishes to wait for
47 Open vSwitch to finish applying the changes, it may increment
51 <column name="cur_cfg">
52 Sequence number that Open vSwitch sets to the current value of
53 <ref column="next_cfg"/> after it finishes applying a set of
54 configuration changes.
57 <column name="capabilities">
58 Describes functionality supported by the hardware and software platform
59 on which this Open vSwitch is based. Clients should not modify this
60 column. See the <ref table="Capability"/> description for defined
61 capability categories and the meaning of associated
62 <ref table="Capability"/> records.
65 <column name="statistics">
67 Key-value pairs that report statistics about a system running an Open
68 vSwitch. These are updated periodically (currently, every 5
69 seconds). Key-value pairs that cannot be determined or that do not
70 apply to a platform are omitted.
74 <dt><code>cpu</code></dt>
77 Number of CPU processors, threads, or cores currently online and
78 available to the operating system on which Open vSwitch is
79 running, as an integer. This may be less than the number
80 installed, if some are not online or if they are not available to
84 Open vSwitch userspace processes are not multithreaded, but the
85 Linux kernel-based datapath is.
89 <dt><code>load_average</code></dt>
92 A comma-separated list of three floating-point numbers,
93 representing the system load average over the last 1, 5, and 15
94 minutes, respectively.
98 <dt><code>memory</code></dt>
101 A comma-separated list of integers, each of which represents a
102 quantity of memory in kilobytes that describes the operating
103 system on which Open vSwitch is running. In respective order,
108 <li>Total amount of RAM allocated to the OS.</li>
109 <li>RAM allocated to the OS that is in use.</li>
110 <li>RAM that can be flushed out to disk or otherwise discarded
111 if that space is needed for another purpose. This number is
112 necessarily less than or equal to the previous value.</li>
113 <li>Total disk space allocated for swap.</li>
114 <li>Swap space currently in use.</li>
118 On Linux, all five values can be determined and are included. On
119 other operating systems, only the first two values can be
120 determined, so the list will only have two values.
124 <dt><code>process_</code><var>name</var></dt>
127 One such key-value pair will exist for each running Open vSwitch
128 daemon process, with <var>name</var> replaced by the daemon's
129 name (e.g. <code>process_ovs-vswitchd</code>). The value is a
130 comma-separated list of integers. The integers represent the
131 following, with memory measured in kilobytes and durations in
136 <li>The process's virtual memory size.</li>
137 <li>The process's resident set size.</li>
138 <li>The amount of user and system CPU time consumed by the
140 <li>The number of times that the process has crashed and been
141 automatically restarted by the monitor.</li>
142 <li>The duration since the process was started.</li>
143 <li>The duration for which the process has been running.</li>
147 The interpretation of some of these values depends on whether the
148 process was started with the <option>--monitor</option>. If it
149 was not, then the crash count will always be 0 and the two
150 durations will always be the same. If <option>--monitor</option>
151 was given, then the crash count may be positive; if it is, the
152 latter duration is the amount of time since the most recent crash
157 There will be one key-value pair for each file in Open vSwitch's
158 ``run directory'' (usually <code>/var/run/openvswitch</code>)
159 whose name ends in <code>.pid</code>, whose contents are a
160 process ID, and which is locked by a running process. The
161 <var>name</var> is taken from the pidfile's name.
165 Currently Open vSwitch is only able to obtain all of the above
166 detail on Linux systems. On other systems, the same key-value
167 pairs will be present but the values will always be the empty
172 <dt><code>file_systems</code></dt>
175 A space-separated list of information on local, writable file
176 systems. Each item in the list describes one file system and
177 consists in turn of a comma-separated list of the following:
181 <li>Mount point, e.g. <code>/</code> or <code>/var/log</code>.
182 Any spaces or commas in the mount point are replaced by
184 <li>Total size, in kilobytes, as an integer.</li>
185 <li>Amount of storage in use, in kilobytes, as an integer.</li>
189 This key-value pair is omitted if there are no local, writable
190 file systems or if Open vSwitch cannot obtain the needed
198 <group title="Version Reporting">
200 These columns report the types and versions of the hardware and
201 software running Open vSwitch. We recommend in general that software
202 should test whether specific features are supported instead of relying
203 on version number checks. These values are primarily intended for
204 reporting to human administrators.
207 <column name="ovs_version">
208 The Open vSwitch version number, e.g. <code>1.1.0pre2</code>.
209 If Open vSwitch was configured with a build number, then it is
210 also included, e.g. <code>1.1.0pre2+build4948</code>.
213 <column name="db_version">
215 The database schema version number in the form
216 <code><var>major</var>.<var>minor</var>.<var>tweak</var></code>,
217 e.g. <code>1.2.3</code>. Whenever the database schema is changed in
218 a non-backward compatible way (e.g. deleting a column or a table),
219 <var>major</var> is incremented. When the database schema is changed
220 in a backward compatible way (e.g. adding a new column),
221 <var>minor</var> is incremented. When the database schema is changed
222 cosmetically (e.g. reindenting its syntax), <var>tweak</var> is
227 The schema version is part of the database schema, so it can also be
228 retrieved by fetching the schema using the Open vSwitch database
233 <column name="system_type">
235 An identifier for the type of system on top of which Open vSwitch
236 runs, e.g. <code>XenServer</code> or <code>KVM</code>.
239 System integrators are responsible for choosing and setting an
240 appropriate value for this column.
244 <column name="system_version">
246 The version of the system identified by <ref column="system_type"/>,
247 e.g. <code>5.5.0-24648p</code> on XenServer 5.5.0 build 24648.
250 System integrators are responsible for choosing and setting an
251 appropriate value for this column.
257 <group title="Database Configuration">
259 These columns primarily configure the Open vSwitch database
260 (<code>ovsdb-server</code>), not the Open vSwitch switch
261 (<code>ovs-vswitchd</code>). The OVSDB database also uses the <ref
262 column="ssl"/> settings.
266 The Open vSwitch switch does read the database configuration to
267 determine remote IP addresses to which in-band control should apply.
270 <column name="manager_options">
271 Database clients to which the Open vSwitch database server should
272 connect or to which it should listen, along with options for how these
273 connection should be configured. See the <ref table="Manager"/> table
274 for more information.
277 <column name="managers">
279 Remote database clients to which the Open vSwitch's database server
280 should connect or to which it should listen. Adding an OVSDB target
281 to this set is equivalent to adding it to <ref
282 column="manager_options"/> with all of the default options.
286 Use of this column is deprecated and may be removed sometime in the
287 future. New applications should use and set <ref
288 column="manager_options"/> instead.
294 <table name="Bridge">
296 Configuration for a bridge within an
297 <ref table="Open_vSwitch"/>.
300 A <ref table="Bridge"/> record represents an Ethernet switch with one or
301 more ``ports,'' which are the <ref table="Port"/> records pointed to by
302 the <ref table="Bridge"/>'s <ref column="ports"/> column.
305 <group title="Core Features">
307 Bridge identifier. Should be alphanumeric and no more than about 8
308 bytes long. Must be unique among the names of ports, interfaces, and
312 <column name="ports">
313 Ports included in the bridge.
316 <column name="mirrors">
317 Port mirroring configuration.
320 <column name="netflow">
321 NetFlow configuration.
324 <column name="sflow">
328 <column name="flood_vlans">
329 VLAN IDs of VLANs on which MAC address learning should be disabled, so
330 that packets are flooded instead of being sent to specific ports that
331 are believed to contain packets' destination MACs. This should
332 ordinarily be used to disable MAC learning on VLANs used for mirroring
333 (RSPAN VLANs). It may also be useful for debugging.
337 <group title="OpenFlow Configuration">
338 <column name="controller">
339 OpenFlow controller set. If unset, then no OpenFlow controllers
343 <column name="fail_mode">
344 <p>When a controller is configured, it is, ordinarily, responsible
345 for setting up all flows on the switch. Thus, if the connection to
346 the controller fails, no new network connections can be set up.
347 If the connection to the controller stays down long enough,
348 no packets can pass through the switch at all. This setting
349 determines the switch's response to such a situation. It may be set
350 to one of the following:
352 <dt><code>standalone</code></dt>
353 <dd>If no message is received from the controller for three
354 times the inactivity probe interval
355 (see <ref column="inactivity_probe"/>), then Open vSwitch
356 will take over responsibility for setting up flows. In
357 this mode, Open vSwitch causes the bridge to act like an
358 ordinary MAC-learning switch. Open vSwitch will continue
359 to retry connecting to the controller in the background
360 and, when the connection succeeds, it will discontinue its
361 standalone behavior.</dd>
362 <dt><code>secure</code></dt>
363 <dd>Open vSwitch will not set up flows on its own when the
364 controller connection fails or when no controllers are
365 defined. The bridge will continue to retry connecting to
366 any defined controllers forever.</dd>
369 <p>If this value is unset, the default is implementation-specific.</p>
370 <p>When more than one controller is configured,
371 <ref column="fail_mode"/> is considered only when none of the
372 configured controllers can be contacted.</p>
375 <column name="datapath_id">
376 Reports the OpenFlow datapath ID in use. Exactly 16 hex
377 digits. (Setting this column will have no useful effect. Set
378 <ref column="other_config"/>:<code>other-config</code>
383 <group title="Other Features">
384 <column name="datapath_type">
385 Name of datapath provider. The kernel datapath has
386 type <code>system</code>. The userspace datapath has
387 type <code>netdev</code>.
390 <column name="external_ids">
391 Key-value pairs for use by external frameworks that integrate
392 with Open vSwitch, rather than by Open vSwitch itself. System
393 integrators should either use the Open vSwitch development
394 mailing list to coordinate on common key-value definitions, or
395 choose key names that are likely to be unique. The currently
396 defined key-value pairs are:
398 <dt><code>bridge-id</code></dt>
399 <dd>A unique identifier of the bridge. On Citrix XenServer this
400 will commonly be the same as <code>xs-network-uuids</code>.</dd>
401 <dt><code>xs-network-uuids</code></dt>
402 <dd>Semicolon-delimited set of universally unique identifier(s) for
403 the network with which this bridge is associated on a Citrix
404 XenServer host. The network identifiers are RFC 4122 UUIDs as
405 displayed by, e.g., <code>xe network-list</code>.</dd>
409 <column name="other_config">
410 Key-value pairs for configuring rarely used bridge
411 features. The currently defined key-value pairs are:
413 <dt><code>datapath-id</code></dt>
415 digits to set the OpenFlow datapath ID to a specific
416 value. May not be all-zero.</dd>
417 <dt><code>disable-in-band</code></dt>
418 <dd>If set to <code>true</code>, disable in-band control on
419 the bridge regardless of controller and manager settings.</dd>
420 <dt><code>hwaddr</code></dt>
421 <dd>An Ethernet address in the form
422 <var>xx</var>:<var>xx</var>:<var>xx</var>:<var>xx</var>:<var>xx</var>:<var>xx</var>
423 to set the hardware address of the local port and influence the
425 <dt><code>in-band-queue</code></dt>
427 A queue ID as a nonnegative integer. This sets the OpenFlow queue
428 ID that will be used by flows set up by in-band control on this
429 bridge. If unset, or if the port used by an in-band control flow
430 does not have QoS configured, or if the port does not have a queue
431 with the specified ID, the default queue is used instead.
438 <table name="Port" table="Port or bond configuration.">
439 <p>A port within a <ref table="Bridge"/>.</p>
440 <p>Most commonly, a port has exactly one ``interface,'' pointed to by its
441 <ref column="interfaces"/> column. Such a port logically
442 corresponds to a port on a physical Ethernet switch. A port
443 with more than one interface is a ``bonded port'' (see
444 <ref group="Bonding Configuration"/>).</p>
445 <p>Some properties that one might think as belonging to a port are actually
446 part of the port's <ref table="Interface"/> members.</p>
449 Port name. Should be alphanumeric and no more than about 8
450 bytes long. May be the same as the interface name, for
451 non-bonded ports. Must otherwise be unique among the names of
452 ports, interfaces, and bridges on a host.
455 <column name="interfaces">
456 The port's interfaces. If there is more than one, this is a
460 <group title="VLAN Configuration">
461 <p>A bridge port must be configured for VLANs in one of two
462 mutually exclusive ways:
464 <li>A ``trunk port'' has an empty value for <ref
465 column="tag"/>. Its <ref column="trunks"/> value may be
466 empty or non-empty.</li>
467 <li>An ``implicitly tagged VLAN port'' or ``access port''
468 has an nonempty value for <ref column="tag"/>. Its
469 <ref column="trunks"/> value must be empty.</li>
471 If <ref column="trunks"/> and <ref column="tag"/> are both
472 nonempty, the configuration is ill-formed.
477 If this is an access port (see above), the port's implicitly
478 tagged VLAN. Must be empty if this is a trunk port.
481 Frames arriving on trunk ports will be forwarded to this
482 port only if they are tagged with the given VLAN (or, if
483 <ref column="tag"/> is 0, then if they lack a VLAN header).
484 Frames arriving on other access ports will be forwarded to
485 this port only if they have the same <ref column="tag"/>
486 value. Frames forwarded to this port will not have an
490 When a frame with a 802.1Q header that indicates a nonzero
491 VLAN is received on an access port, it is discarded.
495 <column name="trunks">
497 If this is a trunk port (see above), the 802.1Q VLAN(s) that
498 this port trunks; if it is empty, then the port trunks all
499 VLANs. Must be empty if this is an access port.
502 Frames arriving on trunk ports are dropped if they are not
503 in one of the specified VLANs. For this purpose, packets
504 that have no VLAN header are treated as part of VLAN 0.
509 <group title="Bonding Configuration">
510 <p>A port that has more than one interface is a ``bonded port.''
511 Bonding allows for load balancing and fail-over. Open vSwitch
512 supports ``source load balancing'' (SLB) bonding, which
513 assigns flows to slaves based on source MAC address and output VLAN,
514 with periodic rebalancing as traffic patterns change. This form of
515 bonding does not require 802.3ad or other special support from the
516 upstream switch to which the slave devices are connected.</p>
518 <p>These columns apply only to bonded ports. Their values are
519 otherwise ignored.</p>
521 <column name="bond_updelay">
522 <p>For a bonded port, the number of milliseconds for which carrier must
523 stay up on an interface before the interface is considered to be up.
524 Specify <code>0</code> to enable the interface immediately.</p>
525 <p>This setting is honored only when at least one bonded interface is
526 already enabled. When no interfaces are enabled, then the first bond
527 interface to come up is enabled immediately.</p>
530 <column name="bond_downdelay">
531 For a bonded port, the number of milliseconds for which carrier must
532 stay down on an interface before the interface is considered to be
533 down. Specify <code>0</code> to disable the interface immediately.
536 <column name="bond_fake_iface">
537 For a bonded port, whether to create a fake internal interface with the
538 name of the port. Use only for compatibility with legacy software that
543 <group title="Other Features">
545 Quality of Service configuration for this port.
549 The MAC address to use for this port for the purpose of choosing the
550 bridge's MAC address. This column does not necessarily reflect the
551 port's actual MAC address, nor will setting it change the port's actual
555 <column name="fake_bridge">
556 Does this port represent a sub-bridge for its tagged VLAN within the
557 Bridge? See ovs-vsctl(8) for more information.
560 <column name="external_ids">
562 Key-value pairs for use by external frameworks that integrate with
563 Open vSwitch, rather than by Open vSwitch itself. System integrators
564 should either use the Open vSwitch development mailing list to
565 coordinate on common key-value definitions, or choose key names that
566 are likely to be unique.
569 No key-value pairs native to <ref table="Port"/> are currently
570 defined. For fake bridges (see the <ref column="fake_bridge"/>
571 column), external IDs for the fake bridge are defined here by
572 prefixing a <ref table="Bridge"/> <ref table="Bridge"
573 column="external_ids"/> key with <code>fake-bridge-</code>,
574 e.g. <code>fake-bridge-xs-network-uuids</code>.
578 <column name="other_config">
579 Key-value pairs for configuring rarely used port features. The
580 currently defined key-value pairs are:
582 <dt><code>hwaddr</code></dt>
583 <dd>An Ethernet address in the form
584 <code><var>xx</var>:<var>xx</var>:<var>xx</var>:<var>xx</var>:<var>xx</var>:<var>xx</var></code>.</dd>
585 <dt><code>bond-rebalance-interval</code></dt>
586 <dd>For a bonded port, the number of milliseconds between
587 successive attempts to rebalance the bond, that is, to
588 move source MACs and their flows from one interface on
589 the bond to another in an attempt to keep usage of each
590 interface roughly equal. The default is 10000 (10
591 seconds), and the minimum is 1000 (1 second).</dd>
597 <table name="Interface" title="One physical network device in a Port.">
598 An interface within a <ref table="Port"/>.
600 <group title="Core Features">
602 Interface name. Should be alphanumeric and no more than about 8 bytes
603 long. May be the same as the port name, for non-bonded ports. Must
604 otherwise be unique among the names of ports, interfaces, and bridges
609 <p>Ethernet address to set for this interface. If unset then the
610 default MAC address is used:</p>
612 <li>For the local interface, the default is the lowest-numbered MAC
613 address among the other bridge ports, either the value of the
614 <ref table="Port" column="mac"/> in its <ref table="Port"/> record,
615 if set, or its actual MAC (for bonded ports, the MAC of its slave
616 whose name is first in alphabetical order). Internal ports and
617 bridge ports that are used as port mirroring destinations (see the
618 <ref table="Mirror"/> table) are ignored.</li>
619 <li>For other internal interfaces, the default MAC is randomly
621 <li>External interfaces typically have a MAC address associated with
624 <p>Some interfaces may not have a software-controllable MAC
628 <column name="ofport">
629 <p>OpenFlow port number for this interface. Unlike most columns, this
630 column's value should be set only by Open vSwitch itself. Other
631 clients should set this column to an empty set (the default) when
632 creating an <ref table="Interface"/>.</p>
633 <p>Open vSwitch populates this column when the port number becomes
634 known. If the interface is successfully added,
635 <ref column="ofport"/> will be set to a number between 1 and 65535
636 (generally either in the range 1 to 65279, inclusive, or 65534, the
637 port number for the OpenFlow ``local port''). If the interface
638 cannot be added then Open vSwitch sets this column
643 <group title="System-Specific Details">
645 The interface type, one of:
647 <dt><code>system</code></dt>
648 <dd>An ordinary network device, e.g. <code>eth0</code> on Linux.
649 Sometimes referred to as ``external interfaces'' since they are
650 generally connected to hardware external to that on which the Open
651 vSwitch is running. The empty string is a synonym for
652 <code>system</code>.</dd>
653 <dt><code>internal</code></dt>
654 <dd>A simulated network device that sends and receives traffic. An
655 internal interface whose <ref column="name"/> is the same as its
656 bridge's <ref table="Open_vSwitch" column="name"/> is called the
657 ``local interface.'' It does not make sense to bond an internal
658 interface, so the terms ``port'' and ``interface'' are often used
659 imprecisely for internal interfaces.</dd>
660 <dt><code>tap</code></dt>
661 <dd>A TUN/TAP device managed by Open vSwitch.</dd>
662 <dt><code>gre</code></dt>
663 <dd>An Ethernet over RFC 2890 Generic Routing Encapsulation over IPv4
664 tunnel. Each tunnel must be uniquely identified by the
665 combination of <code>remote_ip</code>, <code>local_ip</code>, and
666 <code>in_key</code>. Note that if two ports are defined that are
667 the same except one has an optional identifier and the other does
668 not, the more specific one is matched first. <code>in_key</code>
669 is considered more specific than <code>local_ip</code> if a port
670 defines one and another port defines the other. The following
671 options may be specified in the <ref column="options"/> column:
673 <dt><code>remote_ip</code></dt>
674 <dd>Required. The tunnel endpoint.</dd>
677 <dt><code>local_ip</code></dt>
678 <dd>Optional. The destination IP that received packets must
679 match. Default is to match all addresses.</dd>
682 <dt><code>in_key</code></dt>
683 <dd>Optional. The GRE key that received packets must contain.
684 It may either be a 32-bit number (no key and a key of 0 are
685 treated as equivalent) or the word <code>flow</code>. If
686 <code>flow</code> is specified then any key will be accepted
687 and the key will be placed in the <code>tun_id</code> field
688 for matching in the flow table. The ovs-ofctl manual page
689 contains additional information about matching fields in
690 OpenFlow flows. Default is no key.</dd>
693 <dt><code>out_key</code></dt>
694 <dd>Optional. The GRE key to be set on outgoing packets. It may
695 either be a 32-bit number or the word <code>flow</code>. If
696 <code>flow</code> is specified then the key may be set using
697 the <code>set_tunnel</code> Nicira OpenFlow vendor extension (0
698 is used in the absence of an action). The ovs-ofctl manual
699 page contains additional information about the Nicira OpenFlow
700 vendor extensions. Default is no key.</dd>
703 <dt><code>key</code></dt>
704 <dd>Optional. Shorthand to set <code>in_key</code> and
705 <code>out_key</code> at the same time.</dd>
708 <dt><code>tos</code></dt>
709 <dd>Optional. The value of the ToS bits to be set on the
710 encapsulating packet. It may also be the word
711 <code>inherit</code>, in which case the ToS will be copied from
712 the inner packet if it is IPv4 or IPv6 (otherwise it will be
713 0). Note that the ECN fields are always inherited. Default is
717 <dt><code>ttl</code></dt>
718 <dd>Optional. The TTL to be set on the encapsulating packet.
719 It may also be the word <code>inherit</code>, in which case the
720 TTL will be copied from the inner packet if it is IPv4 or IPv6
721 (otherwise it will be the system default, typically 64).
722 Default is the system default TTL.</dd>
725 <dt><code>csum</code></dt>
726 <dd>Optional. Compute GRE checksums on outgoing packets.
727 Checksums present on incoming packets will be validated
728 regardless of this setting. Note that GRE checksums
729 impose a significant performance penalty as they cover the
730 entire packet. As the contents of the packet is typically
731 covered by L3 and L4 checksums, this additional checksum only
732 adds value for the GRE and encapsulated Ethernet headers.
733 Default is disabled, set to <code>true</code> to enable.</dd>
736 <dt><code>pmtud</code></dt>
737 <dd>Optional. Enable tunnel path MTU discovery. If enabled
738 ``ICMP destination unreachable - fragmentation'' needed
739 messages will be generated for IPv4 packets with the DF bit set
740 and IPv6 packets above the minimum MTU if the packet size
741 exceeds the path MTU minus the size of the tunnel headers. It
742 also forces the encapsulating packet DF bit to be set (it is
743 always set if the inner packet implies path MTU discovery).
744 Note that this option causes behavior that is typically
745 reserved for routers and therefore is not entirely in
746 compliance with the IEEE 802.1D specification for bridges.
747 Default is enabled, set to <code>false</code> to disable.</dd>
750 <dt><code>header_cache</code></dt>
751 <dd>Optional. Enable caching of tunnel headers and the output
752 path. This can lead to a significant performance increase
753 without changing behavior. In general it should not be
754 necessary to adjust this setting. However, the caching can
755 bypass certain components of the IP stack (such as IP tables)
756 and it may be useful to disable it if these features are
757 required or as a debugging measure. Default is enabled, set to
758 <code>false</code> to disable.</dd>
761 <dt><code>ipsec_gre</code></dt>
762 <dd>An Ethernet over RFC 2890 Generic Routing Encapsulation
763 over IPv4 IPsec tunnel. Each tunnel (including those of type
764 <code>gre</code>) must be uniquely identified by the
765 combination of <code>remote_ip</code> and
766 <code>local_ip</code>. Note that if two ports are defined
767 that are the same except one has an optional identifier and
768 the other does not, the more specific one is matched first.
769 An authentication method of <code>peer_cert</code> or
770 <code>psk</code> must be defined. The following options may
771 be specified in the <ref column="options"/> column:
773 <dt><code>remote_ip</code></dt>
774 <dd>Required. The tunnel endpoint.</dd>
777 <dt><code>local_ip</code></dt>
778 <dd>Optional. The destination IP that received packets must
779 match. Default is to match all addresses.</dd>
782 <dt><code>peer_cert</code></dt>
783 <dd>Required for certificate authentication. A string
784 containing the peer's certificate in PEM format.
785 Additionally the host's certificate must be specified
786 with the <code>certificate</code> option.</dd>
789 <dt><code>certificate</code></dt>
790 <dd>Required for certificate authentication. The name of a
791 PEM file containing a certificate that will be presented
792 to the peer during authentication.</dd>
795 <dt><code>private_key</code></dt>
796 <dd>Optional for certificate authentication. The name of
797 a PEM file containing the private key associated with
798 <code>certificate</code>. If <code>certificate</code>
799 contains the private key, this option may be omitted.</dd>
802 <dt><code>psk</code></dt>
803 <dd>Required for pre-shared key authentication. Specifies a
804 pre-shared key for authentication that must be identical on
805 both sides of the tunnel.</dd>
808 <dt><code>in_key</code></dt>
809 <dd>Optional. The GRE key that received packets must contain.
810 It may either be a 32-bit number (no key and a key of 0 are
811 treated as equivalent) or the word <code>flow</code>. If
812 <code>flow</code> is specified then any key will be accepted
813 and the key will be placed in the <code>tun_id</code> field
814 for matching in the flow table. The ovs-ofctl manual page
815 contains additional information about matching fields in
816 OpenFlow flows. Default is no key.</dd>
819 <dt><code>out_key</code></dt>
820 <dd>Optional. The GRE key to be set on outgoing packets. It may
821 either be a 32-bit number or the word <code>flow</code>. If
822 <code>flow</code> is specified then the key may be set using
823 the <code>set_tunnel</code> Nicira OpenFlow vendor extension (0
824 is used in the absence of an action). The ovs-ofctl manual
825 page contains additional information about the Nicira OpenFlow
826 vendor extensions. Default is no key.</dd>
829 <dt><code>key</code></dt>
830 <dd>Optional. Shorthand to set <code>in_key</code> and
831 <code>out_key</code> at the same time.</dd>
834 <dt><code>tos</code></dt>
835 <dd>Optional. The value of the ToS bits to be set on the
836 encapsulating packet. It may also be the word
837 <code>inherit</code>, in which case the ToS will be copied from
838 the inner packet if it is IPv4 or IPv6 (otherwise it will be
839 0). Note that the ECN fields are always inherited. Default is
843 <dt><code>ttl</code></dt>
844 <dd>Optional. The TTL to be set on the encapsulating packet.
845 It may also be the word <code>inherit</code>, in which case the
846 TTL will be copied from the inner packet if it is IPv4 or IPv6
847 (otherwise it will be the system default, typically 64).
848 Default is the system default TTL.</dd>
851 <dt><code>csum</code></dt>
852 <dd>Optional. Compute GRE checksums on outgoing packets.
853 Checksums present on incoming packets will be validated
854 regardless of this setting. Note that GRE checksums
855 impose a significant performance penalty as they cover the
856 entire packet. As the contents of the packet is typically
857 covered by L3 and L4 checksums, this additional checksum only
858 adds value for the GRE and encapsulated Ethernet headers.
859 Default is disabled, set to <code>true</code> to enable.</dd>
862 <dt><code>pmtud</code></dt>
863 <dd>Optional. Enable tunnel path MTU discovery. If enabled
864 ``ICMP destination unreachable - fragmentation'' needed
865 messages will be generated for IPv4 packets with the DF bit set
866 and IPv6 packets above the minimum MTU if the packet size
867 exceeds the path MTU minus the size of the tunnel headers. It
868 also forces the encapsulating packet DF bit to be set (it is
869 always set if the inner packet implies path MTU discovery).
870 Note that this option causes behavior that is typically
871 reserved for routers and therefore is not entirely in
872 compliance with the IEEE 802.1D specification for bridges.
873 Default is enabled, set to <code>false</code> to disable.</dd>
876 <dt><code>capwap</code></dt>
877 <dd>Ethernet tunneling over the UDP transport portion of CAPWAP
878 (RFC 5415). This allows interoperability with certain switches
879 where GRE is not available. Note that only the tunneling component
880 of the protocol is implemented. Due to the non-standard use of
881 CAPWAP, UDP ports 58881 and 58882 are used as the source and
882 destinations ports respectivedly. Each tunnel must be uniquely
883 identified by the combination of <code>remote_ip</code> and
884 <code>local_ip</code>. If two ports are defined that are the same
885 except one includes <code>local_ip</code> and the other does not,
886 the more specific one is matched first. CAPWAP support is not
887 available on all platforms. Currently it is only supported in the
888 Linux kernel module with kernel versions >= 2.6.25. The following
889 options may be specified in the <ref column="options"/> column:
891 <dt><code>remote_ip</code></dt>
892 <dd>Required. The tunnel endpoint.</dd>
895 <dt><code>local_ip</code></dt>
896 <dd>Optional. The destination IP that received packets must
897 match. Default is to match all addresses.</dd>
900 <dt><code>tos</code></dt>
901 <dd>Optional. The value of the ToS bits to be set on the
902 encapsulating packet. It may also be the word
903 <code>inherit</code>, in which case the ToS will be copied from
904 the inner packet if it is IPv4 or IPv6 (otherwise it will be
905 0). Note that the ECN fields are always inherited. Default is
909 <dt><code>ttl</code></dt>
910 <dd>Optional. The TTL to be set on the encapsulating packet.
911 It may also be the word <code>inherit</code>, in which case the
912 TTL will be copied from the inner packet if it is IPv4 or IPv6
913 (otherwise it will be the system default, typically 64).
914 Default is the system default TTL.</dd>
917 <dt><code>pmtud</code></dt>
918 <dd>Optional. Enable tunnel path MTU discovery. If enabled
919 ``ICMP destination unreachable - fragmentation'' needed
920 messages will be generated for IPv4 packets with the DF bit set
921 and IPv6 packets above the minimum MTU if the packet size
922 exceeds the path MTU minus the size of the tunnel headers. It
923 also forces the encapsulating packet DF bit to be set (it is
924 always set if the inner packet implies path MTU discovery).
925 Note that this option causes behavior that is typically
926 reserved for routers and therefore is not entirely in
927 compliance with the IEEE 802.1D specification for bridges.
928 Default is enabled, set to <code>false</code> to disable.</dd>
931 <dt><code>header_cache</code></dt>
932 <dd>Optional. Enable caching of tunnel headers and the output
933 path. This can lead to a significant performance increase
934 without changing behavior. In general it should not be
935 necessary to adjust this setting. However, the caching can
936 bypass certain components of the IP stack (such as IP tables)
937 and it may be useful to disable it if these features are
938 required or as a debugging measure. Default is enabled, set to
939 <code>false</code> to disable.</dd>
942 <dt><code>patch</code></dt>
945 A pair of virtual devices that act as a patch cable. The <ref
946 column="options"/> column must have the following key-value pair:
949 <dt><code>peer</code></dt>
951 The <ref column="name"/> of the <ref table="Interface"/> for
952 the other side of the patch. The named <ref
953 table="Interface"/>'s own <code>peer</code> option must specify
954 this <ref table="Interface"/>'s name. That is, the two patch
955 interfaces must have reversed <ref column="name"/> and
956 <code>peer</code> values.
963 <column name="options">
964 Configuration options whose interpretation varies based on
965 <ref column="type"/>.
968 <column name="status">
970 Key-value pairs that report port status. Supported status
971 values are <code>type</code>-dependent.
973 <p>The only currently defined key-value pair is:</p>
975 <dt><code>source_ip</code></dt>
976 <dd>The source IP address used for an IPv4 tunnel end-point,
977 such as <code>gre</code> or <code>capwap</code>. Not
978 supported by all implementations.</dd>
983 <group title="Ingress Policing">
985 These settings control ingress policing for packets received on this
986 interface. On a physical interface, this limits the rate at which
987 traffic is allowed into the system from the outside; on a virtual
988 interface (one connected to a virtual machine), this limits the rate at
989 which the VM is able to transmit.
992 Policing is a simple form of quality-of-service that simply drops
993 packets received in excess of the configured rate. Due to its
994 simplicity, policing is usually less accurate and less effective than
995 egress QoS (which is configured using the <ref table="QoS"/> and <ref
996 table="Queue"/> tables).
999 Policing is currently implemented only on Linux. The Linux
1000 implementation uses a simple ``token bucket'' approach:
1004 The size of the bucket corresponds to <ref
1005 column="ingress_policing_burst"/>. Initially the bucket is full.
1008 Whenever a packet is received, its size (converted to tokens) is
1009 compared to the number of tokens currently in the bucket. If the
1010 required number of tokens are available, they are removed and the
1011 packet is forwarded. Otherwise, the packet is dropped.
1014 Whenever it is not full, the bucket is refilled with tokens at the
1015 rate specified by <ref column="ingress_policing_rate"/>.
1019 Policing interacts badly with some network protocols, and especially
1020 with fragmented IP packets. Suppose that there is enough network
1021 activity to keep the bucket nearly empty all the time. Then this token
1022 bucket algorithm will forward a single packet every so often, with the
1023 period depending on packet size and on the configured rate. All of the
1024 fragments of an IP packets are normally transmitted back-to-back, as a
1025 group. In such a situation, therefore, only one of these fragments
1026 will be forwarded and the rest will be dropped. IP does not provide
1027 any way for the intended recipient to ask for only the remaining
1028 fragments. In such a case there are two likely possibilities for what
1029 will happen next: either all of the fragments will eventually be
1030 retransmitted (as TCP will do), in which case the same problem will
1031 recur, or the sender will not realize that its packet has been dropped
1032 and data will simply be lost (as some UDP-based protocols will do).
1033 Either way, it is possible that no forward progress will ever occur.
1035 <column name="ingress_policing_rate">
1037 Maximum rate for data received on this interface, in kbps. Data
1038 received faster than this rate is dropped. Set to <code>0</code>
1039 (the default) to disable policing.
1043 <column name="ingress_policing_burst">
1044 <p>Maximum burst size for data received on this interface, in kb. The
1045 default burst size if set to <code>0</code> is 1000 kb. This value
1046 has no effect if <ref column="ingress_policing_rate"/>
1047 is <code>0</code>.</p>
1049 Specifying a larger burst size lets the algorithm be more forgiving,
1050 which is important for protocols like TCP that react severely to
1051 dropped packets. The burst size should be at least the size of the
1052 interface's MTU. Specifying a value that is numerically at least as
1053 large as 10% of <ref column="ingress_policing_rate"/> helps TCP come
1054 closer to achieving the full rate.
1059 <group title="Other Features">
1061 <column name="monitor">
1062 Connectivity monitor configuration for this interface.
1065 <column name="external_ids">
1066 Key-value pairs for use by external frameworks that integrate
1067 with Open vSwitch, rather than by Open vSwitch itself. System
1068 integrators should either use the Open vSwitch development
1069 mailing list to coordinate on common key-value definitions, or
1070 choose key names that are likely to be unique. The currently
1071 defined common key-value pairs are:
1073 <dt><code>attached-mac</code></dt>
1075 The MAC address programmed into the ``virtual hardware'' for this
1076 interface, in the form
1077 <var>xx</var>:<var>xx</var>:<var>xx</var>:<var>xx</var>:<var>xx</var>:<var>xx</var>.
1078 For Citrix XenServer, this is the value of the <code>MAC</code>
1079 field in the VIF record for this interface.</dd>
1080 <dt><code>iface-id</code></dt>
1081 <dd>A system-unique identifier for the interface. On XenServer,
1082 this will commonly be the same as <code>xs-vif-uuid</code>.</dd>
1085 Additionally the following key-value pairs specifically
1086 apply to an interface that represents a virtual Ethernet interface
1087 connected to a virtual machine. These key-value pairs should not be
1088 present for other types of interfaces. Keys whose names end
1089 in <code>-uuid</code> have values that uniquely identify the entity
1090 in question. For a Citrix XenServer hypervisor, these values are
1091 UUIDs in RFC 4122 format. Other hypervisors may use other
1094 <p>The currently defined key-value pairs for XenServer are:</p>
1096 <dt><code>xs-vif-uuid</code></dt>
1097 <dd>The virtual interface associated with this interface.</dd>
1098 <dt><code>xs-network-uuid</code></dt>
1099 <dd>The virtual network to which this interface is attached.</dd>
1100 <dt><code>xs-vm-uuid</code></dt>
1101 <dd>The VM to which this interface belongs.</dd>
1105 <column name="tunnel_egress_iface">
1106 Egress interface for tunnels. Currently only relevant for GRE and
1107 CAPWAP tunnels. On Linux systems, this column will show the name of
1108 the interface which is responsible for routing traffic destined for the
1109 configured <code>remote_ip</code>. This could be an internal interface
1110 such as a bridge port.
1113 <column name="other_config">
1114 Key-value pairs for rarely used interface features. Currently,
1115 there are none defined.
1118 <column name="statistics">
1120 Key-value pairs that report interface statistics. The current
1121 implementation updates these counters periodically. In the future,
1122 we plan to, instead, update them when an interface is created, when
1123 they are queried (e.g. using an OVSDB <code>select</code> operation),
1124 and just before an interface is deleted due to virtual interface
1125 hot-unplug or VM shutdown, and perhaps at other times, but not on any
1126 regular periodic basis.</p>
1128 The currently defined key-value pairs are listed below. These are
1129 the same statistics reported by OpenFlow in its <code>struct
1130 ofp_port_stats</code> structure. If an interface does not support a
1131 given statistic, then that pair is omitted.</p>
1134 Successful transmit and receive counters:
1136 <dt><code>rx_packets</code></dt>
1137 <dd>Number of received packets.</dd>
1138 <dt><code>rx_bytes</code></dt>
1139 <dd>Number of received bytes.</dd>
1140 <dt><code>tx_packets</code></dt>
1141 <dd>Number of transmitted packets.</dd>
1142 <dt><code>tx_bytes</code></dt>
1143 <dd>Number of transmitted bytes.</dd>
1149 <dt><code>rx_dropped</code></dt>
1150 <dd>Number of packets dropped by RX.</dd>
1151 <dt><code>rx_frame_err</code></dt>
1152 <dd>Number of frame alignment errors.</dd>
1153 <dt><code>rx_over_err</code></dt>
1154 <dd>Number of packets with RX overrun.</dd>
1155 <dt><code>rx_crc_err</code></dt>
1156 <dd>Number of CRC errors.</dd>
1157 <dt><code>rx_errors</code></dt>
1159 Total number of receive errors, greater than or equal
1160 to the sum of the above.
1167 <dt><code>tx_dropped</code></dt>
1168 <dd>Number of packets dropped by TX.</dd>
1169 <dt><code>collisions</code></dt>
1170 <dd>Number of collisions.</dd>
1171 <dt><code>tx_errors</code></dt>
1173 Total number of transmit errors, greater
1174 than or equal to the sum of the above.
1183 <table name="QoS" title="Quality of Service configuration">
1184 <p>Quality of Service (QoS) configuration for each Port that
1187 <column name="type">
1188 <p>The type of QoS to implement. The <ref table="Open_vSwitch"
1189 column="capabilities"/> column in the <ref table="Open_vSwitch"/> table
1190 identifies the types that a switch actually supports. The currently
1191 defined types are listed below:</p>
1193 <dt><code>linux-htb</code></dt>
1195 Linux ``hierarchy token bucket'' classifier. See tc-htb(8) (also at
1196 <code>http://linux.die.net/man/8/tc-htb</code>) and the HTB manual
1197 (<code>http://luxik.cdi.cz/~devik/qos/htb/manual/userg.htm</code>)
1198 for information on how this classifier works and how to configure it.
1202 <dt><code>linux-hfsc</code></dt>
1204 Linux "Hierarchical Fair Service Curve" classifier.
1205 See <code>http://linux-ip.net/articles/hfsc.en/</code> for
1206 information on how this classifier works.
1211 <column name="queues">
1212 <p>A map from queue numbers to <ref table="Queue"/> records. The
1213 supported range of queue numbers depend on <ref column="type"/>. The
1214 queue numbers are the same as the <code>queue_id</code> used in
1215 OpenFlow in <code>struct ofp_action_enqueue</code> and other
1216 structures. Queue 0 is used by OpenFlow output actions that do not
1217 specify a specific queue.</p>
1220 <column name="other_config">
1221 <p>Key-value pairs for configuring QoS features that depend on
1222 <ref column="type"/>.</p>
1223 <p>The <code>linux-htb</code> and <code>linux-hfsc</code> classes support
1224 the following key-value pairs:</p>
1226 <dt><code>max-rate</code></dt>
1227 <dd>Maximum rate shared by all queued traffic, in bit/s.
1228 Optional. If not specified, for physical interfaces, the
1229 default is the link rate. For other interfaces or if the
1230 link rate cannot be determined, the default is currently 100
1235 <column name="external_ids">
1236 Key-value pairs for use by external frameworks that integrate with Open
1237 vSwitch, rather than by Open vSwitch itself. System integrators should
1238 either use the Open vSwitch development mailing list to coordinate on
1239 common key-value definitions, or choose key names that are likely to be
1240 unique. No common key-value pairs are currently defined.
1244 <table name="Queue" title="QoS output queue.">
1245 <p>A configuration for a port output queue, used in configuring Quality of
1246 Service (QoS) features. May be referenced by <ref column="queues"
1247 table="QoS"/> column in <ref table="QoS"/> table.</p>
1249 <column name="other_config">
1250 <p>Key-value pairs for configuring the output queue. The supported
1251 key-value pairs and their meanings depend on the <ref column="type"/>
1252 of the <ref column="QoS"/> records that reference this row.</p>
1253 <p>The key-value pairs defined for <ref table="QoS"/> <ref table="QoS"
1254 column="type"/> of <code>min-rate</code> are:</p>
1256 <dt><code>min-rate</code></dt>
1257 <dd>Minimum guaranteed bandwidth, in bit/s. Required. The
1258 floor value is 1500 bytes/s (12,000 bit/s).</dd>
1260 <p>The key-value pairs defined for <ref table="QoS"/> <ref table="QoS"
1261 column="type"/> of <code>linux-htb</code> are:</p>
1263 <dt><code>min-rate</code></dt>
1264 <dd>Minimum guaranteed bandwidth, in bit/s. Required.</dd>
1265 <dt><code>max-rate</code></dt>
1266 <dd>Maximum allowed bandwidth, in bit/s. Optional. If specified, the
1267 queue's rate will not be allowed to exceed the specified value, even
1268 if excess bandwidth is available. If unspecified, defaults to no
1270 <dt><code>burst</code></dt>
1271 <dd>Burst size, in bits. This is the maximum amount of ``credits''
1272 that a queue can accumulate while it is idle. Optional. Details of
1273 the <code>linux-htb</code> implementation require a minimum burst
1274 size, so a too-small <code>burst</code> will be silently
1276 <dt><code>priority</code></dt>
1277 <dd>A nonnegative 32-bit integer. Defaults to 0 if
1278 unspecified. A queue with a smaller <code>priority</code>
1279 will receive all the excess bandwidth that it can use before
1280 a queue with a larger value receives any. Specific priority
1281 values are unimportant; only relative ordering matters.</dd>
1283 <p>The key-value pairs defined for <ref table="QoS"/> <ref table="QoS"
1284 column="type"/> of <code>linux-hfsc</code> are:</p>
1286 <dt><code>min-rate</code></dt>
1287 <dd>Minimum guaranteed bandwidth, in bit/s. Required.</dd>
1288 <dt><code>max-rate</code></dt>
1289 <dd>Maximum allowed bandwidth, in bit/s. Optional. If specified, the
1290 queue's rate will not be allowed to exceed the specified value, even
1291 if excess bandwidth is available. If unspecified, defaults to no
1296 <column name="external_ids">
1297 Key-value pairs for use by external frameworks that integrate with Open
1298 vSwitch, rather than by Open vSwitch itself. System integrators should
1299 either use the Open vSwitch development mailing list to coordinate on
1300 common key-value definitions, or choose key names that are likely to be
1301 unique. No common key-value pairs are currently defined.
1305 <table name="Monitor" title="Connectivity Monitor configuration">
1307 A <ref table="Monitor"/> attaches to an <ref table="Interface"/> to
1308 implement 802.1ag Connectivity Fault Management (CFM). CFM allows a
1309 group of Maintenance Points (MPs) called a Maintenance Association (MA)
1310 to detect connectivity problems with each other. MPs within a MA should
1311 have complete and exclusive interconnectivity. This is verified by
1312 occasionally broadcasting Continuity Check Messages (CCMs) at a
1313 configurable transmission interval. A <ref table="Monitor"/> is
1314 responsible for collecting data about other MPs in its MA and
1318 <group title="Monitor Configuration">
1319 <column name="mpid">
1320 A Maintenance Point ID (MPID) uniquely identifies each endpoint within
1321 a Maintenance Association (see <ref column="ma_name"/>). The MPID is
1322 used to identify this <ref table="Monitor"/> to other endpoints in the
1326 <column name="remote_mps">
1327 A set of <ref table="Maintenance_Points"/> which this
1328 <ref table="Monitor"/> should have connectivity to. If this
1329 <ref table="Monitor"/> does not have connectivity to any MPs in this
1330 set, or has connectivity to any MPs not in this set, a fault is
1334 <column name="ma_name">
1335 A Maintenance Association (MA) name pairs with a Maintenance Domain
1336 (MD) name to uniquely identify a MA. A MA is a group of endpoints who
1337 have complete and exclusive interconnectivity. Defaults to
1338 <code>ovs</code> if unset.
1341 <column name="md_name">
1342 A Maintenance Domain name pairs with a Maintenance Association name to
1343 uniquely identify a MA. Defaults to <code>ovs</code> if unset.
1346 <column name="interval">
1347 The transmission interval of CCMs in milliseconds. Three missed CCMs
1348 indicate a connectivity fault. Defaults to 1000ms.
1352 <group title="Monitor Status">
1353 <column name="unexpected_remote_mpids">
1354 A set of MPIDs representing MPs to which this <ref table="Monitor"/>
1355 has detected connectivity that are not in the
1356 <ref column="remote_mps"/> set. This <ref table="Monitor"/> should not
1357 have connectivity to any MPs not listed in <ref column="remote_mps"/>.
1358 Thus, if this set is non-empty a fault is indicated.
1361 <column name="unexpected_remote_maids">
1362 A set of MAIDs representing foreign Maintenance Associations (MAs)
1363 which this <ref table="Monitor"/> has detected connectivity to. A
1364 <ref table="Monitor"/> should not have connectivity to a Maintenance
1365 Association other than its own. Thus, if this set is non-empty a fault
1369 <column name="fault">
1370 Indicates a Connectivity Fault caused by a configuration error, a down
1371 remote MP, or unexpected connectivity to a remote MAID or remote MP.
1376 <table name="Maintenance_Point" title="Maintenance Point configuration">
1378 A <ref table="Maintenance_Point"/> represents a MP which a
1379 <ref table="Monitor"/> has or should have connectivity to.
1382 <group title="Maintenance_Point Configuration">
1383 <column name="mpid">
1384 A Maintenance Point ID (MPID) uniquely identifies each endpoint within
1385 a Maintenance Association. All MPs within a MA should have a unique
1390 <group title="Maintenance_Point Status">
1391 <column name="fault">
1392 Indicates a connectivity fault.
1397 <table name="Mirror" title="Port mirroring (SPAN/RSPAN).">
1398 <p>A port mirror within a <ref table="Bridge"/>.</p>
1399 <p>A port mirror configures a bridge to send selected frames to special
1400 ``mirrored'' ports, in addition to their normal destinations. Mirroring
1401 traffic may also be referred to as SPAN or RSPAN, depending on the
1402 mechanism used for delivery.</p>
1404 <column name="name">
1405 Arbitrary identifier for the <ref table="Mirror"/>.
1408 <group title="Selecting Packets for Mirroring">
1409 <column name="select_all">
1410 If true, every packet arriving or departing on any port is
1411 selected for mirroring.
1414 <column name="select_dst_port">
1415 Ports on which departing packets are selected for mirroring.
1418 <column name="select_src_port">
1419 Ports on which arriving packets are selected for mirroring.
1422 <column name="select_vlan">
1423 VLANs on which packets are selected for mirroring. An empty set
1424 selects packets on all VLANs.
1428 <group title="Mirroring Destination Configuration">
1429 <column name="output_port">
1430 <p>Output port for selected packets, if nonempty. Mutually exclusive
1431 with <ref column="output_vlan"/>.</p>
1432 <p>Specifying a port for mirror output reserves that port exclusively
1433 for mirroring. No frames other than those selected for mirroring
1434 will be forwarded to the port, and any frames received on the port
1435 will be discarded.</p>
1436 <p>This type of mirroring is sometimes called SPAN.</p>
1439 <column name="output_vlan">
1440 <p>Output VLAN for selected packets, if nonempty. Mutually exclusive
1441 with <ref column="output_port"/>.</p>
1442 <p>The frames will be sent out all ports that trunk
1443 <ref column="output_vlan"/>, as well as any ports with implicit VLAN
1444 <ref column="output_vlan"/>. When a mirrored frame is sent out a
1445 trunk port, the frame's VLAN tag will be set to
1446 <ref column="output_vlan"/>, replacing any existing tag; when it is
1447 sent out an implicit VLAN port, the frame will not be tagged. This
1448 type of mirroring is sometimes called RSPAN.</p>
1449 <p><em>Please note:</em> Mirroring to a VLAN can disrupt a network that
1450 contains unmanaged switches. Consider an unmanaged physical switch
1451 with two ports: port 1, connected to an end host, and port 2,
1452 connected to an Open vSwitch configured to mirror received packets
1453 into VLAN 123 on port 2. Suppose that the end host sends a packet on
1454 port 1 that the physical switch forwards to port 2. The Open vSwitch
1455 forwards this packet to its destination and then reflects it back on
1456 port 2 in VLAN 123. This reflected packet causes the unmanaged
1457 physical switch to replace the MAC learning table entry, which
1458 correctly pointed to port 1, with one that incorrectly points to port
1459 2. Afterward, the physical switch will direct packets destined for
1460 the end host to the Open vSwitch on port 2, instead of to the end
1461 host on port 1, disrupting connectivity. If mirroring to a VLAN is
1462 desired in this scenario, then the physical switch must be replaced
1463 by one that learns Ethernet addresses on a per-VLAN basis. In
1464 addition, learning should be disabled on the VLAN containing mirrored
1465 traffic. If this is not done then intermediate switches will learn
1466 the MAC address of each end host from the mirrored traffic. If
1467 packets being sent to that end host are also mirrored, then they will
1468 be dropped since the switch will attempt to send them out the input
1469 port. Disabling learning for the VLAN will cause the switch to
1470 correctly send the packet out all ports configured for that VLAN. If
1471 Open vSwitch is being used as an intermediate switch, learning can be
1472 disabled by adding the mirrored VLAN to <ref column="flood_vlans"/>
1473 in the appropriate <ref table="Bridge"/> table or tables.</p>
1477 <group title="Other Features">
1478 <column name="external_ids">
1479 Key-value pairs for use by external frameworks that integrate with Open
1480 vSwitch, rather than by Open vSwitch itself. System integrators should
1481 either use the Open vSwitch development mailing list to coordinate on
1482 common key-value definitions, or choose key names that are likely to be
1483 unique. No common key-value pairs are currently defined.
1488 <table name="Controller" title="OpenFlow controller configuration.">
1489 <p>An OpenFlow controller.</p>
1492 Open vSwitch supports two kinds of OpenFlow controllers:
1496 <dt>Primary controllers</dt>
1499 This is the kind of controller envisioned by the OpenFlow 1.0
1500 specification. Usually, a primary controller implements a network
1501 policy by taking charge of the switch's flow table.
1505 Open vSwitch initiates and maintains persistent connections to
1506 primary controllers, retrying the connection each time it fails or
1507 drops. The <ref table="Bridge" column="fail_mode"/> column in the
1508 <ref table="Bridge"/> table applies to primary controllers.
1512 Open vSwitch permits a bridge to have any number of primary
1513 controllers. When multiple controllers are configured, Open
1514 vSwitch connects to all of them simultaneously. Because
1515 OpenFlow 1.0 does not specify how multiple controllers
1516 coordinate in interacting with a single switch, more than
1517 one primary controller should be specified only if the
1518 controllers are themselves designed to coordinate with each
1519 other. (The Nicira-defined <code>NXT_ROLE</code> OpenFlow
1520 vendor extension may be useful for this.)
1523 <dt>Service controllers</dt>
1526 These kinds of OpenFlow controller connections are intended for
1527 occasional support and maintenance use, e.g. with
1528 <code>ovs-ofctl</code>. Usually a service controller connects only
1529 briefly to inspect or modify some of a switch's state.
1533 Open vSwitch listens for incoming connections from service
1534 controllers. The service controllers initiate and, if necessary,
1535 maintain the connections from their end. The <ref table="Bridge"
1536 column="fail_mode"/> column in the <ref table="Bridge"/> table does
1537 not apply to service controllers.
1541 Open vSwitch supports configuring any number of service controllers.
1547 The <ref column="target"/> determines the type of controller.
1550 <group title="Core Features">
1551 <column name="target">
1552 <p>Connection method for controller.</p>
1554 The following connection methods are currently supported for primary
1558 <dt><code>ssl:<var>ip</var></code>[<code>:<var>port</var></code>]</dt>
1560 <p>The specified SSL <var>port</var> (default: 6633) on the host at
1561 the given <var>ip</var>, which must be expressed as an IP address
1562 (not a DNS name). The <ref table="Open_vSwitch" column="ssl"/>
1563 column in the <ref table="Open_vSwitch"/> table must point to a
1564 valid SSL configuration when this form is used.</p>
1565 <p>SSL support is an optional feature that is not always built as
1566 part of Open vSwitch.</p>
1568 <dt><code>tcp:<var>ip</var></code>[<code>:<var>port</var></code>]</dt>
1569 <dd>The specified TCP <var>port</var> (default: 6633) on the host at
1570 the given <var>ip</var>, which must be expressed as an IP address
1571 (not a DNS name).</dd>
1572 <dt><code>discover</code></dt>
1574 <p>Enables controller discovery.</p>
1575 <p>In controller discovery mode, Open vSwitch broadcasts a DHCP
1576 request with vendor class identifier <code>OpenFlow</code> across
1577 all of the bridge's network devices. It will accept any valid
1578 DHCP reply that has the same vendor class identifier and includes
1579 a vendor-specific option with code 1 whose contents are a string
1580 specifying the location of the controller in the same format as
1581 <ref column="target"/>.</p>
1582 <p>The DHCP reply may also, optionally, include a vendor-specific
1583 option with code 2 whose contents are a string specifying the URI
1584 to the base of the OpenFlow PKI
1585 (e.g. <code>http://192.168.0.1/openflow/pki</code>). This URI is
1586 used only for bootstrapping the OpenFlow PKI at initial switch
1587 setup; <code>ovs-vswitchd</code> does not use it at all.</p>
1591 The following connection methods are currently supported for service
1595 <dt><code>pssl:</code>[<var>port</var>][<code>:<var>ip</var></code>]</dt>
1598 Listens for SSL connections on the specified TCP <var>port</var>
1599 (default: 6633). If <var>ip</var>, which must be expressed as an
1600 IP address (not a DNS name), is specified, then connections are
1601 restricted to the specified local IP address.
1604 The <ref table="Open_vSwitch" column="ssl"/> column in the <ref
1605 table="Open_vSwitch"/> table must point to a valid SSL
1606 configuration when this form is used.
1608 <p>SSL support is an optional feature that is not always built as
1609 part of Open vSwitch.</p>
1611 <dt><code>ptcp:</code>[<var>port</var>][<code>:<var>ip</var></code>]</dt>
1613 Listens for connections on the specified TCP <var>port</var>
1614 (default: 6633). If <var>ip</var>, which must be expressed as an
1615 IP address (not a DNS name), is specified, then connections are
1616 restricted to the specified local IP address.
1619 <p>When multiple controllers are configured for a single bridge, the
1620 <ref column="target"/> values must be unique. Duplicate
1621 <ref column="target"/> values yield unspecified results.</p>
1624 <column name="connection_mode">
1625 <p>If it is specified, this setting must be one of the following
1626 strings that describes how Open vSwitch contacts this OpenFlow
1627 controller over the network:</p>
1630 <dt><code>in-band</code></dt>
1631 <dd>In this mode, this controller's OpenFlow traffic travels over the
1632 bridge associated with the controller. With this setting, Open
1633 vSwitch allows traffic to and from the controller regardless of the
1634 contents of the OpenFlow flow table. (Otherwise, Open vSwitch
1635 would never be able to connect to the controller, because it did
1636 not have a flow to enable it.) This is the most common connection
1637 mode because it is not necessary to maintain two independent
1639 <dt><code>out-of-band</code></dt>
1640 <dd>In this mode, OpenFlow traffic uses a control network separate
1641 from the bridge associated with this controller, that is, the
1642 bridge does not use any of its own network devices to communicate
1643 with the controller. The control network must be configured
1644 separately, before or after <code>ovs-vswitchd</code> is started.
1648 <p>If not specified, the default is implementation-specific. If
1649 <ref column="target"/> is <code>discover</code>, the connection mode
1650 is always treated as <code>in-band</code> regardless of the actual
1655 <group title="Controller Failure Detection and Handling">
1656 <column name="max_backoff">
1657 Maximum number of milliseconds to wait between connection attempts.
1658 Default is implementation-specific.
1661 <column name="inactivity_probe">
1662 Maximum number of milliseconds of idle time on connection to
1663 controller before sending an inactivity probe message. If Open
1664 vSwitch does not communicate with the controller for the specified
1665 number of seconds, it will send a probe. If a response is not
1666 received for the same additional amount of time, Open vSwitch
1667 assumes the connection has been broken and attempts to reconnect.
1668 Default is implementation-specific.
1672 <group title="OpenFlow Rate Limiting">
1673 <column name="controller_rate_limit">
1674 <p>The maximum rate at which packets in unknown flows will be
1675 forwarded to the OpenFlow controller, in packets per second. This
1676 feature prevents a single bridge from overwhelming the controller.
1677 If not specified, the default is implementation-specific.</p>
1678 <p>In addition, when a high rate triggers rate-limiting, Open
1679 vSwitch queues controller packets for each port and transmits
1680 them to the controller at the configured rate. The number of
1681 queued packets is limited by
1682 the <ref column="controller_burst_limit"/> value. The packet
1683 queue is shared fairly among the ports on a bridge.</p><p>Open
1684 vSwitch maintains two such packet rate-limiters per bridge.
1685 One of these applies to packets sent up to the controller
1686 because they do not correspond to any flow. The other applies
1687 to packets sent up to the controller by request through flow
1688 actions. When both rate-limiters are filled with packets, the
1689 actual rate that packets are sent to the controller is up to
1690 twice the specified rate.</p>
1693 <column name="controller_burst_limit">
1694 In conjunction with <ref column="controller_rate_limit"/>,
1695 the maximum number of unused packet credits that the bridge will
1696 allow to accumulate, in packets. If not specified, the default
1697 is implementation-specific.
1701 <group title="Additional Discovery Configuration">
1702 <p>These values are considered only when <ref column="target"/>
1703 is <code>discover</code>.</p>
1705 <column name="discover_accept_regex">
1707 extended regular expression against which the discovered controller
1708 location is validated. The regular expression is implicitly
1709 anchored at the beginning of the controller location string, as
1710 if it begins with <code>^</code>. If not specified, the default
1711 is implementation-specific.
1714 <column name="discover_update_resolv_conf">
1715 Whether to update <code>/etc/resolv.conf</code> when the
1716 controller is discovered. If not specified, the default
1717 is implementation-specific. Open vSwitch will only modify
1718 <code>/etc/resolv.conf</code> if the DHCP response that it receives
1719 specifies one or more DNS servers.
1723 <group title="Additional In-Band Configuration">
1724 <p>These values are considered only in in-band control mode (see
1725 <ref column="connection_mode"/>) and only when <ref column="target"/>
1726 is not <code>discover</code>. (For controller discovery, the network
1727 configuration obtained via DHCP is used instead.)</p>
1729 <p>When multiple controllers are configured on a single bridge, there
1730 should be only one set of unique values in these columns. If different
1731 values are set for these columns in different controllers, the effect
1734 <column name="local_ip">
1735 The IP address to configure on the local port,
1736 e.g. <code>192.168.0.123</code>. If this value is unset, then
1737 <ref column="local_netmask"/> and <ref column="local_gateway"/> are
1741 <column name="local_netmask">
1742 The IP netmask to configure on the local port,
1743 e.g. <code>255.255.255.0</code>. If <ref column="local_ip"/> is set
1744 but this value is unset, then the default is chosen based on whether
1745 the IP address is class A, B, or C.
1748 <column name="local_gateway">
1749 The IP address of the gateway to configure on the local port, as a
1750 string, e.g. <code>192.168.0.1</code>. Leave this column unset if
1751 this network has no gateway.
1755 <group title="Other Features">
1756 <column name="external_ids">
1757 Key-value pairs for use by external frameworks that integrate with Open
1758 vSwitch, rather than by Open vSwitch itself. System integrators should
1759 either use the Open vSwitch development mailing list to coordinate on
1760 common key-value definitions, or choose key names that are likely to be
1761 unique. No common key-value pairs are currently defined.
1766 <table name="Manager" title="OVSDB management connection.">
1768 Configuration for a database connection to an Open vSwitch database
1773 This table primarily configures the Open vSwitch database
1774 (<code>ovsdb-server</code>), not the Open vSwitch switch
1775 (<code>ovs-vswitchd</code>). The switch does read the table to determine
1776 what connections should be treated as in-band.
1780 The Open vSwitch database server can initiate and maintain active
1781 connections to remote clients. It can also listen for database
1785 <group title="Core Features">
1786 <column name="target">
1787 <p>Connection method for managers.</p>
1789 The following connection methods are currently supported:
1792 <dt><code>ssl:<var>ip</var></code>[<code>:<var>port</var></code>]</dt>
1795 The specified SSL <var>port</var> (default: 6632) on the host at
1796 the given <var>ip</var>, which must be expressed as an IP address
1797 (not a DNS name). The <ref table="Open_vSwitch" column="ssl"/>
1798 column in the <ref table="Open_vSwitch"/> table must point to a
1799 valid SSL configuration when this form is used.
1802 SSL support is an optional feature that is not always built as
1803 part of Open vSwitch.
1807 <dt><code>tcp:<var>ip</var></code>[<code>:<var>port</var></code>]</dt>
1809 The specified TCP <var>port</var> (default: 6632) on the host at
1810 the given <var>ip</var>, which must be expressed as an IP address
1813 <dt><code>pssl:</code>[<var>port</var>][<code>:<var>ip</var></code>]</dt>
1816 Listens for SSL connections on the specified TCP <var>port</var>
1817 (default: 6632). If <var>ip</var>, which must be expressed as an
1818 IP address (not a DNS name), is specified, then connections are
1819 restricted to the specified local IP address.
1822 The <ref table="Open_vSwitch" column="ssl"/> column in the <ref
1823 table="Open_vSwitch"/> table must point to a valid SSL
1824 configuration when this form is used.
1827 SSL support is an optional feature that is not always built as
1828 part of Open vSwitch.
1831 <dt><code>ptcp:</code>[<var>port</var>][<code>:<var>ip</var></code>]</dt>
1833 Listens for connections on the specified TCP <var>port</var>
1834 (default: 6632). If <var>ip</var>, which must be expressed as an
1835 IP address (not a DNS name), is specified, then connections are
1836 restricted to the specified local IP address.
1839 <p>When multiple managers are configured, the <ref column="target"/>
1840 values must be unique. Duplicate <ref column="target"/> values yield
1841 unspecified results.</p>
1844 <column name="connection_mode">
1846 If it is specified, this setting must be one of the following strings
1847 that describes how Open vSwitch contacts this OVSDB client over the
1852 <dt><code>in-band</code></dt>
1854 In this mode, this connection's traffic travels over a bridge
1855 managed by Open vSwitch. With this setting, Open vSwitch allows
1856 traffic to and from the client regardless of the contents of the
1857 OpenFlow flow table. (Otherwise, Open vSwitch would never be able
1858 to connect to the client, because it did not have a flow to enable
1859 it.) This is the most common connection mode because it is not
1860 necessary to maintain two independent networks.
1862 <dt><code>out-of-band</code></dt>
1864 In this mode, the client's traffic uses a control network separate
1865 from that managed by Open vSwitch, that is, Open vSwitch does not
1866 use any of its own network devices to communicate with the client.
1867 The control network must be configured separately, before or after
1868 <code>ovs-vswitchd</code> is started.
1873 If not specified, the default is implementation-specific.
1878 <group title="Client Failure Detection and Handling">
1879 <column name="max_backoff">
1880 Maximum number of milliseconds to wait between connection attempts.
1881 Default is implementation-specific.
1884 <column name="inactivity_probe">
1885 Maximum number of milliseconds of idle time on connection to the client
1886 before sending an inactivity probe message. If Open vSwitch does not
1887 communicate with the client for the specified number of seconds, it
1888 will send a probe. If a response is not received for the same
1889 additional amount of time, Open vSwitch assumes the connection has been
1890 broken and attempts to reconnect. Default is implementation-specific.
1894 <group title="Other Features">
1895 <column name="external_ids">
1896 Key-value pairs for use by external frameworks that integrate with Open
1897 vSwitch, rather than by Open vSwitch itself. System integrators should
1898 either use the Open vSwitch development mailing list to coordinate on
1899 common key-value definitions, or choose key names that are likely to be
1900 unique. No common key-value pairs are currently defined.
1905 <table name="NetFlow">
1906 A NetFlow target. NetFlow is a protocol that exports a number of
1907 details about terminating IP flows, such as the principals involved
1910 <column name="targets">
1911 NetFlow targets in the form
1912 <code><var>ip</var>:<var>port</var></code>. The <var>ip</var>
1913 must be specified numerically, not as a DNS name.
1916 <column name="engine_id">
1917 Engine ID to use in NetFlow messages. Defaults to datapath index
1921 <column name="engine_type">
1922 Engine type to use in NetFlow messages. Defaults to datapath
1923 index if not specified.
1926 <column name="active_timeout">
1927 The interval at which NetFlow records are sent for flows that are
1928 still active, in seconds. A value of <code>0</code> requests the
1929 default timeout (currently 600 seconds); a value of <code>-1</code>
1930 disables active timeouts.
1933 <column name="add_id_to_interface">
1934 <p>If this column's value is <code>false</code>, the ingress and egress
1935 interface fields of NetFlow flow records are derived from OpenFlow port
1936 numbers. When it is <code>true</code>, the 7 most significant bits of
1937 these fields will be replaced by the least significant 7 bits of the
1938 engine id. This is useful because many NetFlow collectors do not
1939 expect multiple switches to be sending messages from the same host, so
1940 they do not store the engine information which could be used to
1941 disambiguate the traffic.</p>
1942 <p>When this option is enabled, a maximum of 508 ports are supported.</p>
1945 <column name="external_ids">
1946 Key-value pairs for use by external frameworks that integrate with Open
1947 vSwitch, rather than by Open vSwitch itself. System integrators should
1948 either use the Open vSwitch development mailing list to coordinate on
1949 common key-value definitions, or choose key names that are likely to be
1950 unique. No common key-value pairs are currently defined.
1955 SSL configuration for an Open_vSwitch.
1957 <column name="private_key">
1958 Name of a PEM file containing the private key used as the switch's
1959 identity for SSL connections to the controller.
1962 <column name="certificate">
1963 Name of a PEM file containing a certificate, signed by the
1964 certificate authority (CA) used by the controller and manager,
1965 that certifies the switch's private key, identifying a trustworthy
1969 <column name="ca_cert">
1970 Name of a PEM file containing the CA certificate used to verify
1971 that the switch is connected to a trustworthy controller.
1974 <column name="bootstrap_ca_cert">
1975 If set to <code>true</code>, then Open vSwitch will attempt to
1976 obtain the CA certificate from the controller on its first SSL
1977 connection and save it to the named PEM file. If it is successful,
1978 it will immediately drop the connection and reconnect, and from then
1979 on all SSL connections must be authenticated by a certificate signed
1980 by the CA certificate thus obtained. <em>This option exposes the
1981 SSL connection to a man-in-the-middle attack obtaining the initial
1982 CA certificate.</em> It may still be useful for bootstrapping.
1985 <column name="external_ids">
1986 Key-value pairs for use by external frameworks that integrate with Open
1987 vSwitch, rather than by Open vSwitch itself. System integrators should
1988 either use the Open vSwitch development mailing list to coordinate on
1989 common key-value definitions, or choose key names that are likely to be
1990 unique. No common key-value pairs are currently defined.
1994 <table name="sFlow">
1995 <p>An sFlow(R) target. sFlow is a protocol for remote monitoring
1998 <column name="agent">
1999 Name of the network device whose IP address should be reported as the
2000 ``agent address'' to collectors. If not specified, the IP address
2001 defaults to the <ref table="Controller" column="local_ip"/> in the
2002 collector's <ref table="Controller"/>. If an agent IP address cannot be
2003 determined either way, sFlow is disabled.
2006 <column name="header">
2007 Number of bytes of a sampled packet to send to the collector.
2008 If not specified, the default is 128 bytes.
2011 <column name="polling">
2012 Polling rate in seconds to send port statistics to the collector.
2013 If not specified, defaults to 30 seconds.
2016 <column name="sampling">
2017 Rate at which packets should be sampled and sent to the collector.
2018 If not specified, defaults to 400, which means one out of 400
2019 packets, on average, will be sent to the collector.
2022 <column name="targets">
2023 sFlow targets in the form
2024 <code><var>ip</var>:<var>port</var></code>.
2027 <column name="external_ids">
2028 Key-value pairs for use by external frameworks that integrate with Open
2029 vSwitch, rather than by Open vSwitch itself. System integrators should
2030 either use the Open vSwitch development mailing list to coordinate on
2031 common key-value definitions, or choose key names that are likely to be
2032 unique. No common key-value pairs are currently defined.
2036 <table name="Capability">
2037 <p>Records in this table describe functionality supported by the hardware
2038 and software platform on which this Open vSwitch is based. Clients
2039 should not modify this table.</p>
2041 <p>A record in this table is meaningful only if it is referenced by the
2042 <ref table="Open_vSwitch" column="capabilities"/> column in the
2043 <ref table="Open_vSwitch"/> table. The key used to reference it, called
2044 the record's ``category,'' determines the meanings of the
2045 <ref column="details"/> column. The following general forms of
2046 categories are currently defined:</p>
2049 <dt><code>qos-<var>type</var></code></dt>
2050 <dd><var>type</var> is supported as the value for
2051 <ref column="type" table="QoS"/> in the <ref table="QoS"/> table.
2055 <column name="details">
2056 <p>Key-value pairs that describe capabilities. The meaning of the pairs
2057 depends on the category key that the <ref table="Open_vSwitch"
2058 column="capabilities"/> column in the <ref table="Open_vSwitch"/> table
2059 uses to reference this record, as described above.</p>
2061 <p>The presence of a record for category <code>qos-<var>type</var></code>
2062 indicates that the switch supports <var>type</var> as the value of
2063 the <ref table="QoS" column="type"/> column in the <ref table="QoS"/>
2064 table. The following key-value pairs are defined to further describe
2065 QoS capabilities:</p>
2068 <dt><code>n-queues</code></dt>
2069 <dd>Number of supported queues, as a positive integer. Keys in the
2070 <ref table="QoS" column="queues"/> column for <ref table="QoS"/>
2071 records whose <ref table="QoS" column="type"/> value
2072 equals <var>type</var> must range between 0 and this value minus one,