.SH SYNOPSIS
\fBovsdb\-server\fR
\fIdatabase\fR
-[\fB--connect \fIremote\fR]\&...
-[\fB--listen \fIlocal\fR]\&...
+[\fB--remote=\fIremote\fR]\&...
+[\fB--run=\fIcommand\fR]
.so lib/daemon-syn.man
.so lib/vlog-syn.man
+.so lib/unixctl-syn.man
.so lib/common-syn.man
.
.SH DESCRIPTION
The \fBovsdb\-server\fR program provides RPC interfaces to an Open
-vSwitch database (OVSDB). It can listen for JSON-RPC connections from
-TCP/IP or Unix domain socket clients (with \fB\-\-listen\fR), connect to
-remote JSON-RPC TCP/IP or Unix domain socket clients (with
-\fB\-\-connect\fR).
+vSwitch database (OVSDB). It supports JSON-RPC client connections
+over active or passive TCP/IP or Unix domain sockets.
.PP
The name of the OVSDB file must be specified on the command line as
\fIdatabase\fR, which must already have been created and initialized
.
.SH OPTIONS
.
-.IP "\fB\-\-listen=\fIlocal\fR"
-Makes \fBovsdb\-server\fR listen for JSON-RPC connections on
-\fIlocal\fR, which must take one of the following forms:
+.IP "\fB\-\-remote=\fIremote\fR"
+Adds \fIremote\fR as a connection method used by \fBovsdb\-server\fR.
+\fIremote\fR must take one of the following forms:
.
.RS
-.IP "\fBptcp:\fIport\fR[\fB:\fIip\fR]"
-Listens for JSON-RPC connections on the given TCP \fIport\fR. By
-default, \fB\*(PN\fR listens for connections to any local IP address,
-but \fIip\fR may be specified to listen only for connections to the
-given \fIip\fR.
-.IP "\fBpunix:\fIfile\fR"
-Listens for JSON-RPC connections on the Unix domain server socket
-named \fIfile\fR.
-.RE
-.
-.IP "\fB\-\-connect=\fIremote\fR"
-Makes \fBovsdb\-server\fR initiate a JSON-RPC connection to
-\fIremote\fR, which must take one of the forms listed below. The
-server will reconnect to \fIremote\fR as necessary.
+.so ovsdb/remote-passive.man
+.so ovsdb/remote-active.man
.
-.RS
-.IP "\fBtcp:\fIip\fB:\fIport\fR"
-Connects to the given TCP \fIport\fR on \fIip\fR.
-.IP "\fBunix:\fIfile\fR"
-Connects to the Unix domain server socket named \fIfile\fR.
+.IP "\fBdb:\fItable\fB,\fIcolumn\fR"
+Reads additional connection methods from \fIcolumn\fR in all of the
+rows in \fItable\fR within the \fBovsdb\-server\fR database. The
+\fIcolumn\fR must have type string or set of strings. The connection
+methods in the column must have one of the forms described above. As
+the contents of \fIcolumn\fR changes, \fBovsdb\-server\fR also adds
+and drops connection methods accordingly.
.RE
.
+.IP "\fB\-\-run=\fIcommand\fR]"
+Ordinarily \fBovsdb\-server\fR runs forever, or until it is told to
+exit (see \fBRUNTIME MANAGEMENT COMMANDS\fR below). With this option,
+\fBovsdb\-server\fR instead starts a shell subprocess running
+\fIcommand\fR. When the subprocess terminates, \fBovsdb\-server\fR
+also exits gracefully. If the subprocess exits normally with exit
+code 0, then \fBovsdb\-server\fR exits with exit code 0 also;
+otherwise, it exits with exit code 1.
+.IP
+This option can be useful where a database server is needed only to
+run a single command, e.g.:
+.B "ovsdb-server --remote=punix:socket --run='ovsdb-client dump unix:socket Open_vSwitch'"
.SS "Daemon Options"
.so lib/daemon.man
.SS "Logging Options"
.so lib/vlog.man
+.SS "Public Key Infrastructure Options"
+The options described below for configuring the SSL public key
+infrastructure accept a special syntax for obtaining their
+configuration from the database. If any of these options is given
+\fBdb:\fItable\fB,\fIcolumn\fR as its argument, then the actual file
+name is read from the specified \fIcolumn\fR in \fItable\fR within the
+\fBovsdb\-server\fR database. The \fIcolumn\fR must have type string
+or set of strings. The first nonempty string in the table is taken as
+the file name. (This means that ordinarily there should be at most
+one row in \fItable\fR.)
+.so lib/ssl.man
+.so lib/ssl-bootstrap.man
.SS "Other Options"
+.so lib/unixctl.man
.so lib/common.man
.SH "RUNTIME MANAGEMENT COMMANDS"
\fBovs\-appctl\fR(8) can send commands to a running
\fBovsdb\-server\fR process. The currently supported commands are
described below.
+.SS "OVSDB-SERVER COMMANDS"
+These commands are specific to \fBovsdb\-server\fR.
+.IP "\fBexit\fR"
+Causes \fBovsdb\-server\fR to gracefully terminate.
+.IP "\fBovsdb-server/compact\fR"
+Compacts the database in-place. The database is also automatically
+compacted occasionally.
.so lib/vlog-unixctl.man
.SH "SEE ALSO"
.