ovs\-ctl \- OVS startup helper script
.
.SH SYNOPSIS
-\fBovs\-ctl\fR [\fB\-\-system\-id=random\fR | \fIuuid\fR]
+\fBovs\-ctl\fR \fB\-\-system\-id=random\fR|\fIuuid\fR
[\fIoptions\fR] \fBstart
.br
\fBovs\-ctl stop
.br
\fBovs\-ctl version
.br
-\fBovs\-ctl force-reload-kmod
+\fBovs\-ctl
+\fB\-\-system\-id=random\fR|\fIuuid\fR
+[\fIoptions\fR]
+\fBforce\-reload\-kmod\fR
+.br
+\fBovs\-ctl
+\fR[\fB\-\-protocol=\fIprotocol\fR]
+[\fB\-\-sport=\fIsport\fR]
+[\fB\-\-dport=\fIdport\fR]
+\fBenable\-protocol\fR
.br
\fBovs\-ctl help \fR| \fB\-h \fR| \fB\-\-help
.br
(This is because the Open vSwitch kernel module cannot coexist with
the Linux bridge module before 2.6.37.)
.
+.IP 2.
+If \fB\-\-brcompat\fR was specified, loads the Open vSwitch bridge
+compatibility module.
+.
.PP
The \fBstart\fR command skips the following steps if
\fBovsdb\-server\fR is already running:
-.IP 2.
+.IP 3.
If the Open vSwitch database file does not exist, it creates it.
If the database does exist, but it has an obsolete version, it
upgrades it to the latest schema.
.
-.IP 3.
+.IP 4.
Starts \fBovsdb-server\fR.
.
-.IP 4.
+.IP 5.
Initializes a few values inside the database.
.
-.IP 5.
+.IP 6.
If the \fB\-\-delete\-bridges\fR option was used, deletes all of the
bridges from the database.
.
.PP
The \fBstart\fR command skips the following step if
\fBovs\-vswitchd\fR is already running:
-.IP 6.
+.IP 7.
Starts \fBovs\-vswitchd\fR.
.
+.PP
+The \fBstart\fR command skips the following step if
+\fBovs\-brcompatd\fR is already running or if \fB\-\-brcompat\fR is
+not specified:
+.IP 8.
+Starts \fBovs\-brcompatd\fR.
+.
.SS "Options"
.PP
Several command-line options influence the \fBstart\fR command's
.SH "The ``stop'' command"
.
.PP
-The \fBstart\fR command shuts down Open vSwitch. If
-\fBovs\-vswitchd\fR is running, kills it and waits for it to
-terminate, then it does the same for \fBovsdb\-server\fR.
+The \fBstop\fR command shuts down Open vSwitch. It kills any running
+\fBovs\-brcompatd\fR, \fBovs\-vswitchd\fR, or \fBovsdb\-server\fR
+daemons and waits for them to terminate.
+.
+.PP
+The \fBstop\fR command does not unload the Open vSwitch kernel
+modules.
.
.PP
This command does nothing and finishes successfully if the OVS daemons
.SH "The ``status'' command"
.
.PP
-The \fBstatus\fR command checks whether the OVS daemons are running
-and prints messages with that information. It exits with status 0 if
+The \fBstatus\fR command checks whether the OVS daemons
+\fBovs-vswitchd\fR and \fBovsdb\-server\fR are running and prints
+messages with that information. If \fB\-\-brcompat\fR is specified,
+it also checks for \fBovs\-brcompatd\fR. It exits with status 0 if
the daemons are running, 1 otherwise.
.
.SH "The ``version'' command"
.
.PP
The \fBversion\fR command runs \fBovsdb\-server \-\-version\fR and
-\fBovs\-vswitchd \-\-version\fR.
+\fBovs\-vswitchd \-\-version\fR. If \fB\-\-brcompat\fR is specified,
+it also runs \fBovs\-brcompatd \-\-version\fR.
.
.SH "The ``force\-reload\-kmod'' command"
.
entries.
.
.IP 4.
-Unloads the Open vSwitch kernel module.
+Unloads the Open vSwitch kernel module (including the bridge
+compatibility module if it is loaded).
.
.IP 5.
Starts OVS back up, as if by a call to \fBovs\-ctl start\fR. This
-reloads the kernel module and restarts the OVS daemons.
+reloads the kernel module and restarts the OVS daemons (including
+\fBovs\-brcompatd\fR, if \fB\-\-brcompat\fR is specified).
.
.IP 6.
Restores the kernel configuration state that was saved in step 3.
have to be restarted after completing the above procedure.
.
.PP
-Because \fBforce\-kmod\-reload\fR internally stops and starts OVS, it
+\fBforce\-kmod\-reload\fR internally stops and starts OVS, so it
accepts all of the options accepted by the \fBstart\fR command.
.
-.SS "The ``help'' command"
+.SH "The ``enable\-protocol'' command"
+.
+.PP
+The \fBenable\-protocol\fR command checks for rules related to a
+specified protocol in the system's \fBiptables\fR(8) configuration. If there
+are no rules specifically related to that protocol, then it inserts a
+rule to accept the specified protocol.
+.
+.PP
+More specifically:
+.
+.IP \(bu
+If \fBiptables\fR is not installed or not enabled, this command does
+nothing, assuming that lack of filtering means that the protocol is
+enabled.
+.
+.IP \(bu
+If the \fBINPUT\fR chain has a rule that matches the specified
+protocol, then this command does nothing, assuming that whatever rule
+is installed reflects the system administrator's decisions.
+.
+.IP \(bu
+Otherwise, this command installs a rule that accepts traffic of the
+specified protocol.
+.
+.PP
+This command normally completes successfully, even if it does
+nothing. Only the failure of an attempt to insert a rule normally
+causes it to return an exit code other than 0.
+.
+The following options control the protocol to be enabled:
+.
+.IP "\fB\-\-protocol=\fIprotocol\fR"
+The name of the IP protocol to be enabled, such as \fBgre\fR or
+\fBtcp\fR. The default is \fBgre\fR.
+.
+.IP "\fB\-\-sport=\fIsport\fR"
+.IQ "\fB\-\-dport=\fIdport\fR"
+TCP or UDP source or destination port to match. These are optional
+and allowed only with \fB\-\-protocol=tcp\fR or
+\fB\-\-protocol=udp\fR.
+.
+.SH "The ``help'' command"
.
Prints a usage message and exits successfully.
.
+.SH "OPTIONS"
+.PP
+In addition to the options listed for each command above, this option
+controls the behavior of several of \fBovs\-ctl\fR's commands.
+.
+.IP "\fB\-\-brcompat\fR"
+By default, \fBovs\-ctl\fR does not load the Open vSwitch bridge
+compatibility module and does not start or check the status or report
+the version of the \fBovs\-brcompatd\fR daemon. This option enables
+all of those behaviors.
+.
+.IP
+The \fBstop\fR command always stops \fBovs\-brcompatd\fR, if it is
+running, regardless of this option.
+.
.SH "EXIT STATUS"
.
\fBovs\-ctl\fR exits with status 0 on success and nonzero on failure.
.
.SH "SEE ALSO"
.
-\fBREADME\fR, \fBINSTALL.LINUX\fR, \fBovsdb\-server\fR(8),
+\fBREADME\fR, \fBINSTALL.Linux\fR, \fBovsdb\-server\fR(8),
\fBovs\-vswitchd\fR(8).