-instruct it to reload its configuration file. The \fItarget\fR takes
-one of two forms:
-.RS
-.IP \(bu
-The name of a Unix domain socket on which \fBovs\-vswitchd\fR is
-listening for control channel connections. By default,
-\fBovs\-vswitchd\fR listens on a Unix domain socket named
-\fB@RUNDIR@/ovs\-vswitchd.\fIpid\fR.ctl\fR, where \fIpid\fR is the
-\fBovs\-vswitchd\fR process's process ID.
-.IP \(bu
-The name of a pidfile, that is, a file whose contents are the process
-ID of a running process as a decimal number. \fBovs\-vswitchd\fR
-creates a pidfile if it is invoked with the \fB\-\-pidfile\fR option.
-\fBovs\-vsctl\fR reads the pidfile, then looks for a Unix socket named
-\fB@RUNDIR@/ovs\-vswitchd.\fIpid\fR.ctl\fR, where \fIpid\fR is
+instruct it to reload its configuration file.
+.IP
+If \fItarget\fR begins with \fB/\fR it must name a Unix domain socket
+on which \fBovs\-vswitchd\fR is listening for control channel
+connections. By default, \fBovs\-vswitchd\fR listens on a Unix domain
+socket named \fB@RUNDIR@/ovs\-vswitchd.\fIpid\fB.ctl\fR, where
+\fIpid\fR is \fBovs\-vswitchd\fR's process ID.
+.IP
+Otherwise, \fBovs\-appctl\fR looks for a pidfile, that is, a file
+whose contents are the process ID of a running process as a decimal
+number, named \fB@RUNDIR@/\fItarget\fB.pid\fR. (The \fB\-\-pidfile\fR
+option makes an Open vSwitch daemon create a pidfile.)
+\fBovs\-appctl\fR reads the pidfile, then looks for a Unix socket
+named \fB@RUNDIR@/\fItarget\fB.\fIpid\fB.ctl\fR, where \fIpid\fR is