X-Git-Url: https://pintos-os.org/cgi-bin/gitweb.cgi?a=blobdiff_plain;f=README;h=aa317820959fdff27d658f66cde45ee28e579d28;hb=refs%2Fheads%2Fof1.1;hp=7871c763c01803c903f5e7881f1ad18ed7a44e46;hpb=58fda1dab104041fc693032475ec4662c1a52849;p=openvswitch diff --git a/README b/README index 7871c763..aa317820 100644 --- a/README +++ b/README @@ -6,8 +6,8 @@ What is Open vSwitch? Open vSwitch is a multilayer software switch licensed under the open source Apache 2 license. Our goal is to implement a production quality switch platform that supports standard management interfaces -(e.g. NetFlow, RSPAN, ERSPAN, IOS-like CLI), and opens the forwarding -functions to programmatic extension and control. +and opens the forwarding functions to programmatic extension and +control. Open vSwitch is well suited to function as a virtual switch in VM environments. In addition to exposing standard control and visibility @@ -20,18 +20,21 @@ The bulk of the code is written in platform-independent C and is easily ported to other environments. The current release of Open vSwitch supports the following features: - * Visibility into inter-VM communication via NetFlow, SPAN, and RSPAN - * Standard 802.1Q VLAN model with trunking - * Per VM policing - * NIC bonding with source-MAC load balancing - * Kernel-based forwarding - * Support for OpenFlow - * Compatibility layer for the Linux bridging code - -The included Linux kernel module supports Linux 2.6.15 and up, with -testing focused on 2.6.18 with Centos and Xen patches and version -2.6.26 from kernel.org. Open vSwitch also has special support for -Citrix XenServer hosts. + * Standard 802.1Q VLAN model with trunk and access ports + * NIC bonding with or without LACP on upstream switch + * NetFlow, sFlow(R), and mirroring for increased visibility + * QoS (Quality of Service) configuration, plus policing + * GRE, GRE over IPSEC, and CAPWAP tunneling + * 802.1ag connectivity fault management + * OpenFlow 1.0 plus numerous extensions + * Transactional configuration database with C and Python bindings + * Compatibility layer for Linux bridging code + * High-performance forwarding using a Linux kernel module + +The included Linux kernel module supports Linux 2.6.18 and up, with +testing focused on 2.6.32 with Centos and Xen patches. Open vSwitch +also has special support for Citrix XenServer and Red Hat Enterprise +Linux hosts. Open vSwitch can also operate, at a cost in performance, entirely in userspace, without assistance from a kernel module. This userspace @@ -46,6 +49,9 @@ The main components of this distribution are: * ovs-vswitchd, a daemon that implements the switch, along with a companion Linux kernel module for flow-based switching. + * ovsdb-server, a lightweight database server that ovs-vswitchd + queries to obtain its configuration. + * ovs-brcompatd, a daemon that allows ovs-vswitchd to act as a drop-in replacement for the Linux bridge in many environments, along with a companion Linux kernel module to intercept bridge @@ -53,9 +59,10 @@ The main components of this distribution are: * ovs-dpctl, a tool for configuring the switch kernel module. - * Scripts and specs for building RPMs that allow Open vSwitch - to be installed on a Citrix XenServer host as a drop-in - replacement for its switch, with additional functionality. + * Scripts and specs for building RPMs for Citrix XenServer and Red + Hat Enterprise Linux. The XenServer RPMs allow Open vSwitch to + be installed on a Citrix XenServer host as a drop-in replacement + for its switch, with additional functionality. * ovs-vsctl, a utility for querying and updating the configuration of ovs-vswitchd. @@ -63,12 +70,10 @@ The main components of this distribution are: * ovs-appctl, a utility that sends commands to running Open vSwitch daemons. -Open vSwitch also provides an OpenFlow implementation and tools for -those interested in OpenFlow but not additional Open vSwitch features: + * ovsdbmonitor, a GUI tool for remotely viewing OVS databases and + OpenFlow flow tables. - * ovs-openflowd, a program that implements a simple OpenFlow - switch (without the special features provided by ovs-vswitchd) - using the same kernel module as ovs-vswitchd. +Open vSwitch also provides some tools: * ovs-controller, a simple OpenFlow controller. @@ -85,16 +90,26 @@ What other documentation is available? To install Open vSwitch on a regular Linux machine, read INSTALL.Linux. +For answers to common questions, read FAQ. + To use Open vSwitch as a drop-in replacement for the Linux bridge, read INSTALL.bridge. To build RPMs for installing Open vSwitch on a Citrix XenServer host or resource pool, read INSTALL.XenServer. +To build RPMs for installing Open vSwitch on a Red Hat Enterprise +Linux host, read INSTALL.RHEL. + +To use Open vSwitch with KVM on Linux, read INSTALL.Linux, then +INSTALL.KVM. + +To use Open vSwitch with Libvirt, read INSTALL.Libvirt. + To install Open vSwitch without using a kernel module, read INSTALL.userspace. -To learn set up SSL support for Open vSwitch, read INSTALL.SSL. +To learn how to set up SSL support for Open vSwitch, read INSTALL.SSL. Each Open vSwitch userspace program is accompanied by a manpage. Many of the manpages are customized to your configuration as part of the