From: Justin Pettit Date: Tue, 19 Jun 2012 23:44:54 +0000 (-0700) Subject: FAQ: Add additional entries. X-Git-Url: https://pintos-os.org/cgi-bin/gitweb.cgi?a=commitdiff_plain;h=7b287e998d3aa975e4c51fd837ba92262d0590d7;p=openvswitch FAQ: Add additional entries. Does some cleanup and adds entries that cover: - OVS isn't Linux-specific. - Point out PORTING guide. - Explanation of LTS releases. - Supported versions of OpenFlow. - Missing features from userspace datapath and upstream kernel module. Signed-off-by: Justin Pettit --- diff --git a/FAQ b/FAQ index 18ecc913..3cd1fa35 100644 --- a/FAQ +++ b/FAQ @@ -35,23 +35,42 @@ A: Open vSwitch can currently run on any Linux-based virtualization Q: How can I try Open vSwitch? -A: Open vSwitch is as source code to be built on a Linux system. You - can build and experiment with Open vSwitch on any Linux machine. - Packages for various Linux distributions are underway and will be linked - to from this website as they materialize. +A: The Open vSwitch source code can be built on a Linux system. You can + build and experiment with Open vSwitch on any Linux machine. + Packages for various Linux distributions are available on many + platforms, including: Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora. You may also download and run a virtualization platform that already - has Open vSwitch integrated. For example, download the ISO for Xen - Cloud Platform. Be aware that the version integrated with a - particular platform may not be the most recent Open vSwitch release. + has Open vSwitch integrated. For example, download a recent ISO for + XenServer or Xen Cloud Platform. Be aware that the version + integrated with a particular platform may not be the most recent Open + vSwitch release. + +Q: Does Open vSwitch only work on Linux? + +A: No, Open vSwitch has been ported to a number of different operating + systems and hardware platforms. Most of the development work occurs + on Linux, but the code should be portable to any POSIX system. We've + seen Open vSwitch ported to a number of different platforms, + including FreeBSD, Windows, and even non-POSIX embedded systems. + + By definition, the Open vSwitch Linux kernel module only works on + Linux and will provide the highest performance. However, a userspace + datapath is available that should be very portable. + +Q: What's involved with porting Open vSwitch to a new platform or + switching ASIC? + +A: The PORTING document describes how one would go about porting Open + vSwitch to a new operating system or hardware platform. Q: Why would I use Open vSwitch instead of the Linux bridge? A: Open vSwitch is specially designed to make it easier to manage VM - network configuration and monitoring state spread across many - physical hosts in dynamic virtualized environments. Please see - WHY-OVS for a more detailed description of how Open vSwitch relates - to the Linux Bridge. + network configuration and monitor state spread across many physical + hosts in dynamic virtualized environments. Please see WHY-OVS for a + more detailed description of how Open vSwitch relates to the Linux + Bridge. Q: How is Open vSwitch related to distributed virtual switches like the VMware vNetwork distributed switch or the Cisco Nexus 1000V? @@ -84,24 +103,65 @@ A: Open vSwitch is intended to be a useful component for building support all as a primitive building block rather than choose a particular point in the distributed design space. -Q: What does it mean for an Open vSwitch release to be "stable"? - -A: A stable Open vSwitch release is code that has been through a - comprehensive testing process and is suitable for production use. - Planned stable releases will occur several times a year. If a - significant bug is identified in a stable release, we will provide an - updated stable release that includes the fix. Developers looking to - test the latest Open vSwitch code can use an "unstable" release or - directly access the code via git. - Q: How can I contribute to the Open vSwitch Community? A: You can start by joining the mailing lists and helping to answer - questions. You can also suggest improvements to documentation or offer - to write a configuration cookbook entry. + questions. You can also suggest improvements to documentation. If + you have a feature or bug you would like to work on, send a mail to + one of the mailing lists: + + http://openvswitch.org/mlists/ + + + +Releases +-------- + +Q: What does it mean for an Open vSwitch release to be LTS (long-term + support)? - If you have a feature or bug you would like to work on send a mail to - dev mailing list. +A: All official releases have been through a comprehensive testing + process and are suitable for production use. Planned releases will + occur several times a year. If a significant bug is identified in an + LTS release, we will provide an updated release that includes the + fix. Releases that are not LTS may not be fixed and may just be + supplanted by the next major release. The current LTS release is + 1.4.x. + +Q: What features are not available in the Open vSwitch kernel datapath + that ships as part of the upstream Linux kernel? + +A: The kernel module in upstream Linux 3.3 and later does not include + the following features: + + - Bridge compatibility, that is, support for the ovs-brcompatd + daemon that (if you enable it) lets "brctl" and other Linux + bridge tools transparently work with Open vSwitch instead. + + We do not expect bridge compatibility to ever be available in + upstream Linux. If you need bridge compatibility, use the + kernel module from the Open vSwitch distribution instead of the + upstream Linux kernel module. + + - Tunnel and patch virtual ports, that is, interfaces with type + "gre", "ipsec_gre", "capwap", or "patch". It is possible to + create tunnels in Linux and attach them to Open vSwitch as + system devices. However, they cannot be dynamically created + through the OVSDB protocol or set the tunnel ids as a flow + action. + + Work is in progress in adding these features to the upstream + Linux version of the Open vSwitch kernel module. For now, if + you need these features, use the kernel module from the Open + vSwitch distribution instead of the upstream Linux kernel + module. + +Q: What features are not available when using the userspace datapath? + +A: Tunnel and patch virtual ports are not supported, as described in the + previous answer. It is also not possible to use queue-related + actions. On Linux kernels before 2.6.39, maximum-sized VLAN packets + may not be transmitted. Configuration Problems @@ -251,7 +311,7 @@ A: Many drivers in Linux kernels before version 3.3 had VLAN-related that works around bugs in kernel drivers. To enable VLAN splinters on interface eth0, use the command: - ovs-vsctl set interface eth0 other-config:enable-vlan-splinters=true + ovs-vsctl set interface eth0 other-config:enable-vlan-splinters=true For VLAN splinters to be effective, Open vSwitch must know which VLANs are in use. See the "VLAN splinters" section in @@ -344,6 +404,15 @@ A: The configuration for VLANs in the Open vSwitch database (e.g. via Controllers ----------- +Q: What versions of OpenFlow does Open vSwitch support? + +A: Open vSwitch supports OpenFlow 1.0. It also includes a number of + extensions that bring many of the features from later versions of + OpenFlow. Work is underway to provide support for later versions and + can be tracked here: + + http://openvswitch.org/development/openflow-1-x-plan/ + Q: I'm getting "error type 45250 code 0". What's that? A: This is a Open vSwitch extension to OpenFlow error codes. Open @@ -416,6 +485,7 @@ Q: My OpenFlow controller doesn't see the VLANs that I expect. A: See answer under "VLANs", above. + Contact -------