6 [![Build Status](https://travis-ci.org/openvswitch/ovs.png)](https://travis-ci.org/openvswitch/ovs)
11 Open vSwitch is a multilayer software switch licensed under the open
12 source Apache 2 license. Our goal is to implement a production
13 quality switch platform that supports standard management interfaces
14 and opens the forwarding functions to programmatic extension and
17 Open vSwitch is well suited to function as a virtual switch in VM
18 environments. In addition to exposing standard control and visibility
19 interfaces to the virtual networking layer, it was designed to support
20 distribution across multiple physical servers. Open vSwitch supports
21 multiple Linux-based virtualization technologies including
22 Xen/XenServer, KVM, and VirtualBox.
24 The bulk of the code is written in platform-independent C and is
25 easily ported to other environments. The current release of Open
26 vSwitch supports the following features:
28 * Standard 802.1Q VLAN model with trunk and access ports
29 * NIC bonding with or without LACP on upstream switch
30 * NetFlow, sFlow(R), and mirroring for increased visibility
31 * QoS (Quality of Service) configuration, plus policing
32 * Geneve, GRE, GRE over IPSEC, VXLAN, and LISP tunneling
33 * 802.1ag connectivity fault management
34 * OpenFlow 1.0 plus numerous extensions
35 * Transactional configuration database with C and Python bindings
36 * High-performance forwarding using a Linux kernel module
38 The included Linux kernel module supports Linux 2.6.32 and up, with
39 testing focused on 2.6.32 with Centos and Xen patches. Open vSwitch
40 also has special support for Citrix XenServer and Red Hat Enterprise
43 Open vSwitch can also operate, at a cost in performance, entirely in
44 userspace, without assistance from a kernel module. This userspace
45 implementation should be easier to port than the kernel-based switch.
46 It is considered experimental.
51 The main components of this distribution are:
53 * ovs-vswitchd, a daemon that implements the switch, along with
54 a companion Linux kernel module for flow-based switching.
55 * ovsdb-server, a lightweight database server that ovs-vswitchd
56 queries to obtain its configuration.
57 * ovs-dpctl, a tool for configuring the switch kernel module.
58 * Scripts and specs for building RPMs for Citrix XenServer and Red
59 Hat Enterprise Linux. The XenServer RPMs allow Open vSwitch to
60 be installed on a Citrix XenServer host as a drop-in replacement
61 for its switch, with additional functionality.
62 * ovs-vsctl, a utility for querying and updating the configuration
64 * ovs-appctl, a utility that sends commands to running Open
67 Open vSwitch also provides some tools:
69 * ovs-ofctl, a utility for querying and controlling OpenFlow
70 switches and controllers.
71 * ovs-pki, a utility for creating and managing the public-key
72 infrastructure for OpenFlow switches.
73 * ovs-testcontroller, a simple OpenFlow controller that may be useful
74 for testing (though not for production).
75 * A patch to tcpdump that enables it to parse OpenFlow messages.
77 What other documentation is available?
78 --------------------------------------
80 To install Open vSwitch on a regular Linux or FreeBSD host, please
81 read INSTALL. For specifics around installation on a specific
82 platform, please see one of these files:
84 - [INSTALL.Debian](INSTALL.Debian.md)
85 - [INSTALL.Fedora](INSTALL.Fedora.md)
86 - [INSTALL.RHEL](INSTALL.RHEL.md)
87 - [INSTALL.XenServer](INSTALL.XenServer.md)
89 To use Open vSwitch...
91 - ...with Docker on Linux, read [INSTALL.Docker](INSTALL.Docker.md)
93 - ...with KVM on Linux, read [INSTALL](INSTALL.md), read
94 [INSTALL.KVM](INSTALL.KVM.md)
96 - ...with Libvirt, read [INSTALL.Libvirt](INSTALL.Libvirt.md).
98 - ...without using a kernel module, read
99 [INSTALL.userspace](INSTALL.userspace.md).
101 For answers to common questions, read FAQ.
103 To learn how to set up SSL support for Open vSwitch, read
104 [INSTALL.SSL](INSTALL.SSL.md).
106 To learn about some advanced features of the Open vSwitch software
107 switch, read the tutorial in tutorial/Tutorial.
109 Each Open vSwitch userspace program is accompanied by a manpage. Many
110 of the manpages are customized to your configuration as part of the
111 build process, so we recommend building Open vSwitch before reading