1 <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
2 <database title="Open vSwitch Configuration Database">
4 A database with this schema holds the configuration for one Open
5 vSwitch daemon. The top-level configuration for the daemon is the
6 <ref table="Open_vSwitch"/> table, which must have exactly one
7 record. Records in other tables are significant only when they
8 can be reached directly or indirectly from the <ref
9 table="Open_vSwitch"/> table. Records that are not reachable from
10 the <ref table="Open_vSwitch"/> table are automatically deleted
11 from the database, except for records in a few distinguished
15 <h2>Common Columns</h2>
18 Most tables contain two special columns, named <code>other_config</code>
19 and <code>external_ids</code>. These columns have the same form and
20 purpose each place that they appear, so we describe them here to save space
25 <dt><code>other_config</code>: map of string-string pairs</dt>
28 Key-value pairs for configuring rarely used features. Supported keys,
29 along with the forms taken by their values, are documented individually
33 A few tables do not have <code>other_config</code> columns because no
34 key-value pairs have yet been defined for them.
38 <dt><code>external_ids</code>: map of string-string pairs</dt>
40 Key-value pairs for use by external frameworks that integrate with Open
41 vSwitch, rather than by Open vSwitch itself. System integrators should
42 either use the Open vSwitch development mailing list to coordinate on
43 common key-value definitions, or choose key names that are likely to be
44 unique. In some cases, where key-value pairs have been defined that are
45 likely to be widely useful, they are documented individually for each
50 <table name="Open_vSwitch" title="Open vSwitch configuration.">
51 Configuration for an Open vSwitch daemon. There must be exactly
52 one record in the <ref table="Open_vSwitch"/> table.
54 <group title="Configuration">
55 <column name="bridges">
56 Set of bridges managed by the daemon.
60 SSL used globally by the daemon.
63 <column name="external_ids" key="system-id">
64 A unique identifier for the Open vSwitch's physical host.
65 The form of the identifier depends on the type of the host.
66 On a Citrix XenServer, this will likely be the same as
67 <ref column="external_ids" key="xs-system-uuid"/>.
70 <column name="external_ids" key="xs-system-uuid">
71 The Citrix XenServer universally unique identifier for the physical
72 host as displayed by <code>xe host-list</code>.
75 <column name="other_config" key="stats-update-interval"
76 type='{"type": "integer", "minInteger": 5000}'>
78 Interval for updating statistics to the database, in milliseconds.
79 This option will affect the update of the <code>statistics</code>
80 column in the following tables: <code>Port</code>, <code>Interface
81 </code>, <code>Mirror</code>.
84 Default value is 5000 ms.
87 Getting statistics more frequently can be achieved via OpenFlow.
91 <column name="other_config" key="flow-restore-wait"
92 type='{"type": "boolean"}'>
94 When <code>ovs-vswitchd</code> starts up, it has an empty flow table
95 and therefore it handles all arriving packets in its default fashion
96 according to its configuration, by dropping them or sending them to
97 an OpenFlow controller or switching them as a standalone switch.
98 This behavior is ordinarily desirable. However, if
99 <code>ovs-vswitchd</code> is restarting as part of a ``hot-upgrade,''
100 then this leads to a relatively long period during which packets are
104 This option allows for improvement. When <code>ovs-vswitchd</code>
105 starts with this value set as <code>true</code>, it will neither
106 flush or expire previously set datapath flows nor will it send and
107 receive any packets to or from the datapath. When this value is
108 later set to <code>false</code>, <code>ovs-vswitchd</code> will
109 start receiving packets from the datapath and re-setup the flows.
112 Thus, with this option, the procedure for a hot-upgrade of
113 <code>ovs-vswitchd</code> becomes roughly the following:
117 Stop <code>ovs-vswitchd</code>.
120 Set <ref column="other_config" key="flow-restore-wait"/>
121 to <code>true</code>.
124 Start <code>ovs-vswitchd</code>.
127 Use <code>ovs-ofctl</code> (or some other program, such as an
128 OpenFlow controller) to restore the OpenFlow flow table
129 to the desired state.
132 Set <ref column="other_config" key="flow-restore-wait"/>
133 to <code>false</code> (or remove it entirely from the database).
137 The <code>ovs-ctl</code>'s ``restart'' and ``force-reload-kmod''
138 functions use the above config option during hot upgrades.
142 <column name="other_config" key="flow-limit"
143 type='{"type": "integer", "minInteger": 0}'>
146 number of flows allowed in the datapath flow table. Internally OVS
147 will choose a flow limit which will likely be lower than this number,
148 based on real time network conditions.
151 The default is 200000.
155 <column name="other_config" key="n-handler-threads"
156 type='{"type": "integer", "minInteger": 1}'>
158 Specifies the number of threads for software datapaths to use for
159 handling new flows. The default the number of online CPU cores minus
160 the number of revalidators.
163 This configuration is per datapath. If you have more than one
164 software datapath (e.g. some <code>system</code> bridges and some
165 <code>netdev</code> bridges), then the total number of threads is
166 <code>n-handler-threads</code> times the number of software
171 <column name="other_config" key="n-revalidator-threads"
172 type='{"type": "integer", "minInteger": 1}'>
174 Specifies the number of threads for software datapaths to use for
175 revalidating flows in the datapath. Typically, there is a direct
176 correlation between the number of revalidator threads, and the number
177 of flows allowed in the datapath. The default is the number of cpu
178 cores divided by four plus one. If <code>n-handler-threads</code> is
179 set, the default changes to the number of cpu cores minus the number
183 This configuration is per datapath. If you have more than one
184 software datapath (e.g. some <code>system</code> bridges and some
185 <code>netdev</code> bridges), then the total number of threads is
186 <code>n-handler-threads</code> times the number of software
192 <group title="Status">
193 <column name="next_cfg">
194 Sequence number for client to increment. When a client modifies
195 any part of the database configuration and wishes to wait for
196 Open vSwitch to finish applying the changes, it may increment
197 this sequence number.
200 <column name="cur_cfg">
201 Sequence number that Open vSwitch sets to the current value of
202 <ref column="next_cfg"/> after it finishes applying a set of
203 configuration changes.
206 <group title="Statistics">
208 The <code>statistics</code> column contains key-value pairs that
209 report statistics about a system running an Open vSwitch. These are
210 updated periodically (currently, every 5 seconds). Key-value pairs
211 that cannot be determined or that do not apply to a platform are
215 <column name="other_config" key="enable-statistics"
216 type='{"type": "boolean"}'>
217 Statistics are disabled by default to avoid overhead in the common
218 case when statistics gathering is not useful. Set this value to
219 <code>true</code> to enable populating the <ref column="statistics"/>
220 column or to <code>false</code> to explicitly disable it.
223 <column name="statistics" key="cpu"
224 type='{"type": "integer", "minInteger": 1}'>
226 Number of CPU processors, threads, or cores currently online and
227 available to the operating system on which Open vSwitch is running,
228 as an integer. This may be less than the number installed, if some
229 are not online or if they are not available to the operating
233 Open vSwitch userspace processes are not multithreaded, but the
234 Linux kernel-based datapath is.
238 <column name="statistics" key="load_average">
239 A comma-separated list of three floating-point numbers,
240 representing the system load average over the last 1, 5, and 15
241 minutes, respectively.
244 <column name="statistics" key="memory">
246 A comma-separated list of integers, each of which represents a
247 quantity of memory in kilobytes that describes the operating
248 system on which Open vSwitch is running. In respective order,
253 <li>Total amount of RAM allocated to the OS.</li>
254 <li>RAM allocated to the OS that is in use.</li>
255 <li>RAM that can be flushed out to disk or otherwise discarded
256 if that space is needed for another purpose. This number is
257 necessarily less than or equal to the previous value.</li>
258 <li>Total disk space allocated for swap.</li>
259 <li>Swap space currently in use.</li>
263 On Linux, all five values can be determined and are included. On
264 other operating systems, only the first two values can be
265 determined, so the list will only have two values.
269 <column name="statistics" key="process_NAME">
271 One such key-value pair, with <code>NAME</code> replaced by
272 a process name, will exist for each running Open vSwitch
273 daemon process, with <var>name</var> replaced by the
274 daemon's name (e.g. <code>process_ovs-vswitchd</code>). The
275 value is a comma-separated list of integers. The integers
276 represent the following, with memory measured in kilobytes
277 and durations in milliseconds:
281 <li>The process's virtual memory size.</li>
282 <li>The process's resident set size.</li>
283 <li>The amount of user and system CPU time consumed by the
285 <li>The number of times that the process has crashed and been
286 automatically restarted by the monitor.</li>
287 <li>The duration since the process was started.</li>
288 <li>The duration for which the process has been running.</li>
292 The interpretation of some of these values depends on whether the
293 process was started with the <option>--monitor</option>. If it
294 was not, then the crash count will always be 0 and the two
295 durations will always be the same. If <option>--monitor</option>
296 was given, then the crash count may be positive; if it is, the
297 latter duration is the amount of time since the most recent crash
302 There will be one key-value pair for each file in Open vSwitch's
303 ``run directory'' (usually <code>/var/run/openvswitch</code>)
304 whose name ends in <code>.pid</code>, whose contents are a
305 process ID, and which is locked by a running process. The
306 <var>name</var> is taken from the pidfile's name.
310 Currently Open vSwitch is only able to obtain all of the above
311 detail on Linux systems. On other systems, the same key-value
312 pairs will be present but the values will always be the empty
317 <column name="statistics" key="file_systems">
319 A space-separated list of information on local, writable file
320 systems. Each item in the list describes one file system and
321 consists in turn of a comma-separated list of the following:
325 <li>Mount point, e.g. <code>/</code> or <code>/var/log</code>.
326 Any spaces or commas in the mount point are replaced by
328 <li>Total size, in kilobytes, as an integer.</li>
329 <li>Amount of storage in use, in kilobytes, as an integer.</li>
333 This key-value pair is omitted if there are no local, writable
334 file systems or if Open vSwitch cannot obtain the needed
341 <group title="Version Reporting">
343 These columns report the types and versions of the hardware and
344 software running Open vSwitch. We recommend in general that software
345 should test whether specific features are supported instead of relying
346 on version number checks. These values are primarily intended for
347 reporting to human administrators.
350 <column name="ovs_version">
351 The Open vSwitch version number, e.g. <code>1.1.0</code>.
354 <column name="db_version">
356 The database schema version number in the form
357 <code><var>major</var>.<var>minor</var>.<var>tweak</var></code>,
358 e.g. <code>1.2.3</code>. Whenever the database schema is changed in
359 a non-backward compatible way (e.g. deleting a column or a table),
360 <var>major</var> is incremented. When the database schema is changed
361 in a backward compatible way (e.g. adding a new column),
362 <var>minor</var> is incremented. When the database schema is changed
363 cosmetically (e.g. reindenting its syntax), <var>tweak</var> is
368 The schema version is part of the database schema, so it can also be
369 retrieved by fetching the schema using the Open vSwitch database
374 <column name="system_type">
376 An identifier for the type of system on top of which Open vSwitch
377 runs, e.g. <code>XenServer</code> or <code>KVM</code>.
380 System integrators are responsible for choosing and setting an
381 appropriate value for this column.
385 <column name="system_version">
387 The version of the system identified by <ref column="system_type"/>,
388 e.g. <code>5.6.100-39265p</code> on XenServer 5.6.100 build 39265.
391 System integrators are responsible for choosing and setting an
392 appropriate value for this column.
398 <group title="Database Configuration">
400 These columns primarily configure the Open vSwitch database
401 (<code>ovsdb-server</code>), not the Open vSwitch switch
402 (<code>ovs-vswitchd</code>). The OVSDB database also uses the <ref
403 column="ssl"/> settings.
407 The Open vSwitch switch does read the database configuration to
408 determine remote IP addresses to which in-band control should apply.
411 <column name="manager_options">
412 Database clients to which the Open vSwitch database server should
413 connect or to which it should listen, along with options for how these
414 connection should be configured. See the <ref table="Manager"/> table
415 for more information.
419 <group title="Common Columns">
420 The overall purpose of these columns is described under <code>Common
421 Columns</code> at the beginning of this document.
423 <column name="other_config"/>
424 <column name="external_ids"/>
428 <table name="Bridge">
430 Configuration for a bridge within an
431 <ref table="Open_vSwitch"/>.
434 A <ref table="Bridge"/> record represents an Ethernet switch with one or
435 more ``ports,'' which are the <ref table="Port"/> records pointed to by
436 the <ref table="Bridge"/>'s <ref column="ports"/> column.
439 <group title="Core Features">
441 Bridge identifier. Should be alphanumeric and no more than about 8
442 bytes long. Must be unique among the names of ports, interfaces, and
446 <column name="ports">
447 Ports included in the bridge.
450 <column name="mirrors">
451 Port mirroring configuration.
454 <column name="netflow">
455 NetFlow configuration.
458 <column name="sflow">
459 sFlow(R) configuration.
462 <column name="ipfix">
466 <column name="flood_vlans">
468 VLAN IDs of VLANs on which MAC address learning should be disabled,
469 so that packets are flooded instead of being sent to specific ports
470 that are believed to contain packets' destination MACs. This should
471 ordinarily be used to disable MAC learning on VLANs used for
472 mirroring (RSPAN VLANs). It may also be useful for debugging.
475 SLB bonding (see the <ref table="Port" column="bond_mode"/> column in
476 the <ref table="Port"/> table) is incompatible with
477 <code>flood_vlans</code>. Consider using another bonding mode or
478 a different type of mirror instead.
483 <group title="OpenFlow Configuration">
484 <column name="controller">
486 OpenFlow controller set. If unset, then no OpenFlow controllers
491 If there are primary controllers, removing all of them clears the
492 flow table. If there are no primary controllers, adding one also
493 clears the flow table. Other changes to the set of controllers, such
494 as adding or removing a service controller, adding another primary
495 controller to supplement an existing primary controller, or removing
496 only one of two primary controllers, have no effect on the flow
501 <column name="flow_tables">
502 Configuration for OpenFlow tables. Each pair maps from an OpenFlow
503 table ID to configuration for that table.
506 <column name="fail_mode">
507 <p>When a controller is configured, it is, ordinarily, responsible
508 for setting up all flows on the switch. Thus, if the connection to
509 the controller fails, no new network connections can be set up.
510 If the connection to the controller stays down long enough,
511 no packets can pass through the switch at all. This setting
512 determines the switch's response to such a situation. It may be set
513 to one of the following:
515 <dt><code>standalone</code></dt>
516 <dd>If no message is received from the controller for three
517 times the inactivity probe interval
518 (see <ref column="inactivity_probe"/>), then Open vSwitch
519 will take over responsibility for setting up flows. In
520 this mode, Open vSwitch causes the bridge to act like an
521 ordinary MAC-learning switch. Open vSwitch will continue
522 to retry connecting to the controller in the background
523 and, when the connection succeeds, it will discontinue its
524 standalone behavior.</dd>
525 <dt><code>secure</code></dt>
526 <dd>Open vSwitch will not set up flows on its own when the
527 controller connection fails or when no controllers are
528 defined. The bridge will continue to retry connecting to
529 any defined controllers forever.</dd>
533 The default is <code>standalone</code> if the value is unset, but
534 future versions of Open vSwitch may change the default.
537 The <code>standalone</code> mode can create forwarding loops on a
538 bridge that has more than one uplink port unless STP is enabled. To
539 avoid loops on such a bridge, configure <code>secure</code> mode or
540 enable STP (see <ref column="stp_enable"/>).
542 <p>When more than one controller is configured,
543 <ref column="fail_mode"/> is considered only when none of the
544 configured controllers can be contacted.</p>
546 Changing <ref column="fail_mode"/> when no primary controllers are
547 configured clears the flow table.
551 <column name="datapath_id">
552 Reports the OpenFlow datapath ID in use. Exactly 16 hex digits.
553 (Setting this column has no useful effect. Set <ref
554 column="other-config" key="datapath-id"/> instead.)
557 <column name="other_config" key="datapath-id">
558 Exactly 16 hex digits to set the OpenFlow datapath ID to a specific
559 value. May not be all-zero.
562 <column name="other_config" key="dp-desc">
563 Human readable description of datapath. It it a maximum 256
564 byte-long free-form string to describe the datapath for
565 debugging purposes, e.g. <code>switch3 in room 3120</code>.
568 <column name="other_config" key="disable-in-band"
569 type='{"type": "boolean"}'>
570 If set to <code>true</code>, disable in-band control on the bridge
571 regardless of controller and manager settings.
574 <column name="other_config" key="in-band-queue"
575 type='{"type": "integer", "minInteger": 0, "maxInteger": 4294967295}'>
576 A queue ID as a nonnegative integer. This sets the OpenFlow queue ID
577 that will be used by flows set up by in-band control on this bridge.
578 If unset, or if the port used by an in-band control flow does not have
579 QoS configured, or if the port does not have a queue with the specified
580 ID, the default queue is used instead.
583 <column name="protocols">
585 List of OpenFlow protocols that may be used when negotiating
586 a connection with a controller. OpenFlow 1.0, 1.1, 1.2, and
587 1.3 are enabled by default if this column is empty.
591 OpenFlow 1.4 is not enabled by default because its implementation is
597 <group title="Spanning Tree Configuration">
598 The IEEE 802.1D Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) is a network protocol
599 that ensures loop-free topologies. It allows redundant links to
600 be included in the network to provide automatic backup paths if
601 the active links fails.
603 <column name="stp_enable">
604 Enable spanning tree on the bridge. By default, STP is disabled
605 on bridges. Bond, internal, and mirror ports are not supported
606 and will not participate in the spanning tree.
609 <column name="other_config" key="stp-system-id">
610 The bridge's STP identifier (the lower 48 bits of the bridge-id)
612 <var>xx</var>:<var>xx</var>:<var>xx</var>:<var>xx</var>:<var>xx</var>:<var>xx</var>.
613 By default, the identifier is the MAC address of the bridge.
616 <column name="other_config" key="stp-priority"
617 type='{"type": "integer", "minInteger": 0, "maxInteger": 65535}'>
618 The bridge's relative priority value for determining the root
619 bridge (the upper 16 bits of the bridge-id). A bridge with the
620 lowest bridge-id is elected the root. By default, the priority
624 <column name="other_config" key="stp-hello-time"
625 type='{"type": "integer", "minInteger": 1, "maxInteger": 10}'>
626 The interval between transmissions of hello messages by
627 designated ports, in seconds. By default the hello interval is
631 <column name="other_config" key="stp-max-age"
632 type='{"type": "integer", "minInteger": 6, "maxInteger": 40}'>
633 The maximum age of the information transmitted by the bridge
634 when it is the root bridge, in seconds. By default, the maximum
638 <column name="other_config" key="stp-forward-delay"
639 type='{"type": "integer", "minInteger": 4, "maxInteger": 30}'>
640 The delay to wait between transitioning root and designated
641 ports to <code>forwarding</code>, in seconds. By default, the
642 forwarding delay is 15 seconds.
646 <group title="Other Features">
647 <column name="datapath_type">
648 Name of datapath provider. The kernel datapath has
649 type <code>system</code>. The userspace datapath has
650 type <code>netdev</code>.
653 <column name="external_ids" key="bridge-id">
654 A unique identifier of the bridge. On Citrix XenServer this will
655 commonly be the same as
656 <ref column="external_ids" key="xs-network-uuids"/>.
659 <column name="external_ids" key="xs-network-uuids">
660 Semicolon-delimited set of universally unique identifier(s) for the
661 network with which this bridge is associated on a Citrix XenServer
662 host. The network identifiers are RFC 4122 UUIDs as displayed by,
663 e.g., <code>xe network-list</code>.
666 <column name="other_config" key="hwaddr">
667 An Ethernet address in the form
668 <var>xx</var>:<var>xx</var>:<var>xx</var>:<var>xx</var>:<var>xx</var>:<var>xx</var>
669 to set the hardware address of the local port and influence the
673 <column name="other_config" key="forward-bpdu"
674 type='{"type": "boolean"}'>
675 Option to allow forwarding of BPDU frames when NORMAL action is
676 invoked. Frames with reserved Ethernet addresses (e.g. STP
677 BPDU) will be forwarded when this option is enabled and the
678 switch is not providing that functionality. If STP is enabled
679 on the port, STP BPDUs will never be forwarded. If the Open
680 vSwitch bridge is used to connect different Ethernet networks,
681 and if Open vSwitch node does not run STP, then this option
682 should be enabled. Default is disabled, set to
683 <code>true</code> to enable.
685 The following destination MAC addresss will not be forwarded when this
688 <dt><code>01:80:c2:00:00:00</code></dt>
689 <dd>IEEE 802.1D Spanning Tree Protocol (STP).</dd>
691 <dt><code>01:80:c2:00:00:01</code></dt>
692 <dd>IEEE Pause frame.</dd>
694 <dt><code>01:80:c2:00:00:0<var>x</var></code></dt>
695 <dd>Other reserved protocols.</dd>
697 <dt><code>00:e0:2b:00:00:00</code></dt>
698 <dd>Extreme Discovery Protocol (EDP).</dd>
701 <code>00:e0:2b:00:00:04</code> and <code>00:e0:2b:00:00:06</code>
703 <dd>Ethernet Automatic Protection Switching (EAPS).</dd>
705 <dt><code>01:00:0c:cc:cc:cc</code></dt>
707 Cisco Discovery Protocol (CDP), VLAN Trunking Protocol (VTP),
708 Dynamic Trunking Protocol (DTP), Port Aggregation Protocol (PAgP),
712 <dt><code>01:00:0c:cc:cc:cd</code></dt>
713 <dd>Cisco Shared Spanning Tree Protocol PVSTP+.</dd>
715 <dt><code>01:00:0c:cd:cd:cd</code></dt>
716 <dd>Cisco STP Uplink Fast.</dd>
718 <dt><code>01:00:0c:00:00:00</code></dt>
719 <dd>Cisco Inter Switch Link.</dd>
721 <dt><code>01:00:0c:cc:cc:c<var>x</var></code></dt>
726 <column name="other_config" key="mac-aging-time"
727 type='{"type": "integer", "minInteger": 1}'>
729 The maximum number of seconds to retain a MAC learning entry for
730 which no packets have been seen. The default is currently 300
731 seconds (5 minutes). The value, if specified, is forced into a
732 reasonable range, currently 15 to 3600 seconds.
736 A short MAC aging time allows a network to more quickly detect that a
737 host is no longer connected to a switch port. However, it also makes
738 it more likely that packets will be flooded unnecessarily, when they
739 are addressed to a connected host that rarely transmits packets. To
740 reduce the incidence of unnecessary flooding, use a MAC aging time
741 longer than the maximum interval at which a host will ordinarily
746 <column name="other_config" key="mac-table-size"
747 type='{"type": "integer", "minInteger": 1}'>
749 The maximum number of MAC addresses to learn. The default is
750 currently 2048. The value, if specified, is forced into a reasonable
751 range, currently 10 to 1,000,000.
756 <group title="Bridge Status">
758 Status information about bridges.
760 <column name="status">
761 Key-value pairs that report bridge status.
763 <column name="status" key="stp_bridge_id">
765 The bridge-id (in hex) used in spanning tree advertisements.
766 Configuring the bridge-id is described in the
767 <code>stp-system-id</code> and <code>stp-priority</code> keys
768 of the <code>other_config</code> section earlier.
771 <column name="status" key="stp_designated_root">
773 The designated root (in hex) for this spanning tree.
776 <column name="status" key="stp_root_path_cost">
778 The path cost of reaching the designated bridge. A lower
784 <group title="Common Columns">
785 The overall purpose of these columns is described under <code>Common
786 Columns</code> at the beginning of this document.
788 <column name="other_config"/>
789 <column name="external_ids"/>
793 <table name="Port" table="Port or bond configuration.">
794 <p>A port within a <ref table="Bridge"/>.</p>
795 <p>Most commonly, a port has exactly one ``interface,'' pointed to by its
796 <ref column="interfaces"/> column. Such a port logically
797 corresponds to a port on a physical Ethernet switch. A port
798 with more than one interface is a ``bonded port'' (see
799 <ref group="Bonding Configuration"/>).</p>
800 <p>Some properties that one might think as belonging to a port are actually
801 part of the port's <ref table="Interface"/> members.</p>
804 Port name. Should be alphanumeric and no more than about 8
805 bytes long. May be the same as the interface name, for
806 non-bonded ports. Must otherwise be unique among the names of
807 ports, interfaces, and bridges on a host.
810 <column name="interfaces">
811 The port's interfaces. If there is more than one, this is a
815 <group title="VLAN Configuration">
816 <p>Bridge ports support the following types of VLAN configuration:</p>
821 A trunk port carries packets on one or more specified VLANs
822 specified in the <ref column="trunks"/> column (often, on every
823 VLAN). A packet that ingresses on a trunk port is in the VLAN
824 specified in its 802.1Q header, or VLAN 0 if the packet has no
825 802.1Q header. A packet that egresses through a trunk port will
826 have an 802.1Q header if it has a nonzero VLAN ID.
830 Any packet that ingresses on a trunk port tagged with a VLAN that
831 the port does not trunk is dropped.
838 An access port carries packets on exactly one VLAN specified in the
839 <ref column="tag"/> column. Packets egressing on an access port
840 have no 802.1Q header.
844 Any packet with an 802.1Q header with a nonzero VLAN ID that
845 ingresses on an access port is dropped, regardless of whether the
846 VLAN ID in the header is the access port's VLAN ID.
850 <dt>native-tagged</dt>
852 A native-tagged port resembles a trunk port, with the exception that
853 a packet without an 802.1Q header that ingresses on a native-tagged
854 port is in the ``native VLAN'' (specified in the <ref column="tag"/>
858 <dt>native-untagged</dt>
860 A native-untagged port resembles a native-tagged port, with the
861 exception that a packet that egresses on a native-untagged port in
862 the native VLAN will not have an 802.1Q header.
866 A packet will only egress through bridge ports that carry the VLAN of
867 the packet, as described by the rules above.
870 <column name="vlan_mode">
872 The VLAN mode of the port, as described above. When this column is
873 empty, a default mode is selected as follows:
877 If <ref column="tag"/> contains a value, the port is an access
878 port. The <ref column="trunks"/> column should be empty.
881 Otherwise, the port is a trunk port. The <ref column="trunks"/>
882 column value is honored if it is present.
889 For an access port, the port's implicitly tagged VLAN. For a
890 native-tagged or native-untagged port, the port's native VLAN. Must
891 be empty if this is a trunk port.
895 <column name="trunks">
897 For a trunk, native-tagged, or native-untagged port, the 802.1Q VLAN
898 or VLANs that this port trunks; if it is empty, then the port trunks
899 all VLANs. Must be empty if this is an access port.
902 A native-tagged or native-untagged port always trunks its native
903 VLAN, regardless of whether <ref column="trunks"/> includes that
908 <column name="other_config" key="priority-tags"
909 type='{"type": "boolean"}'>
911 An 802.1Q header contains two important pieces of information: a VLAN
912 ID and a priority. A frame with a zero VLAN ID, called a
913 ``priority-tagged'' frame, is supposed to be treated the same way as
914 a frame without an 802.1Q header at all (except for the priority).
918 However, some network elements ignore any frame that has 802.1Q
919 header at all, even when the VLAN ID is zero. Therefore, by default
920 Open vSwitch does not output priority-tagged frames, instead omitting
921 the 802.1Q header entirely if the VLAN ID is zero. Set this key to
922 <code>true</code> to enable priority-tagged frames on a port.
926 Regardless of this setting, Open vSwitch omits the 802.1Q header on
927 output if both the VLAN ID and priority would be zero.
931 All frames output to native-tagged ports have a nonzero VLAN ID, so
932 this setting is not meaningful on native-tagged ports.
937 <group title="Bonding Configuration">
938 <p>A port that has more than one interface is a ``bonded port.'' Bonding
939 allows for load balancing and fail-over.</p>
942 The following types of bonding will work with any kind of upstream
943 switch. On the upstream switch, do not configure the interfaces as a
948 <dt><code>balance-slb</code></dt>
950 Balances flows among slaves based on source MAC address and output
951 VLAN, with periodic rebalancing as traffic patterns change.
954 <dt><code>active-backup</code></dt>
956 Assigns all flows to one slave, failing over to a backup slave when
957 the active slave is disabled. This is the only bonding mode in which
958 interfaces may be plugged into different upstream switches.
963 The following modes require the upstream switch to support 802.3ad with
964 successful LACP negotiation. If LACP negotiation fails and
965 other-config:lacp-fallback-ab is true, then <code>active-backup</code>
970 <dt><code>balance-tcp</code></dt>
972 Balances flows among slaves based on L2, L3, and L4 protocol
973 information such as destination MAC address, IP address, and TCP
978 <p>These columns apply only to bonded ports. Their values are
979 otherwise ignored.</p>
981 <column name="bond_mode">
982 <p>The type of bonding used for a bonded port. Defaults to
983 <code>active-backup</code> if unset.
987 <column name="other_config" key="bond-hash-basis"
988 type='{"type": "integer"}'>
989 An integer hashed along with flows when choosing output slaves in load
990 balanced bonds. When changed, all flows will be assigned different
991 hash values possibly causing slave selection decisions to change. Does
992 not affect bonding modes which do not employ load balancing such as
993 <code>active-backup</code>.
996 <group title="Link Failure Detection">
998 An important part of link bonding is detecting that links are down so
999 that they may be disabled. These settings determine how Open vSwitch
1000 detects link failure.
1003 <column name="other_config" key="bond-detect-mode"
1004 type='{"type": "string", "enum": ["set", ["carrier", "miimon"]]}'>
1005 The means used to detect link failures. Defaults to
1006 <code>carrier</code> which uses each interface's carrier to detect
1007 failures. When set to <code>miimon</code>, will check for failures
1008 by polling each interface's MII.
1011 <column name="other_config" key="bond-miimon-interval"
1012 type='{"type": "integer"}'>
1013 The interval, in milliseconds, between successive attempts to poll
1014 each interface's MII. Relevant only when <ref column="other_config"
1015 key="bond-detect-mode"/> is <code>miimon</code>.
1018 <column name="bond_updelay">
1020 The number of milliseconds for which the link must stay up on an
1021 interface before the interface is considered to be up. Specify
1022 <code>0</code> to enable the interface immediately.
1026 This setting is honored only when at least one bonded interface is
1027 already enabled. When no interfaces are enabled, then the first
1028 bond interface to come up is enabled immediately.
1032 <column name="bond_downdelay">
1033 The number of milliseconds for which the link must stay down on an
1034 interface before the interface is considered to be down. Specify
1035 <code>0</code> to disable the interface immediately.
1039 <group title="LACP Configuration">
1041 LACP, the Link Aggregation Control Protocol, is an IEEE standard that
1042 allows switches to automatically detect that they are connected by
1043 multiple links and aggregate across those links. These settings
1044 control LACP behavior.
1047 <column name="lacp">
1048 Configures LACP on this port. LACP allows directly connected
1049 switches to negotiate which links may be bonded. LACP may be enabled
1050 on non-bonded ports for the benefit of any switches they may be
1051 connected to. <code>active</code> ports are allowed to initiate LACP
1052 negotiations. <code>passive</code> ports are allowed to participate
1053 in LACP negotiations initiated by a remote switch, but not allowed to
1054 initiate such negotiations themselves. If LACP is enabled on a port
1055 whose partner switch does not support LACP, the bond will be
1056 disabled, unless other-config:lacp-fallback-ab is set to true.
1057 Defaults to <code>off</code> if unset.
1060 <column name="other_config" key="lacp-system-id">
1061 The LACP system ID of this <ref table="Port"/>. The system ID of a
1062 LACP bond is used to identify itself to its partners. Must be a
1063 nonzero MAC address. Defaults to the bridge Ethernet address if
1067 <column name="other_config" key="lacp-system-priority"
1068 type='{"type": "integer", "minInteger": 1, "maxInteger": 65535}'>
1069 The LACP system priority of this <ref table="Port"/>. In LACP
1070 negotiations, link status decisions are made by the system with the
1071 numerically lower priority.
1074 <column name="other_config" key="lacp-time"
1075 type='{"type": "string", "enum": ["set", ["fast", "slow"]]}'>
1077 The LACP timing which should be used on this <ref table="Port"/>.
1078 By default <code>slow</code> is used. When configured to be
1079 <code>fast</code> LACP heartbeats are requested at a rate of once
1080 per second causing connectivity problems to be detected more
1081 quickly. In <code>slow</code> mode, heartbeats are requested at a
1082 rate of once every 30 seconds.
1086 <column name="other_config" key="lacp-fallback-ab"
1087 type='{"type": "boolean"}'>
1089 Determines the behavior of openvswitch bond in LACP mode. If
1090 the partner switch does not support LACP, setting this option
1091 to <code>true</code> allows openvswitch to fallback to
1092 active-backup. If the option is set to <code>false</code>, the
1093 bond will be disabled. In both the cases, once the partner switch
1094 is configured to LACP mode, the bond will use LACP.
1099 <group title="Rebalancing Configuration">
1101 These settings control behavior when a bond is in
1102 <code>balance-slb</code> or <code>balance-tcp</code> mode.
1105 <column name="other_config" key="bond-rebalance-interval"
1106 type='{"type": "integer", "minInteger": 0, "maxInteger": 10000}'>
1107 For a load balanced bonded port, the number of milliseconds between
1108 successive attempts to rebalance the bond, that is, to move flows
1109 from one interface on the bond to another in an attempt to keep usage
1110 of each interface roughly equal. If zero, load balancing is disabled
1111 on the bond (link failure still cause flows to move). If
1112 less than 1000ms, the rebalance interval will be 1000ms.
1116 <column name="bond_fake_iface">
1117 For a bonded port, whether to create a fake internal interface with the
1118 name of the port. Use only for compatibility with legacy software that
1123 <group title="Spanning Tree Configuration">
1124 <column name="other_config" key="stp-enable"
1125 type='{"type": "boolean"}'>
1126 If spanning tree is enabled on the bridge, member ports are
1127 enabled by default (with the exception of bond, internal, and
1128 mirror ports which do not work with STP). If this column's
1129 value is <code>false</code> spanning tree is disabled on the
1133 <column name="other_config" key="stp-port-num"
1134 type='{"type": "integer", "minInteger": 1, "maxInteger": 255}'>
1135 The port number used for the lower 8 bits of the port-id. By
1136 default, the numbers will be assigned automatically. If any
1137 port's number is manually configured on a bridge, then they
1141 <column name="other_config" key="stp-port-priority"
1142 type='{"type": "integer", "minInteger": 0, "maxInteger": 255}'>
1143 The port's relative priority value for determining the root
1144 port (the upper 8 bits of the port-id). A port with a lower
1145 port-id will be chosen as the root port. By default, the
1149 <column name="other_config" key="stp-path-cost"
1150 type='{"type": "integer", "minInteger": 0, "maxInteger": 65535}'>
1151 Spanning tree path cost for the port. A lower number indicates
1152 a faster link. By default, the cost is based on the maximum
1157 <group title="Other Features">
1159 Quality of Service configuration for this port.
1163 The MAC address to use for this port for the purpose of choosing the
1164 bridge's MAC address. This column does not necessarily reflect the
1165 port's actual MAC address, nor will setting it change the port's actual
1169 <column name="fake_bridge">
1170 Does this port represent a sub-bridge for its tagged VLAN within the
1171 Bridge? See ovs-vsctl(8) for more information.
1174 <column name="external_ids" key="fake-bridge-id-*">
1175 External IDs for a fake bridge (see the <ref column="fake_bridge"/>
1176 column) are defined by prefixing a <ref table="Bridge"/> <ref
1177 table="Bridge" column="external_ids"/> key with
1178 <code>fake-bridge-</code>,
1179 e.g. <code>fake-bridge-xs-network-uuids</code>.
1183 <group title="Port Status">
1185 Status information about ports attached to bridges.
1187 <column name="status">
1188 Key-value pairs that report port status.
1190 <column name="status" key="stp_port_id">
1192 The port-id (in hex) used in spanning tree advertisements for
1193 this port. Configuring the port-id is described in the
1194 <code>stp-port-num</code> and <code>stp-port-priority</code>
1195 keys of the <code>other_config</code> section earlier.
1198 <column name="status" key="stp_state"
1199 type='{"type": "string", "enum": ["set",
1200 ["disabled", "listening", "learning",
1201 "forwarding", "blocking"]]}'>
1203 STP state of the port.
1206 <column name="status" key="stp_sec_in_state"
1207 type='{"type": "integer", "minInteger": 0}'>
1209 The amount of time (in seconds) port has been in the current
1213 <column name="status" key="stp_role"
1214 type='{"type": "string", "enum": ["set",
1215 ["root", "designated", "alternate"]]}'>
1217 STP role of the port.
1222 <group title="Port Statistics">
1224 Key-value pairs that report port statistics. The update period
1225 is controlled by <ref column="other_config"
1226 key="stats-update-interval"/> in the <code>Open_vSwitch</code> table.
1228 <group title="Statistics: STP transmit and receive counters">
1229 <column name="statistics" key="stp_tx_count">
1230 Number of STP BPDUs sent on this port by the spanning
1233 <column name="statistics" key="stp_rx_count">
1234 Number of STP BPDUs received on this port and accepted by the
1235 spanning tree library.
1237 <column name="statistics" key="stp_error_count">
1238 Number of bad STP BPDUs received on this port. Bad BPDUs
1239 include runt packets and those with an unexpected protocol ID.
1244 <group title="Common Columns">
1245 The overall purpose of these columns is described under <code>Common
1246 Columns</code> at the beginning of this document.
1248 <column name="other_config"/>
1249 <column name="external_ids"/>
1253 <table name="Interface" title="One physical network device in a Port.">
1254 An interface within a <ref table="Port"/>.
1256 <group title="Core Features">
1257 <column name="name">
1258 Interface name. Should be alphanumeric and no more than about 8 bytes
1259 long. May be the same as the port name, for non-bonded ports. Must
1260 otherwise be unique among the names of ports, interfaces, and bridges
1264 <column name="ifindex">
1265 A positive interface index as defined for SNMP MIB-II in RFCs 1213 and
1266 2863, if the interface has one, otherwise 0. The ifindex is useful for
1267 seamless integration with protocols such as SNMP and sFlow.
1270 <column name="mac_in_use">
1271 The MAC address in use by this interface.
1275 <p>Ethernet address to set for this interface. If unset then the
1276 default MAC address is used:</p>
1278 <li>For the local interface, the default is the lowest-numbered MAC
1279 address among the other bridge ports, either the value of the
1280 <ref table="Port" column="mac"/> in its <ref table="Port"/> record,
1281 if set, or its actual MAC (for bonded ports, the MAC of its slave
1282 whose name is first in alphabetical order). Internal ports and
1283 bridge ports that are used as port mirroring destinations (see the
1284 <ref table="Mirror"/> table) are ignored.</li>
1285 <li>For other internal interfaces, the default MAC is randomly
1287 <li>External interfaces typically have a MAC address associated with
1288 their hardware.</li>
1290 <p>Some interfaces may not have a software-controllable MAC
1294 <group title="OpenFlow Port Number">
1296 When a client adds a new interface, Open vSwitch chooses an OpenFlow
1297 port number for the new port. If the client that adds the port fills
1298 in <ref column="ofport_request"/>, then Open vSwitch tries to use its
1299 value as the OpenFlow port number. Otherwise, or if the requested
1300 port number is already in use or cannot be used for another reason,
1301 Open vSwitch automatically assigns a free port number. Regardless of
1302 how the port number was obtained, Open vSwitch then reports in <ref
1303 column="ofport"/> the port number actually assigned.
1307 Open vSwitch limits the port numbers that it automatically assigns to
1308 the range 1 through 32,767, inclusive. Controllers therefore have
1309 free use of ports 32,768 and up.
1312 <column name="ofport">
1314 OpenFlow port number for this interface. Open vSwitch sets this
1315 column's value, so other clients should treat it as read-only.
1318 The OpenFlow ``local'' port (<code>OFPP_LOCAL</code>) is 65,534.
1319 The other valid port numbers are in the range 1 to 65,279,
1320 inclusive. Value -1 indicates an error adding the interface.
1324 <column name="ofport_request"
1325 type='{"type": "integer", "minInteger": 1, "maxInteger": 65279}'>
1327 Requested OpenFlow port number for this interface.
1331 A client should ideally set this column's value in the same
1332 database transaction that it uses to create the interface. Open
1333 vSwitch version 2.1 and later will honor a later request for a
1334 specific port number, althuogh it might confuse some controllers:
1335 OpenFlow does not have a way to announce a port number change, so
1336 Open vSwitch represents it over OpenFlow as a port deletion
1337 followed immediately by a port addition.
1341 If <ref column="ofport_request"/> is set or changed to some other
1342 port's automatically assigned port number, Open vSwitch chooses a
1343 new port number for the latter port.
1349 <group title="System-Specific Details">
1350 <column name="type">
1352 The interface type, one of:
1356 <dt><code>system</code></dt>
1357 <dd>An ordinary network device, e.g. <code>eth0</code> on Linux.
1358 Sometimes referred to as ``external interfaces'' since they are
1359 generally connected to hardware external to that on which the Open
1360 vSwitch is running. The empty string is a synonym for
1361 <code>system</code>.</dd>
1363 <dt><code>internal</code></dt>
1364 <dd>A simulated network device that sends and receives traffic. An
1365 internal interface whose <ref column="name"/> is the same as its
1366 bridge's <ref table="Open_vSwitch" column="name"/> is called the
1367 ``local interface.'' It does not make sense to bond an internal
1368 interface, so the terms ``port'' and ``interface'' are often used
1369 imprecisely for internal interfaces.</dd>
1371 <dt><code>tap</code></dt>
1372 <dd>A TUN/TAP device managed by Open vSwitch.</dd>
1374 <dt><code>gre</code></dt>
1376 An Ethernet over RFC 2890 Generic Routing Encapsulation over IPv4
1380 <dt><code>ipsec_gre</code></dt>
1382 An Ethernet over RFC 2890 Generic Routing Encapsulation over IPv4
1386 <dt><code>gre64</code></dt>
1388 It is same as GRE, but it allows 64 bit key. To store higher 32-bits
1389 of key, it uses GRE protocol sequence number field. This is non
1390 standard use of GRE protocol since OVS does not increment
1391 sequence number for every packet at time of encap as expected by
1392 standard GRE implementation. See <ref group="Tunnel Options"/>
1393 for information on configuring GRE tunnels.
1396 <dt><code>ipsec_gre64</code></dt>
1398 Same as IPSEC_GRE except 64 bit key.
1401 <dt><code>vxlan</code></dt>
1404 An Ethernet tunnel over the experimental, UDP-based VXLAN
1405 protocol described at
1406 <code>http://tools.ietf.org/html/draft-mahalingam-dutt-dcops-vxlan-03</code>.
1409 Open vSwitch uses UDP destination port 4789. The source port used for
1410 VXLAN traffic varies on a per-flow basis and is in the ephemeral port
1415 <dt><code>lisp</code></dt>
1418 A layer 3 tunnel over the experimental, UDP-based Locator/ID
1419 Separation Protocol (RFC 6830).
1422 Only IPv4 and IPv6 packets are supported by the protocol, and
1423 they are sent and received without an Ethernet header. Traffic
1424 to/from LISP ports is expected to be configured explicitly, and
1425 the ports are not intended to participate in learning based
1426 switching. As such, they are always excluded from packet
1431 <dt><code>patch</code></dt>
1433 A pair of virtual devices that act as a patch cable.
1436 <dt><code>null</code></dt>
1437 <dd>An ignored interface. Deprecated and slated for removal in
1443 <group title="Tunnel Options">
1445 These options apply to interfaces with <ref column="type"/> of
1446 <code>gre</code>, <code>ipsec_gre</code>, <code>gre64</code>,
1447 <code>ipsec_gre64</code>, <code>vxlan</code>, and <code>lisp</code>.
1451 Each tunnel must be uniquely identified by the combination of <ref
1452 column="type"/>, <ref column="options" key="remote_ip"/>, <ref
1453 column="options" key="local_ip"/>, and <ref column="options"
1454 key="in_key"/>. If two ports are defined that are the same except one
1455 has an optional identifier and the other does not, the more specific
1456 one is matched first. <ref column="options" key="in_key"/> is
1457 considered more specific than <ref column="options" key="local_ip"/> if
1458 a port defines one and another port defines the other.
1461 <column name="options" key="remote_ip">
1462 <p>Required. The remote tunnel endpoint, one of:</p>
1466 An IPv4 address (not a DNS name), e.g. <code>192.168.0.123</code>.
1467 Only unicast endpoints are supported.
1470 The word <code>flow</code>. The tunnel accepts packets from any
1471 remote tunnel endpoint. To process only packets from a specific
1472 remote tunnel endpoint, the flow entries may match on the
1473 <code>tun_src</code> field. When sending packets to a
1474 <code>remote_ip=flow</code> tunnel, the flow actions must
1475 explicitly set the <code>tun_dst</code> field to the IP address of
1476 the desired remote tunnel endpoint, e.g. with a
1477 <code>set_field</code> action.
1482 The remote tunnel endpoint for any packet received from a tunnel
1483 is available in the <code>tun_src</code> field for matching in the
1488 <column name="options" key="local_ip">
1490 Optional. The tunnel destination IP that received packets must
1491 match. Default is to match all addresses. If specified, may be one
1497 An IPv4 address (not a DNS name), e.g. <code>192.168.12.3</code>.
1500 The word <code>flow</code>. The tunnel accepts packets sent to any
1501 of the local IP addresses of the system running OVS. To process
1502 only packets sent to a specific IP address, the flow entries may
1503 match on the <code>tun_dst</code> field. When sending packets to a
1504 <code>local_ip=flow</code> tunnel, the flow actions may
1505 explicitly set the <code>tun_src</code> field to the desired IP
1506 address, e.g. with a <code>set_field</code> action. However, while
1507 routing the tunneled packet out, the local system may override the
1508 specified address with the local IP address configured for the
1509 outgoing system interface.
1512 This option is valid only for tunnels also configured with the
1513 <code>remote_ip=flow</code> option.
1519 The tunnel destination IP address for any packet received from a
1520 tunnel is available in the <code>tun_dst</code> field for matching in
1525 <column name="options" key="in_key">
1526 <p>Optional. The key that received packets must contain, one of:</p>
1530 <code>0</code>. The tunnel receives packets with no key or with a
1531 key of 0. This is equivalent to specifying no <ref column="options"
1532 key="in_key"/> at all.
1535 A positive 24-bit (for VXLAN and LISP), 32-bit (for GRE) or 64-bit
1536 (for GRE64) number. The tunnel receives only packets with the
1540 The word <code>flow</code>. The tunnel accepts packets with any
1541 key. The key will be placed in the <code>tun_id</code> field for
1542 matching in the flow table. The <code>ovs-ofctl</code> manual page
1543 contains additional information about matching fields in OpenFlow
1552 <column name="options" key="out_key">
1553 <p>Optional. The key to be set on outgoing packets, one of:</p>
1557 <code>0</code>. Packets sent through the tunnel will have no key.
1558 This is equivalent to specifying no <ref column="options"
1559 key="out_key"/> at all.
1562 A positive 24-bit (for VXLAN and LISP), 32-bit (for GRE) or 64-bit
1563 (for GRE64) number. Packets sent through the tunnel will have the
1567 The word <code>flow</code>. Packets sent through the tunnel will
1568 have the key set using the <code>set_tunnel</code> Nicira OpenFlow
1569 vendor extension (0 is used in the absence of an action). The
1570 <code>ovs-ofctl</code> manual page contains additional information
1571 about the Nicira OpenFlow vendor extensions.
1576 <column name="options" key="key">
1577 Optional. Shorthand to set <code>in_key</code> and
1578 <code>out_key</code> at the same time.
1581 <column name="options" key="tos">
1582 Optional. The value of the ToS bits to be set on the encapsulating
1583 packet. ToS is interpreted as DSCP and ECN bits, ECN part must be
1584 zero. It may also be the word <code>inherit</code>, in which case
1585 the ToS will be copied from the inner packet if it is IPv4 or IPv6
1586 (otherwise it will be 0). The ECN fields are always inherited.
1590 <column name="options" key="ttl">
1591 Optional. The TTL to be set on the encapsulating packet. It may also
1592 be the word <code>inherit</code>, in which case the TTL will be copied
1593 from the inner packet if it is IPv4 or IPv6 (otherwise it will be the
1594 system default, typically 64). Default is the system default TTL.
1597 <column name="options" key="df_default"
1598 type='{"type": "boolean"}'>
1599 Optional. If enabled, the Don't Fragment bit will be set on tunnel
1600 outer headers to allow path MTU discovery. Default is enabled; set
1601 to <code>false</code> to disable.
1604 <group title="Tunnel Options: gre and ipsec_gre only">
1606 Only <code>gre</code> and <code>ipsec_gre</code> interfaces support
1610 <column name="options" key="csum" type='{"type": "boolean"}'>
1612 Optional. Compute GRE checksums on outgoing packets. Default is
1613 disabled, set to <code>true</code> to enable. Checksums present on
1614 incoming packets will be validated regardless of this setting.
1618 GRE checksums impose a significant performance penalty because they
1619 cover the entire packet. The encapsulated L3, L4, and L7 packet
1620 contents typically have their own checksums, so this additional
1621 checksum only adds value for the GRE and encapsulated L2 headers.
1625 This option is supported for <code>ipsec_gre</code>, but not useful
1626 because GRE checksums are weaker than, and redundant with, IPsec
1627 payload authentication.
1632 <group title="Tunnel Options: ipsec_gre only">
1634 Only <code>ipsec_gre</code> interfaces support these options.
1637 <column name="options" key="peer_cert">
1638 Required for certificate authentication. A string containing the
1639 peer's certificate in PEM format. Additionally the host's
1640 certificate must be specified with the <code>certificate</code>
1644 <column name="options" key="certificate">
1645 Required for certificate authentication. The name of a PEM file
1646 containing a certificate that will be presented to the peer during
1650 <column name="options" key="private_key">
1651 Optional for certificate authentication. The name of a PEM file
1652 containing the private key associated with <code>certificate</code>.
1653 If <code>certificate</code> contains the private key, this option may
1657 <column name="options" key="psk">
1658 Required for pre-shared key authentication. Specifies a pre-shared
1659 key for authentication that must be identical on both sides of the
1665 <group title="Patch Options">
1667 Only <code>patch</code> interfaces support these options.
1670 <column name="options" key="peer">
1671 The <ref column="name"/> of the <ref table="Interface"/> for the other
1672 side of the patch. The named <ref table="Interface"/>'s own
1673 <code>peer</code> option must specify this <ref table="Interface"/>'s
1674 name. That is, the two patch interfaces must have reversed <ref
1675 column="name"/> and <code>peer</code> values.
1679 <group title="Interface Status">
1681 Status information about interfaces attached to bridges, updated every
1682 5 seconds. Not all interfaces have all of these properties; virtual
1683 interfaces don't have a link speed, for example. Non-applicable
1684 columns will have empty values.
1686 <column name="admin_state">
1688 The administrative state of the physical network link.
1692 <column name="link_state">
1694 The observed state of the physical network link. This is ordinarily
1695 the link's carrier status. If the interface's <ref table="Port"/> is
1696 a bond configured for miimon monitoring, it is instead the network
1697 link's miimon status.
1701 <column name="link_resets">
1703 The number of times Open vSwitch has observed the
1704 <ref column="link_state"/> of this <ref table="Interface"/> change.
1708 <column name="link_speed">
1710 The negotiated speed of the physical network link.
1711 Valid values are positive integers greater than 0.
1715 <column name="duplex">
1717 The duplex mode of the physical network link.
1723 The MTU (maximum transmission unit); i.e. the largest
1724 amount of data that can fit into a single Ethernet frame.
1725 The standard Ethernet MTU is 1500 bytes. Some physical media
1726 and many kinds of virtual interfaces can be configured with
1730 This column will be empty for an interface that does not
1731 have an MTU as, for example, some kinds of tunnels do not.
1735 <column name="lacp_current">
1736 Boolean value indicating LACP status for this interface. If true, this
1737 interface has current LACP information about its LACP partner. This
1738 information may be used to monitor the health of interfaces in a LACP
1739 enabled port. This column will be empty if LACP is not enabled.
1742 <column name="status">
1743 Key-value pairs that report port status. Supported status values are
1744 <ref column="type"/>-dependent; some interfaces may not have a valid
1745 <ref column="status" key="driver_name"/>, for example.
1748 <column name="status" key="driver_name">
1749 The name of the device driver controlling the network adapter.
1752 <column name="status" key="driver_version">
1753 The version string of the device driver controlling the network
1757 <column name="status" key="firmware_version">
1758 The version string of the network adapter's firmware, if available.
1761 <column name="status" key="source_ip">
1762 The source IP address used for an IPv4 tunnel end-point, such as
1766 <column name="status" key="tunnel_egress_iface">
1767 Egress interface for tunnels. Currently only relevant for GRE tunnels
1768 On Linux systems, this column will show the name of the interface
1769 which is responsible for routing traffic destined for the configured
1770 <ref column="options" key="remote_ip"/>. This could be an internal
1771 interface such as a bridge port.
1774 <column name="status" key="tunnel_egress_iface_carrier"
1775 type='{"type": "string", "enum": ["set", ["down", "up"]]}'>
1776 Whether carrier is detected on <ref column="status"
1777 key="tunnel_egress_iface"/>.
1781 <group title="Statistics">
1783 Key-value pairs that report interface statistics. The current
1784 implementation updates these counters periodically. The update period
1785 is controlled by <ref column="other_config"
1786 key="stats-update-interval"/> in the <code>Open_vSwitch</code> table.
1787 Future implementations may update them when an interface is created,
1788 when they are queried (e.g. using an OVSDB <code>select</code>
1789 operation), and just before an interface is deleted due to virtual
1790 interface hot-unplug or VM shutdown, and perhaps at other times, but
1791 not on any regular periodic basis.
1794 These are the same statistics reported by OpenFlow in its <code>struct
1795 ofp_port_stats</code> structure. If an interface does not support a
1796 given statistic, then that pair is omitted.
1798 <group title="Statistics: Successful transmit and receive counters">
1799 <column name="statistics" key="rx_packets">
1800 Number of received packets.
1802 <column name="statistics" key="rx_bytes">
1803 Number of received bytes.
1805 <column name="statistics" key="tx_packets">
1806 Number of transmitted packets.
1808 <column name="statistics" key="tx_bytes">
1809 Number of transmitted bytes.
1812 <group title="Statistics: Receive errors">
1813 <column name="statistics" key="rx_dropped">
1814 Number of packets dropped by RX.
1816 <column name="statistics" key="rx_frame_err">
1817 Number of frame alignment errors.
1819 <column name="statistics" key="rx_over_err">
1820 Number of packets with RX overrun.
1822 <column name="statistics" key="rx_crc_err">
1823 Number of CRC errors.
1825 <column name="statistics" key="rx_errors">
1826 Total number of receive errors, greater than or equal to the sum of
1830 <group title="Statistics: Transmit errors">
1831 <column name="statistics" key="tx_dropped">
1832 Number of packets dropped by TX.
1834 <column name="statistics" key="collisions">
1835 Number of collisions.
1837 <column name="statistics" key="tx_errors">
1838 Total number of transmit errors, greater than or equal to the sum of
1844 <group title="Ingress Policing">
1846 These settings control ingress policing for packets received on this
1847 interface. On a physical interface, this limits the rate at which
1848 traffic is allowed into the system from the outside; on a virtual
1849 interface (one connected to a virtual machine), this limits the rate at
1850 which the VM is able to transmit.
1853 Policing is a simple form of quality-of-service that simply drops
1854 packets received in excess of the configured rate. Due to its
1855 simplicity, policing is usually less accurate and less effective than
1856 egress QoS (which is configured using the <ref table="QoS"/> and <ref
1857 table="Queue"/> tables).
1860 Policing is currently implemented only on Linux. The Linux
1861 implementation uses a simple ``token bucket'' approach:
1865 The size of the bucket corresponds to <ref
1866 column="ingress_policing_burst"/>. Initially the bucket is full.
1869 Whenever a packet is received, its size (converted to tokens) is
1870 compared to the number of tokens currently in the bucket. If the
1871 required number of tokens are available, they are removed and the
1872 packet is forwarded. Otherwise, the packet is dropped.
1875 Whenever it is not full, the bucket is refilled with tokens at the
1876 rate specified by <ref column="ingress_policing_rate"/>.
1880 Policing interacts badly with some network protocols, and especially
1881 with fragmented IP packets. Suppose that there is enough network
1882 activity to keep the bucket nearly empty all the time. Then this token
1883 bucket algorithm will forward a single packet every so often, with the
1884 period depending on packet size and on the configured rate. All of the
1885 fragments of an IP packets are normally transmitted back-to-back, as a
1886 group. In such a situation, therefore, only one of these fragments
1887 will be forwarded and the rest will be dropped. IP does not provide
1888 any way for the intended recipient to ask for only the remaining
1889 fragments. In such a case there are two likely possibilities for what
1890 will happen next: either all of the fragments will eventually be
1891 retransmitted (as TCP will do), in which case the same problem will
1892 recur, or the sender will not realize that its packet has been dropped
1893 and data will simply be lost (as some UDP-based protocols will do).
1894 Either way, it is possible that no forward progress will ever occur.
1896 <column name="ingress_policing_rate">
1898 Maximum rate for data received on this interface, in kbps. Data
1899 received faster than this rate is dropped. Set to <code>0</code>
1900 (the default) to disable policing.
1904 <column name="ingress_policing_burst">
1905 <p>Maximum burst size for data received on this interface, in kb. The
1906 default burst size if set to <code>0</code> is 1000 kb. This value
1907 has no effect if <ref column="ingress_policing_rate"/>
1908 is <code>0</code>.</p>
1910 Specifying a larger burst size lets the algorithm be more forgiving,
1911 which is important for protocols like TCP that react severely to
1912 dropped packets. The burst size should be at least the size of the
1913 interface's MTU. Specifying a value that is numerically at least as
1914 large as 10% of <ref column="ingress_policing_rate"/> helps TCP come
1915 closer to achieving the full rate.
1920 <group title="Bidirectional Forwarding Detection (BFD)">
1922 BFD, defined in RFC 5880 and RFC 5881, allows point-to-point
1923 detection of connectivity failures by occasional transmission of
1924 BFD control messages. Open vSwitch implements BFD to serve
1925 as a more popular and standards compliant alternative to CFM.
1929 BFD operates by regularly transmitting BFD control messages at a rate
1930 negotiated independently in each direction. Each endpoint specifies
1931 the rate at which it expects to receive control messages, and the rate
1932 at which it is willing to transmit them. Open vSwitch uses a detection
1933 multiplier of three, meaning that an endpoint signals a connectivity
1934 fault if three consecutive BFD control messages fail to arrive. In the
1935 case of a unidirectional connectivity issue, the system not receiving
1936 BFD control messages signals the problem to its peer in the messages it
1941 The Open vSwitch implementation of BFD aims to comply faithfully
1942 with RFC 5880 requirements. Open vSwitch does not implement the
1943 optional Authentication or ``Echo Mode'' features.
1946 <group title="BFD Configuration">
1948 A controller sets up key-value pairs in the <ref column="bfd"/>
1949 column to enable and configure BFD.
1952 <column name="bfd" key="enable" type='{"type": "boolean"}'>
1953 True to enable BFD on this <ref table="Interface"/>.
1956 <column name="bfd" key="min_rx"
1957 type='{"type": "integer", "minInteger": 1}'>
1958 The shortest interval, in milliseconds, at which this BFD session
1959 offers to receive BFD control messages. The remote endpoint may
1960 choose to send messages at a slower rate. Defaults to
1964 <column name="bfd" key="min_tx"
1965 type='{"type": "integer", "minInteger": 1}'>
1966 The shortest interval, in milliseconds, at which this BFD session is
1967 willing to transmit BFD control messages. Messages will actually be
1968 transmitted at a slower rate if the remote endpoint is not willing to
1969 receive as quickly as specified. Defaults to <code>100</code>.
1972 <column name="bfd" key="decay_min_rx" type='{"type": "integer"}'>
1973 An alternate receive interval, in milliseconds, that must be greater
1974 than or equal to <ref column="bfd" key="min_rx"/>. The
1975 implementation switches from <ref column="bfd" key="min_rx"/> to <ref
1976 column="bfd" key="decay_min_rx"/> when there is no obvious incoming
1977 data traffic at the interface, to reduce the CPU and bandwidth cost
1978 of monitoring an idle interface. This feature may be disabled by
1979 setting a value of 0. This feature is reset whenever <ref
1980 column="bfd" key="decay_min_rx"/> or <ref column="bfd" key="min_rx"/>
1984 <column name="bfd" key="forwarding_if_rx" type='{"type": "boolean"}'>
1985 When <code>true</code>, traffic received on the
1986 <ref table="Interface"/> is used to indicate the capability of packet
1987 I/O. BFD control packets are still transmitted and received. At
1988 least one BFD control packet must be received every 100 * <ref
1989 column="bfd" key="min_rx"/> amount of time. Otherwise, even if
1990 traffic are received, the <ref column="bfd" key="forwarding"/>
1991 will be <code>false</code>.
1994 <column name="bfd" key="cpath_down" type='{"type": "boolean"}'>
1995 Set to true to notify the remote endpoint that traffic should not be
1996 forwarded to this system for some reason other than a connectivty
1997 failure on the interface being monitored. The typical underlying
1998 reason is ``concatenated path down,'' that is, that connectivity
1999 beyond the local system is down. Defaults to false.
2002 <column name="bfd" key="check_tnl_key" type='{"type": "boolean"}'>
2003 Set to true to make BFD accept only control messages with a tunnel
2004 key of zero. By default, BFD accepts control messages with any
2008 <column name="bfd" key="bfd_dst_mac">
2009 Set to an Ethernet address in the form
2010 <var>xx</var>:<var>xx</var>:<var>xx</var>:<var>xx</var>:<var>xx</var>:<var>xx</var>
2011 to set the MAC used as destination for transmitted BFD packets and
2012 expected as destination for received BFD packets. The default is
2013 <code>00:23:20:00:00:01</code>.
2016 <column name="bfd" key="bfd_src_ip">
2017 Set to an IPv4 address to set the IP address used as source for
2018 transmitted BFD packets. The default is <code>169.254.1.0</code>.
2021 <column name="bfd" key="bfd_dst_ip">
2022 Set to an IPv4 address to set the IP address used as destination
2023 for transmitted BFD packets. The default is <code>169.254.1.1</code>.
2027 <group title="BFD Status">
2029 The switch sets key-value pairs in the <ref column="bfd_status"/>
2030 column to report the status of BFD on this interface. When BFD is
2031 not enabled, with <ref column="bfd" key="enable"/>, the switch clears
2032 all key-value pairs from <ref column="bfd_status"/>.
2035 <column name="bfd_status" key="state"
2036 type='{"type": "string",
2037 "enum": ["set", ["admin_down", "down", "init", "up"]]}'>
2038 Reports the state of the BFD session. The BFD session is fully
2039 healthy and negotiated if <code>UP</code>.
2042 <column name="bfd_status" key="forwarding" type='{"type": "boolean"}'>
2043 Reports whether the BFD session believes this <ref
2044 table="Interface"/> may be used to forward traffic. Typically this
2045 means the local session is signaling <code>UP</code>, and the remote
2046 system isn't signaling a problem such as concatenated path down.
2049 <column name="bfd_status" key="diagnostic">
2050 In case of a problem, set to a short message that reports what the
2051 local BFD session thinks is wrong.
2054 <column name="bfd_status" key="remote_state"
2055 type='{"type": "string",
2056 "enum": ["set", ["admin_down", "down", "init", "up"]]}'>
2057 Reports the state of the remote endpoint's BFD session.
2060 <column name="bfd_status" key="remote_diagnostic">
2061 In case of a problem, set to a short message that reports what the
2062 remote endpoint's BFD session thinks is wrong.
2065 <column name="bfd_status" key="flap_count"
2066 type='{"type": "integer", "minInteger": 0}'>
2067 Counts the number of <ref column="bfd_status" key="forwarding" />
2068 flaps since start. A flap is considered as a change of the
2069 <ref column="bfd_status" key="forwarding" /> value.
2074 <group title="Connectivity Fault Management">
2076 802.1ag Connectivity Fault Management (CFM) allows a group of
2077 Maintenance Points (MPs) called a Maintenance Association (MA) to
2078 detect connectivity problems with each other. MPs within a MA should
2079 have complete and exclusive interconnectivity. This is verified by
2080 occasionally broadcasting Continuity Check Messages (CCMs) at a
2081 configurable transmission interval.
2085 According to the 802.1ag specification, each Maintenance Point should
2086 be configured out-of-band with a list of Remote Maintenance Points it
2087 should have connectivity to. Open vSwitch differs from the
2088 specification in this area. It simply assumes the link is faulted if
2089 no Remote Maintenance Points are reachable, and considers it not
2094 When operating over tunnels which have no <code>in_key</code>, or an
2095 <code>in_key</code> of <code>flow</code>. CFM will only accept CCMs
2096 with a tunnel key of zero.
2099 <column name="cfm_mpid">
2101 A Maintenance Point ID (MPID) uniquely identifies each endpoint
2102 within a Maintenance Association. The MPID is used to identify this
2103 endpoint to other Maintenance Points in the MA. Each end of a link
2104 being monitored should have a different MPID. Must be configured to
2105 enable CFM on this <ref table="Interface"/>.
2108 According to the 802.1ag specification, MPIDs can only range between
2109 [1, 8191]. However, extended mode (see <ref column="other_config"
2110 key="cfm_extended"/>) supports eight byte MPIDs.
2114 <column name="cfm_flap_count">
2115 Counts the number of cfm fault flapps since boot. A flap is
2116 considered to be a change of the <ref column="cfm_fault"/> value.
2119 <column name="cfm_fault">
2121 Indicates a connectivity fault triggered by an inability to receive
2122 heartbeats from any remote endpoint. When a fault is triggered on
2123 <ref table="Interface"/>s participating in bonds, they will be
2127 Faults can be triggered for several reasons. Most importantly they
2128 are triggered when no CCMs are received for a period of 3.5 times the
2129 transmission interval. Faults are also triggered when any CCMs
2130 indicate that a Remote Maintenance Point is not receiving CCMs but
2131 able to send them. Finally, a fault is triggered if a CCM is
2132 received which indicates unexpected configuration. Notably, this
2133 case arises when a CCM is received which advertises the local MPID.
2137 <column name="cfm_fault_status" key="recv">
2138 Indicates a CFM fault was triggered due to a lack of CCMs received on
2139 the <ref table="Interface"/>.
2142 <column name="cfm_fault_status" key="rdi">
2143 Indicates a CFM fault was triggered due to the reception of a CCM with
2144 the RDI bit flagged. Endpoints set the RDI bit in their CCMs when they
2145 are not receiving CCMs themselves. This typically indicates a
2146 unidirectional connectivity failure.
2149 <column name="cfm_fault_status" key="maid">
2150 Indicates a CFM fault was triggered due to the reception of a CCM with
2151 a MAID other than the one Open vSwitch uses. CFM broadcasts are tagged
2152 with an identification number in addition to the MPID called the MAID.
2153 Open vSwitch only supports receiving CCM broadcasts tagged with the
2154 MAID it uses internally.
2157 <column name="cfm_fault_status" key="loopback">
2158 Indicates a CFM fault was triggered due to the reception of a CCM
2159 advertising the same MPID configured in the <ref column="cfm_mpid"/>
2160 column of this <ref table="Interface"/>. This may indicate a loop in
2164 <column name="cfm_fault_status" key="overflow">
2165 Indicates a CFM fault was triggered because the CFM module received
2166 CCMs from more remote endpoints than it can keep track of.
2169 <column name="cfm_fault_status" key="override">
2170 Indicates a CFM fault was manually triggered by an administrator using
2171 an <code>ovs-appctl</code> command.
2174 <column name="cfm_fault_status" key="interval">
2175 Indicates a CFM fault was triggered due to the reception of a CCM
2176 frame having an invalid interval.
2179 <column name="cfm_remote_opstate">
2180 <p>When in extended mode, indicates the operational state of the
2181 remote endpoint as either <code>up</code> or <code>down</code>. See
2182 <ref column="other_config" key="cfm_opstate"/>.
2186 <column name="cfm_health">
2188 Indicates the health of the interface as a percentage of CCM frames
2189 received over 21 <ref column="other_config" key="cfm_interval"/>s.
2190 The health of an interface is undefined if it is communicating with
2191 more than one <ref column="cfm_remote_mpids"/>. It reduces if
2192 healthy heartbeats are not received at the expected rate, and
2193 gradually improves as healthy heartbeats are received at the desired
2194 rate. Every 21 <ref column="other_config" key="cfm_interval"/>s, the
2195 health of the interface is refreshed.
2198 As mentioned above, the faults can be triggered for several reasons.
2199 The link health will deteriorate even if heartbeats are received but
2200 they are reported to be unhealthy. An unhealthy heartbeat in this
2201 context is a heartbeat for which either some fault is set or is out
2202 of sequence. The interface health can be 100 only on receiving
2203 healthy heartbeats at the desired rate.
2207 <column name="cfm_remote_mpids">
2208 When CFM is properly configured, Open vSwitch will occasionally
2209 receive CCM broadcasts. These broadcasts contain the MPID of the
2210 sending Maintenance Point. The list of MPIDs from which this
2211 <ref table="Interface"/> is receiving broadcasts from is regularly
2212 collected and written to this column.
2215 <column name="other_config" key="cfm_interval"
2216 type='{"type": "integer"}'>
2218 The interval, in milliseconds, between transmissions of CFM
2219 heartbeats. Three missed heartbeat receptions indicate a
2224 In standard operation only intervals of 3, 10, 100, 1,000, 10,000,
2225 60,000, or 600,000 ms are supported. Other values will be rounded
2226 down to the nearest value on the list. Extended mode (see <ref
2227 column="other_config" key="cfm_extended"/>) supports any interval up
2228 to 65,535 ms. In either mode, the default is 1000 ms.
2231 <p>We do not recommend using intervals less than 100 ms.</p>
2234 <column name="other_config" key="cfm_extended"
2235 type='{"type": "boolean"}'>
2236 When <code>true</code>, the CFM module operates in extended mode. This
2237 causes it to use a nonstandard destination address to avoid conflicting
2238 with compliant implementations which may be running concurrently on the
2239 network. Furthermore, extended mode increases the accuracy of the
2240 <code>cfm_interval</code> configuration parameter by breaking wire
2241 compatibility with 802.1ag compliant implementations. And extended
2242 mode allows eight byte MPIDs. Defaults to <code>false</code>.
2245 <column name="other_config" key="cfm_demand" type='{"type": "boolean"}'>
2247 When <code>true</code>, and
2248 <ref column="other_config" key="cfm_extended"/> is true, the CFM
2249 module operates in demand mode. When in demand mode, traffic
2250 received on the <ref table="Interface"/> is used to indicate
2251 liveness. CCMs are still transmitted and received. At least one
2252 CCM must be received every 100 * <ref column="other_config"
2253 key="cfm_interval"/> amount of time. Otherwise, even if traffic
2254 are received, the CFM module will raise the connectivity fault.
2258 Demand mode has a couple of caveats:
2261 To ensure that ovs-vswitchd has enough time to pull statistics
2262 from the datapath, the fault detection interval is set to
2263 3.5 * MAX(<ref column="other_config" key="cfm_interval"/>, 500)
2268 To avoid ambiguity, demand mode disables itself when there are
2269 multiple remote maintenance points.
2273 If the <ref table="Interface"/> is heavily congested, CCMs
2274 containing the <ref column="other_config" key="cfm_opstate"/>
2275 status may be dropped causing changes in the operational state to
2276 be delayed. Similarly, if CCMs containing the RDI bit are not
2277 received, unidirectional link failures may not be detected.
2283 <column name="other_config" key="cfm_opstate"
2284 type='{"type": "string", "enum": ["set", ["down", "up"]]}'>
2285 When <code>down</code>, the CFM module marks all CCMs it generates as
2286 operationally down without triggering a fault. This allows remote
2287 maintenance points to choose not to forward traffic to the
2288 <ref table="Interface"/> on which this CFM module is running.
2289 Currently, in Open vSwitch, the opdown bit of CCMs affects
2290 <ref table="Interface"/>s participating in bonds, and the bundle
2291 OpenFlow action. This setting is ignored when CFM is not in extended
2292 mode. Defaults to <code>up</code>.
2295 <column name="other_config" key="cfm_ccm_vlan"
2296 type='{"type": "integer", "minInteger": 1, "maxInteger": 4095}'>
2297 When set, the CFM module will apply a VLAN tag to all CCMs it generates
2298 with the given value. May be the string <code>random</code> in which
2299 case each CCM will be tagged with a different randomly generated VLAN.
2302 <column name="other_config" key="cfm_ccm_pcp"
2303 type='{"type": "integer", "minInteger": 1, "maxInteger": 7}'>
2304 When set, the CFM module will apply a VLAN tag to all CCMs it generates
2305 with the given PCP value, the VLAN ID of the tag is governed by the
2306 value of <ref column="other_config" key="cfm_ccm_vlan"/>. If
2307 <ref column="other_config" key="cfm_ccm_vlan"/> is unset, a VLAN ID of
2313 <group title="Bonding Configuration">
2314 <column name="other_config" key="lacp-port-id"
2315 type='{"type": "integer", "minInteger": 1, "maxInteger": 65535}'>
2316 The LACP port ID of this <ref table="Interface"/>. Port IDs are
2317 used in LACP negotiations to identify individual ports
2318 participating in a bond.
2321 <column name="other_config" key="lacp-port-priority"
2322 type='{"type": "integer", "minInteger": 1, "maxInteger": 65535}'>
2323 The LACP port priority of this <ref table="Interface"/>. In LACP
2324 negotiations <ref table="Interface"/>s with numerically lower
2325 priorities are preferred for aggregation.
2328 <column name="other_config" key="lacp-aggregation-key"
2329 type='{"type": "integer", "minInteger": 1, "maxInteger": 65535}'>
2330 The LACP aggregation key of this <ref table="Interface"/>. <ref
2331 table="Interface"/>s with different aggregation keys may not be active
2332 within a given <ref table="Port"/> at the same time.
2336 <group title="Virtual Machine Identifiers">
2338 These key-value pairs specifically apply to an interface that
2339 represents a virtual Ethernet interface connected to a virtual
2340 machine. These key-value pairs should not be present for other types
2341 of interfaces. Keys whose names end in <code>-uuid</code> have
2342 values that uniquely identify the entity in question. For a Citrix
2343 XenServer hypervisor, these values are UUIDs in RFC 4122 format.
2344 Other hypervisors may use other formats.
2347 <column name="external_ids" key="attached-mac">
2348 The MAC address programmed into the ``virtual hardware'' for this
2349 interface, in the form
2350 <var>xx</var>:<var>xx</var>:<var>xx</var>:<var>xx</var>:<var>xx</var>:<var>xx</var>.
2351 For Citrix XenServer, this is the value of the <code>MAC</code> field
2352 in the VIF record for this interface.
2355 <column name="external_ids" key="iface-id">
2356 A system-unique identifier for the interface. On XenServer, this will
2357 commonly be the same as <ref column="external_ids" key="xs-vif-uuid"/>.
2360 <column name="external_ids" key="iface-status"
2361 type='{"type": "string",
2362 "enum": ["set", ["active", "inactive"]]}'>
2364 Hypervisors may sometimes have more than one interface associated
2365 with a given <ref column="external_ids" key="iface-id"/>, only one of
2366 which is actually in use at a given time. For example, in some
2367 circumstances XenServer has both a ``tap'' and a ``vif'' interface
2368 for a single <ref column="external_ids" key="iface-id"/>, but only
2369 uses one of them at a time. A hypervisor that behaves this way must
2370 mark the currently in use interface <code>active</code> and the
2371 others <code>inactive</code>. A hypervisor that never has more than
2372 one interface for a given <ref column="external_ids" key="iface-id"/>
2373 may mark that interface <code>active</code> or omit <ref
2374 column="external_ids" key="iface-status"/> entirely.
2378 During VM migration, a given <ref column="external_ids"
2379 key="iface-id"/> might transiently be marked <code>active</code> on
2380 two different hypervisors. That is, <code>active</code> means that
2381 this <ref column="external_ids" key="iface-id"/> is the active
2382 instance within a single hypervisor, not in a broader scope.
2383 There is one exception: some hypervisors support ``migration'' from a
2384 given hypervisor to itself (most often for test purposes). During
2385 such a ``migration,'' two instances of a single <ref
2386 column="external_ids" key="iface-id"/> might both be briefly marked
2387 <code>active</code> on a single hypervisor.
2391 <column name="external_ids" key="xs-vif-uuid">
2392 The virtual interface associated with this interface.
2395 <column name="external_ids" key="xs-network-uuid">
2396 The virtual network to which this interface is attached.
2399 <column name="external_ids" key="vm-id">
2400 The VM to which this interface belongs. On XenServer, this will be the
2401 same as <ref column="external_ids" key="xs-vm-uuid"/>.
2404 <column name="external_ids" key="xs-vm-uuid">
2405 The VM to which this interface belongs.
2409 <group title="VLAN Splinters">
2411 The ``VLAN splinters'' feature increases Open vSwitch compatibility
2412 with buggy network drivers in old versions of Linux that do not
2413 properly support VLANs when VLAN devices are not used, at some cost
2414 in memory and performance.
2418 When VLAN splinters are enabled on a particular interface, Open vSwitch
2419 creates a VLAN device for each in-use VLAN. For sending traffic tagged
2420 with a VLAN on the interface, it substitutes the VLAN device. Traffic
2421 received on the VLAN device is treated as if it had been received on
2422 the interface on the particular VLAN.
2426 VLAN splinters consider a VLAN to be in use if:
2431 The VLAN is the <ref table="Port" column="tag"/> value in any <ref
2432 table="Port"/> record.
2436 The VLAN is listed within the <ref table="Port" column="trunks"/>
2437 column of the <ref table="Port"/> record of an interface on which
2438 VLAN splinters are enabled.
2440 An empty <ref table="Port" column="trunks"/> does not influence the
2441 in-use VLANs: creating 4,096 VLAN devices is impractical because it
2442 will exceed the current 1,024 port per datapath limit.
2446 An OpenFlow flow within any bridge matches the VLAN.
2451 The same set of in-use VLANs applies to every interface on which VLAN
2452 splinters are enabled. That is, the set is not chosen separately for
2453 each interface but selected once as the union of all in-use VLANs based
2458 It does not make sense to enable VLAN splinters on an interface for an
2459 access port, or on an interface that is not a physical port.
2463 VLAN splinters are deprecated. When broken device drivers are no
2464 longer in widespread use, we will delete this feature.
2467 <column name="other_config" key="enable-vlan-splinters"
2468 type='{"type": "boolean"}'>
2470 Set to <code>true</code> to enable VLAN splinters on this interface.
2471 Defaults to <code>false</code>.
2475 VLAN splinters increase kernel and userspace memory overhead, so do
2476 not use them unless they are needed.
2480 VLAN splinters do not support 802.1p priority tags. Received
2481 priorities will appear to be 0, regardless of their actual values,
2482 and priorities on transmitted packets will also be cleared to 0.
2487 <group title="Common Columns">
2488 The overall purpose of these columns is described under <code>Common
2489 Columns</code> at the beginning of this document.
2491 <column name="other_config"/>
2492 <column name="external_ids"/>
2496 <table name="Flow_Table" title="OpenFlow table configuration">
2497 <p>Configuration for a particular OpenFlow table.</p>
2499 <column name="name">
2500 The table's name. Set this column to change the name that controllers
2501 will receive when they request table statistics, e.g. <code>ovs-ofctl
2502 dump-tables</code>. The name does not affect switch behavior.
2505 <column name="flow_limit">
2506 If set, limits the number of flows that may be added to the table. Open
2507 vSwitch may limit the number of flows in a table for other reasons,
2508 e.g. due to hardware limitations or for resource availability or
2509 performance reasons.
2512 <column name="overflow_policy">
2514 Controls the switch's behavior when an OpenFlow flow table modification
2515 request would add flows in excess of <ref column="flow_limit"/>. The
2516 supported values are:
2520 <dt><code>refuse</code></dt>
2522 Refuse to add the flow or flows. This is also the default policy
2523 when <ref column="overflow_policy"/> is unset.
2526 <dt><code>evict</code></dt>
2528 Delete the flow that will expire soonest. See <ref column="groups"/>
2534 <column name="groups">
2536 When <ref column="overflow_policy"/> is <code>evict</code>, this
2537 controls how flows are chosen for eviction when the flow table would
2538 otherwise exceed <ref column="flow_limit"/> flows. Its value is a set
2539 of NXM fields or sub-fields, each of which takes one of the forms
2540 <code><var>field</var>[]</code> or
2541 <code><var>field</var>[<var>start</var>..<var>end</var>]</code>,
2542 e.g. <code>NXM_OF_IN_PORT[]</code>. Please see
2543 <code>nicira-ext.h</code> for a complete list of NXM field names.
2547 When a flow must be evicted due to overflow, the flow to evict is
2548 chosen through an approximation of the following algorithm:
2553 Divide the flows in the table into groups based on the values of the
2554 specified fields or subfields, so that all of the flows in a given
2555 group have the same values for those fields. If a flow does not
2556 specify a given field, that field's value is treated as 0.
2560 Consider the flows in the largest group, that is, the group that
2561 contains the greatest number of flows. If two or more groups all
2562 have the same largest number of flows, consider the flows in all of
2567 Among the flows under consideration, choose the flow that expires
2568 soonest for eviction.
2573 The eviction process only considers flows that have an idle timeout or
2574 a hard timeout. That is, eviction never deletes permanent flows.
2575 (Permanent flows do count against <ref column="flow_limit"/>.)
2579 Open vSwitch ignores any invalid or unknown field specifications.
2583 When <ref column="overflow_policy"/> is not <code>evict</code>, this
2584 column has no effect.
2588 <column name="prefixes">
2590 This string set specifies which fields should be used for
2591 address prefix tracking. Prefix tracking allows the
2592 classifier to skip rules with longer than necessary prefixes,
2593 resulting in better wildcarding for datapath flows.
2596 Prefix tracking may be beneficial when a flow table contains
2597 matches on IP address fields with different prefix lengths.
2598 For example, when a flow table contains IP address matches on
2599 both full addresses and proper prefixes, the full address
2600 matches will typically cause the datapath flow to un-wildcard
2601 the whole address field (depending on flow entry priorities).
2602 In this case each packet with a different address gets handed
2603 to the userspace for flow processing and generates its own
2604 datapath flow. With prefix tracking enabled for the address
2605 field in question packets with addresses matching shorter
2606 prefixes would generate datapath flows where the irrelevant
2607 address bits are wildcarded, allowing the same datapath flow
2608 to handle all the packets within the prefix in question. In
2609 this case many userspace upcalls can be avoided and the
2610 overall performance can be better.
2613 This is a performance optimization only, so packets will
2614 receive the same treatment with or without prefix tracking.
2617 The supported fields are: <code>tun_id</code>,
2618 <code>tun_src</code>, <code>tun_dst</code>,
2619 <code>nw_src</code>, <code>nw_dst</code> (or aliases
2620 <code>ip_src</code> and <code>ip_dst</code>),
2621 <code>ipv6_src</code>, and <code>ipv6_dst</code>. (Using this
2622 feature for <code>tun_id</code> would only make sense if the
2623 tunnel IDs have prefix structure similar to IP addresses.)
2626 For example, <code>prefixes=ip_dst,ip_src</code> instructs the
2627 flow classifier to track the IP destination and source
2628 addresses used by the rules in this specific flow table. To
2629 set the prefix fields, the flow table record needs to exist:
2632 <dt><code>ovs-vsctl set Bridge br0 flow_tables:0=@N1 -- --id=@N1 create Flow_Table name=table0</code></dt>
2634 Creates a flow table record for the OpenFlow table number 0.
2637 <dt><code>ovs-vsctl set Flow_Table table0 prefixes=ip_dst,ip_src</code></dt>
2639 Enables prefix tracking for IP source and destination
2645 There is a maximum number of fields that can be enabled for any
2646 one flow table. Currently this limit is 3.
2650 <group title="Common Columns">
2651 The overall purpose of these columns is described under <code>Common
2652 Columns</code> at the beginning of this document.
2654 <column name="external_ids"/>
2658 <table name="QoS" title="Quality of Service configuration">
2659 <p>Quality of Service (QoS) configuration for each Port that
2662 <column name="type">
2663 <p>The type of QoS to implement. The currently defined types are
2666 <dt><code>linux-htb</code></dt>
2668 Linux ``hierarchy token bucket'' classifier. See tc-htb(8) (also at
2669 <code>http://linux.die.net/man/8/tc-htb</code>) and the HTB manual
2670 (<code>http://luxik.cdi.cz/~devik/qos/htb/manual/userg.htm</code>)
2671 for information on how this classifier works and how to configure it.
2675 <dt><code>linux-hfsc</code></dt>
2677 Linux "Hierarchical Fair Service Curve" classifier.
2678 See <code>http://linux-ip.net/articles/hfsc.en/</code> for
2679 information on how this classifier works.
2684 <column name="queues">
2685 <p>A map from queue numbers to <ref table="Queue"/> records. The
2686 supported range of queue numbers depend on <ref column="type"/>. The
2687 queue numbers are the same as the <code>queue_id</code> used in
2688 OpenFlow in <code>struct ofp_action_enqueue</code> and other
2692 Queue 0 is the ``default queue.'' It is used by OpenFlow output
2693 actions when no specific queue has been set. When no configuration for
2694 queue 0 is present, it is automatically configured as if a <ref
2695 table="Queue"/> record with empty <ref table="Queue" column="dscp"/>
2696 and <ref table="Queue" column="other_config"/> columns had been
2698 (Before version 1.6, Open vSwitch would leave queue 0 unconfigured in
2699 this case. With some queuing disciplines, this dropped all packets
2700 destined for the default queue.)
2704 <group title="Configuration for linux-htb and linux-hfsc">
2706 The <code>linux-htb</code> and <code>linux-hfsc</code> classes support
2707 the following key-value pair:
2710 <column name="other_config" key="max-rate" type='{"type": "integer"}'>
2711 Maximum rate shared by all queued traffic, in bit/s. Optional. If not
2712 specified, for physical interfaces, the default is the link rate. For
2713 other interfaces or if the link rate cannot be determined, the default
2714 is currently 100 Mbps.
2718 <group title="Common Columns">
2719 The overall purpose of these columns is described under <code>Common
2720 Columns</code> at the beginning of this document.
2722 <column name="other_config"/>
2723 <column name="external_ids"/>
2727 <table name="Queue" title="QoS output queue.">
2728 <p>A configuration for a port output queue, used in configuring Quality of
2729 Service (QoS) features. May be referenced by <ref column="queues"
2730 table="QoS"/> column in <ref table="QoS"/> table.</p>
2732 <column name="dscp">
2733 If set, Open vSwitch will mark all traffic egressing this
2734 <ref table="Queue"/> with the given DSCP bits. Traffic egressing the
2735 default <ref table="Queue"/> is only marked if it was explicitly selected
2736 as the <ref table="Queue"/> at the time the packet was output. If unset,
2737 the DSCP bits of traffic egressing this <ref table="Queue"/> will remain
2741 <group title="Configuration for linux-htb QoS">
2743 <ref table="QoS"/> <ref table="QoS" column="type"/>
2744 <code>linux-htb</code> may use <code>queue_id</code>s less than 61440.
2745 It has the following key-value pairs defined.
2748 <column name="other_config" key="min-rate"
2749 type='{"type": "integer", "minInteger": 1}'>
2750 Minimum guaranteed bandwidth, in bit/s.
2753 <column name="other_config" key="max-rate"
2754 type='{"type": "integer", "minInteger": 1}'>
2755 Maximum allowed bandwidth, in bit/s. Optional. If specified, the
2756 queue's rate will not be allowed to exceed the specified value, even
2757 if excess bandwidth is available. If unspecified, defaults to no
2761 <column name="other_config" key="burst"
2762 type='{"type": "integer", "minInteger": 1}'>
2763 Burst size, in bits. This is the maximum amount of ``credits'' that a
2764 queue can accumulate while it is idle. Optional. Details of the
2765 <code>linux-htb</code> implementation require a minimum burst size, so
2766 a too-small <code>burst</code> will be silently ignored.
2769 <column name="other_config" key="priority"
2770 type='{"type": "integer", "minInteger": 0, "maxInteger": 4294967295}'>
2771 A queue with a smaller <code>priority</code> will receive all the
2772 excess bandwidth that it can use before a queue with a larger value
2773 receives any. Specific priority values are unimportant; only relative
2774 ordering matters. Defaults to 0 if unspecified.
2778 <group title="Configuration for linux-hfsc QoS">
2780 <ref table="QoS"/> <ref table="QoS" column="type"/>
2781 <code>linux-hfsc</code> may use <code>queue_id</code>s less than 61440.
2782 It has the following key-value pairs defined.
2785 <column name="other_config" key="min-rate"
2786 type='{"type": "integer", "minInteger": 1}'>
2787 Minimum guaranteed bandwidth, in bit/s.
2790 <column name="other_config" key="max-rate"
2791 type='{"type": "integer", "minInteger": 1}'>
2792 Maximum allowed bandwidth, in bit/s. Optional. If specified, the
2793 queue's rate will not be allowed to exceed the specified value, even if
2794 excess bandwidth is available. If unspecified, defaults to no
2799 <group title="Common Columns">
2800 The overall purpose of these columns is described under <code>Common
2801 Columns</code> at the beginning of this document.
2803 <column name="other_config"/>
2804 <column name="external_ids"/>
2808 <table name="Mirror" title="Port mirroring.">
2809 <p>A port mirror within a <ref table="Bridge"/>.</p>
2810 <p>A port mirror configures a bridge to send selected frames to special
2811 ``mirrored'' ports, in addition to their normal destinations. Mirroring
2812 traffic may also be referred to as SPAN or RSPAN, depending on how
2813 the mirrored traffic is sent.</p>
2815 <column name="name">
2816 Arbitrary identifier for the <ref table="Mirror"/>.
2819 <group title="Selecting Packets for Mirroring">
2821 To be selected for mirroring, a given packet must enter or leave the
2822 bridge through a selected port and it must also be in one of the
2826 <column name="select_all">
2827 If true, every packet arriving or departing on any port is
2828 selected for mirroring.
2831 <column name="select_dst_port">
2832 Ports on which departing packets are selected for mirroring.
2835 <column name="select_src_port">
2836 Ports on which arriving packets are selected for mirroring.
2839 <column name="select_vlan">
2840 VLANs on which packets are selected for mirroring. An empty set
2841 selects packets on all VLANs.
2845 <group title="Mirroring Destination Configuration">
2847 These columns are mutually exclusive. Exactly one of them must be
2851 <column name="output_port">
2852 <p>Output port for selected packets, if nonempty.</p>
2853 <p>Specifying a port for mirror output reserves that port exclusively
2854 for mirroring. No frames other than those selected for mirroring
2856 will be forwarded to the port, and any frames received on the port
2857 will be discarded.</p>
2859 The output port may be any kind of port supported by Open vSwitch.
2860 It may be, for example, a physical port (sometimes called SPAN) or a
2865 <column name="output_vlan">
2866 <p>Output VLAN for selected packets, if nonempty.</p>
2867 <p>The frames will be sent out all ports that trunk
2868 <ref column="output_vlan"/>, as well as any ports with implicit VLAN
2869 <ref column="output_vlan"/>. When a mirrored frame is sent out a
2870 trunk port, the frame's VLAN tag will be set to
2871 <ref column="output_vlan"/>, replacing any existing tag; when it is
2872 sent out an implicit VLAN port, the frame will not be tagged. This
2873 type of mirroring is sometimes called RSPAN.</p>
2875 See the documentation for
2876 <ref column="other_config" key="forward-bpdu"/> in the
2877 <ref table="Interface"/> table for a list of destination MAC
2878 addresses which will not be mirrored to a VLAN to avoid confusing
2879 switches that interpret the protocols that they represent.
2881 <p><em>Please note:</em> Mirroring to a VLAN can disrupt a network that
2882 contains unmanaged switches. Consider an unmanaged physical switch
2883 with two ports: port 1, connected to an end host, and port 2,
2884 connected to an Open vSwitch configured to mirror received packets
2885 into VLAN 123 on port 2. Suppose that the end host sends a packet on
2886 port 1 that the physical switch forwards to port 2. The Open vSwitch
2887 forwards this packet to its destination and then reflects it back on
2888 port 2 in VLAN 123. This reflected packet causes the unmanaged
2889 physical switch to replace the MAC learning table entry, which
2890 correctly pointed to port 1, with one that incorrectly points to port
2891 2. Afterward, the physical switch will direct packets destined for
2892 the end host to the Open vSwitch on port 2, instead of to the end
2893 host on port 1, disrupting connectivity. If mirroring to a VLAN is
2894 desired in this scenario, then the physical switch must be replaced
2895 by one that learns Ethernet addresses on a per-VLAN basis. In
2896 addition, learning should be disabled on the VLAN containing mirrored
2897 traffic. If this is not done then intermediate switches will learn
2898 the MAC address of each end host from the mirrored traffic. If
2899 packets being sent to that end host are also mirrored, then they will
2900 be dropped since the switch will attempt to send them out the input
2901 port. Disabling learning for the VLAN will cause the switch to
2902 correctly send the packet out all ports configured for that VLAN. If
2903 Open vSwitch is being used as an intermediate switch, learning can be
2904 disabled by adding the mirrored VLAN to <ref column="flood_vlans"/>
2905 in the appropriate <ref table="Bridge"/> table or tables.</p>
2907 Mirroring to a GRE tunnel has fewer caveats than mirroring to a
2908 VLAN and should generally be preferred.
2913 <group title="Statistics: Mirror counters">
2915 Key-value pairs that report mirror statistics. The update period
2916 is controlled by <ref column="other_config"
2917 key="stats-update-interval"/> in the <code>Open_vSwitch</code> table.
2919 <column name="statistics" key="tx_packets">
2920 Number of packets transmitted through this mirror.
2922 <column name="statistics" key="tx_bytes">
2923 Number of bytes transmitted through this mirror.
2927 <group title="Common Columns">
2928 The overall purpose of these columns is described under <code>Common
2929 Columns</code> at the beginning of this document.
2931 <column name="external_ids"/>
2935 <table name="Controller" title="OpenFlow controller configuration.">
2936 <p>An OpenFlow controller.</p>
2939 Open vSwitch supports two kinds of OpenFlow controllers:
2943 <dt>Primary controllers</dt>
2946 This is the kind of controller envisioned by the OpenFlow 1.0
2947 specification. Usually, a primary controller implements a network
2948 policy by taking charge of the switch's flow table.
2952 Open vSwitch initiates and maintains persistent connections to
2953 primary controllers, retrying the connection each time it fails or
2954 drops. The <ref table="Bridge" column="fail_mode"/> column in the
2955 <ref table="Bridge"/> table applies to primary controllers.
2959 Open vSwitch permits a bridge to have any number of primary
2960 controllers. When multiple controllers are configured, Open
2961 vSwitch connects to all of them simultaneously. Because
2962 OpenFlow 1.0 does not specify how multiple controllers
2963 coordinate in interacting with a single switch, more than
2964 one primary controller should be specified only if the
2965 controllers are themselves designed to coordinate with each
2966 other. (The Nicira-defined <code>NXT_ROLE</code> OpenFlow
2967 vendor extension may be useful for this.)
2970 <dt>Service controllers</dt>
2973 These kinds of OpenFlow controller connections are intended for
2974 occasional support and maintenance use, e.g. with
2975 <code>ovs-ofctl</code>. Usually a service controller connects only
2976 briefly to inspect or modify some of a switch's state.
2980 Open vSwitch listens for incoming connections from service
2981 controllers. The service controllers initiate and, if necessary,
2982 maintain the connections from their end. The <ref table="Bridge"
2983 column="fail_mode"/> column in the <ref table="Bridge"/> table does
2984 not apply to service controllers.
2988 Open vSwitch supports configuring any number of service controllers.
2994 The <ref column="target"/> determines the type of controller.
2997 <group title="Core Features">
2998 <column name="target">
2999 <p>Connection method for controller.</p>
3001 The following connection methods are currently supported for primary
3005 <dt><code>ssl:<var>ip</var></code>[<code>:<var>port</var></code>]</dt>
3007 <p>The specified SSL <var>port</var> on the host at the
3008 given <var>ip</var>, which must be expressed as an IP
3009 address (not a DNS name). The <ref table="Open_vSwitch"
3010 column="ssl"/> column in the <ref table="Open_vSwitch"/>
3011 table must point to a valid SSL configuration when this form
3013 <p>If <var>port</var> is not specified, it currently
3014 defaults to 6633. In the future, the default will change to
3015 6653, which is the IANA-defined value.</p>
3016 <p>SSL support is an optional feature that is not always built as
3017 part of Open vSwitch.</p>
3019 <dt><code>tcp:<var>ip</var></code>[<code>:<var>port</var></code>]</dt>
3022 The specified TCP <var>port</var> on the host at the given
3023 <var>ip</var>, which must be expressed as an IP address (not a
3024 DNS name), where <var>ip</var> can be IPv4 or IPv6 address. If
3025 <var>ip</var> is an IPv6 address, wrap it in square brackets,
3026 e.g. <code>tcp:[::1]:6632</code>.
3029 If <var>port</var> is not specified, it currently defaults to
3030 6633. In the future, the default will change to 6653, which is
3031 the IANA-defined value.
3036 The following connection methods are currently supported for service
3040 <dt><code>pssl:</code>[<var>port</var>][<code>:<var>ip</var></code>]</dt>
3043 Listens for SSL connections on the specified TCP <var>port</var>.
3044 If <var>ip</var>, which must be expressed as an IP address (not a
3045 DNS name), is specified, then connections are restricted to the
3046 specified local IP address (either IPv4 or IPv6). If
3047 <var>ip</var> is an IPv6 address, wrap it in square brackets,
3048 e.g. <code>pssl:6632:[::1]</code>.
3051 If <var>port</var> is not specified, it currently defaults to
3052 6633. If <var>ip</var> is not specified then it listens only on
3053 IPv4 (but not IPv6) addresses. The
3054 <ref table="Open_vSwitch" column="ssl"/>
3055 column in the <ref table="Open_vSwitch"/> table must point to a
3056 valid SSL configuration when this form is used.
3059 If <var>port</var> is not specified, it currently defaults to
3060 6633. In the future, the default will change to 6653, which is
3061 the IANA-defined value.
3064 SSL support is an optional feature that is not always built as
3065 part of Open vSwitch.
3068 <dt><code>ptcp:</code>[<var>port</var>][<code>:<var>ip</var></code>]</dt>
3071 Listens for connections on the specified TCP <var>port</var>. If
3072 <var>ip</var>, which must be expressed as an IP address (not a
3073 DNS name), is specified, then connections are restricted to the
3074 specified local IP address (either IPv4 or IPv6). If
3075 <var>ip</var> is an IPv6 address, wrap it in square brackets,
3076 e.g. <code>ptcp:6632:[::1]</code>. If <var>ip</var> is not
3077 specified then it listens only on IPv4 addresses.
3080 If <var>port</var> is not specified, it currently defaults to
3081 6633. In the future, the default will change to 6653, which is
3082 the IANA-defined value.
3086 <p>When multiple controllers are configured for a single bridge, the
3087 <ref column="target"/> values must be unique. Duplicate
3088 <ref column="target"/> values yield unspecified results.</p>
3091 <column name="connection_mode">
3092 <p>If it is specified, this setting must be one of the following
3093 strings that describes how Open vSwitch contacts this OpenFlow
3094 controller over the network:</p>
3097 <dt><code>in-band</code></dt>
3098 <dd>In this mode, this controller's OpenFlow traffic travels over the
3099 bridge associated with the controller. With this setting, Open
3100 vSwitch allows traffic to and from the controller regardless of the
3101 contents of the OpenFlow flow table. (Otherwise, Open vSwitch
3102 would never be able to connect to the controller, because it did
3103 not have a flow to enable it.) This is the most common connection
3104 mode because it is not necessary to maintain two independent
3106 <dt><code>out-of-band</code></dt>
3107 <dd>In this mode, OpenFlow traffic uses a control network separate
3108 from the bridge associated with this controller, that is, the
3109 bridge does not use any of its own network devices to communicate
3110 with the controller. The control network must be configured
3111 separately, before or after <code>ovs-vswitchd</code> is started.
3115 <p>If not specified, the default is implementation-specific.</p>
3119 <group title="Controller Failure Detection and Handling">
3120 <column name="max_backoff">
3121 Maximum number of milliseconds to wait between connection attempts.
3122 Default is implementation-specific.
3125 <column name="inactivity_probe">
3126 Maximum number of milliseconds of idle time on connection to
3127 controller before sending an inactivity probe message. If Open
3128 vSwitch does not communicate with the controller for the specified
3129 number of seconds, it will send a probe. If a response is not
3130 received for the same additional amount of time, Open vSwitch
3131 assumes the connection has been broken and attempts to reconnect.
3132 Default is implementation-specific. A value of 0 disables
3137 <group title="Asynchronous Message Configuration">
3139 OpenFlow switches send certain messages to controllers spontanenously,
3140 that is, not in response to any request from the controller. These
3141 messages are called ``asynchronous messages.'' These columns allow
3142 asynchronous messages to be limited or disabled to ensure the best use
3143 of network resources.
3146 <column name="enable_async_messages">
3147 The OpenFlow protocol enables asynchronous messages at time of
3148 connection establishment, which means that a controller can receive
3149 asynchronous messages, potentially many of them, even if it turns them
3150 off immediately after connecting. Set this column to
3151 <code>false</code> to change Open vSwitch behavior to disable, by
3152 default, all asynchronous messages. The controller can use the
3153 <code>NXT_SET_ASYNC_CONFIG</code> Nicira extension to OpenFlow to turn
3154 on any messages that it does want to receive, if any.
3157 <column name="controller_rate_limit">
3159 The maximum rate at which the switch will forward packets to the
3160 OpenFlow controller, in packets per second. This feature prevents a
3161 single bridge from overwhelming the controller. If not specified,
3162 the default is implementation-specific.
3166 In addition, when a high rate triggers rate-limiting, Open vSwitch
3167 queues controller packets for each port and transmits them to the
3168 controller at the configured rate. The <ref
3169 column="controller_burst_limit"/> value limits the number of queued
3170 packets. Ports on a bridge share the packet queue fairly.
3174 Open vSwitch maintains two such packet rate-limiters per bridge: one
3175 for packets sent up to the controller because they do not correspond
3176 to any flow, and the other for packets sent up to the controller by
3177 request through flow actions. When both rate-limiters are filled with
3178 packets, the actual rate that packets are sent to the controller is
3179 up to twice the specified rate.
3183 <column name="controller_burst_limit">
3184 In conjunction with <ref column="controller_rate_limit"/>,
3185 the maximum number of unused packet credits that the bridge will
3186 allow to accumulate, in packets. If not specified, the default
3187 is implementation-specific.
3191 <group title="Additional In-Band Configuration">
3192 <p>These values are considered only in in-band control mode (see
3193 <ref column="connection_mode"/>).</p>
3195 <p>When multiple controllers are configured on a single bridge, there
3196 should be only one set of unique values in these columns. If different
3197 values are set for these columns in different controllers, the effect
3200 <column name="local_ip">
3201 The IP address to configure on the local port,
3202 e.g. <code>192.168.0.123</code>. If this value is unset, then
3203 <ref column="local_netmask"/> and <ref column="local_gateway"/> are
3207 <column name="local_netmask">
3208 The IP netmask to configure on the local port,
3209 e.g. <code>255.255.255.0</code>. If <ref column="local_ip"/> is set
3210 but this value is unset, then the default is chosen based on whether
3211 the IP address is class A, B, or C.
3214 <column name="local_gateway">
3215 The IP address of the gateway to configure on the local port, as a
3216 string, e.g. <code>192.168.0.1</code>. Leave this column unset if
3217 this network has no gateway.
3221 <group title="Controller Status">
3222 <column name="is_connected">
3223 <code>true</code> if currently connected to this controller,
3224 <code>false</code> otherwise.
3228 type='{"type": "string", "enum": ["set", ["other", "master", "slave"]]}'>
3229 <p>The level of authority this controller has on the associated
3230 bridge. Possible values are:</p>
3232 <dt><code>other</code></dt>
3233 <dd>Allows the controller access to all OpenFlow features.</dd>
3234 <dt><code>master</code></dt>
3235 <dd>Equivalent to <code>other</code>, except that there may be at
3236 most one master controller at a time. When a controller configures
3237 itself as <code>master</code>, any existing master is demoted to
3238 the <code>slave</code>role.</dd>
3239 <dt><code>slave</code></dt>
3240 <dd>Allows the controller read-only access to OpenFlow features.
3241 Attempts to modify the flow table will be rejected with an
3242 error. Slave controllers do not receive OFPT_PACKET_IN or
3243 OFPT_FLOW_REMOVED messages, but they do receive OFPT_PORT_STATUS
3248 <column name="status" key="last_error">
3249 A human-readable description of the last error on the connection
3250 to the controller; i.e. <code>strerror(errno)</code>. This key
3251 will exist only if an error has occurred.
3254 <column name="status" key="state"
3255 type='{"type": "string", "enum": ["set", ["VOID", "BACKOFF", "CONNECTING", "ACTIVE", "IDLE"]]}'>
3257 The state of the connection to the controller:
3260 <dt><code>VOID</code></dt>
3261 <dd>Connection is disabled.</dd>
3263 <dt><code>BACKOFF</code></dt>
3264 <dd>Attempting to reconnect at an increasing period.</dd>
3266 <dt><code>CONNECTING</code></dt>
3267 <dd>Attempting to connect.</dd>
3269 <dt><code>ACTIVE</code></dt>
3270 <dd>Connected, remote host responsive.</dd>
3272 <dt><code>IDLE</code></dt>
3273 <dd>Connection is idle. Waiting for response to keep-alive.</dd>
3276 These values may change in the future. They are provided only for
3281 <column name="status" key="sec_since_connect"
3282 type='{"type": "integer", "minInteger": 0}'>
3283 The amount of time since this controller last successfully connected to
3284 the switch (in seconds). Value is empty if controller has never
3285 successfully connected.
3288 <column name="status" key="sec_since_disconnect"
3289 type='{"type": "integer", "minInteger": 1}'>
3290 The amount of time since this controller last disconnected from
3291 the switch (in seconds). Value is empty if controller has never
3296 <group title="Connection Parameters">
3298 Additional configuration for a connection between the controller
3299 and the Open vSwitch.
3302 <column name="other_config" key="dscp"
3303 type='{"type": "integer"}'>
3304 The Differentiated Service Code Point (DSCP) is specified using 6 bits
3305 in the Type of Service (TOS) field in the IP header. DSCP provides a
3306 mechanism to classify the network traffic and provide Quality of
3307 Service (QoS) on IP networks.
3309 The DSCP value specified here is used when establishing the connection
3310 between the controller and the Open vSwitch. If no value is specified,
3311 a default value of 48 is chosen. Valid DSCP values must be in the
3317 <group title="Common Columns">
3318 The overall purpose of these columns is described under <code>Common
3319 Columns</code> at the beginning of this document.
3321 <column name="external_ids"/>
3322 <column name="other_config"/>
3326 <table name="Manager" title="OVSDB management connection.">
3328 Configuration for a database connection to an Open vSwitch database
3333 This table primarily configures the Open vSwitch database
3334 (<code>ovsdb-server</code>), not the Open vSwitch switch
3335 (<code>ovs-vswitchd</code>). The switch does read the table to determine
3336 what connections should be treated as in-band.
3340 The Open vSwitch database server can initiate and maintain active
3341 connections to remote clients. It can also listen for database
3345 <group title="Core Features">
3346 <column name="target">
3347 <p>Connection method for managers.</p>
3349 The following connection methods are currently supported:
3352 <dt><code>ssl:<var>ip</var></code>[<code>:<var>port</var></code>]</dt>
3355 The specified SSL <var>port</var> on the host at the given
3356 <var>ip</var>, which must be expressed as an IP address
3357 (not a DNS name). The <ref table="Open_vSwitch"
3358 column="ssl"/> column in the <ref table="Open_vSwitch"/>
3359 table must point to a valid SSL configuration when this
3363 If <var>port</var> is not specified, it currently defaults
3364 to 6632. In the future, the default will change to 6640,
3365 which is the IANA-defined value.
3368 SSL support is an optional feature that is not always
3369 built as part of Open vSwitch.
3373 <dt><code>tcp:<var>ip</var></code>[<code>:<var>port</var></code>]</dt>
3376 The specified TCP <var>port</var> on the host at the given
3377 <var>ip</var>, which must be expressed as an IP address (not a
3378 DNS name), where <var>ip</var> can be IPv4 or IPv6 address. If
3379 <var>ip</var> is an IPv6 address, wrap it in square brackets,
3380 e.g. <code>tcp:[::1]:6632</code>.
3383 If <var>port</var> is not specified, it currently defaults
3384 to 6632. In the future, the default will change to 6640,
3385 which is the IANA-defined value.
3388 <dt><code>pssl:</code>[<var>port</var>][<code>:<var>ip</var></code>]</dt>
3391 Listens for SSL connections on the specified TCP <var>port</var>.
3392 Specify 0 for <var>port</var> to have the kernel automatically
3393 choose an available port. If <var>ip</var>, which must be
3394 expressed as an IP address (not a DNS name), is specified, then
3395 connections are restricted to the specified local IP address
3396 (either IPv4 or IPv6 address). If <var>ip</var> is an IPv6
3397 address, wrap in square brackets,
3398 e.g. <code>pssl:6632:[::1]</code>. If <var>ip</var> is not
3399 specified then it listens only on IPv4 (but not IPv6) addresses.
3400 The <ref table="Open_vSwitch" column="ssl"/> column in the <ref
3401 table="Open_vSwitch"/> table must point to a valid SSL
3402 configuration when this form is used.
3405 If <var>port</var> is not specified, it currently defaults
3406 to 6632. In the future, the default will change to 6640,
3407 which is the IANA-defined value.
3410 SSL support is an optional feature that is not always built as
3411 part of Open vSwitch.
3414 <dt><code>ptcp:</code>[<var>port</var>][<code>:<var>ip</var></code>]</dt>
3417 Listens for connections on the specified TCP <var>port</var>.
3418 Specify 0 for <var>port</var> to have the kernel automatically
3419 choose an available port. If <var>ip</var>, which must be
3420 expressed as an IP address (not a DNS name), is specified, then
3421 connections are restricted to the specified local IP address
3422 (either IPv4 or IPv6 address). If <var>ip</var> is an IPv6
3423 address, wrap it in square brackets,
3424 e.g. <code>ptcp:6632:[::1]</code>. If <var>ip</var> is not
3425 specified then it listens only on IPv4 addresses.
3428 If <var>port</var> is not specified, it currently defaults
3429 to 6632. In the future, the default will change to 6640,
3430 which is the IANA-defined value.
3434 <p>When multiple managers are configured, the <ref column="target"/>
3435 values must be unique. Duplicate <ref column="target"/> values yield
3436 unspecified results.</p>
3439 <column name="connection_mode">
3441 If it is specified, this setting must be one of the following strings
3442 that describes how Open vSwitch contacts this OVSDB client over the
3447 <dt><code>in-band</code></dt>
3449 In this mode, this connection's traffic travels over a bridge
3450 managed by Open vSwitch. With this setting, Open vSwitch allows
3451 traffic to and from the client regardless of the contents of the
3452 OpenFlow flow table. (Otherwise, Open vSwitch would never be able
3453 to connect to the client, because it did not have a flow to enable
3454 it.) This is the most common connection mode because it is not
3455 necessary to maintain two independent networks.
3457 <dt><code>out-of-band</code></dt>
3459 In this mode, the client's traffic uses a control network separate
3460 from that managed by Open vSwitch, that is, Open vSwitch does not
3461 use any of its own network devices to communicate with the client.
3462 The control network must be configured separately, before or after
3463 <code>ovs-vswitchd</code> is started.
3468 If not specified, the default is implementation-specific.
3473 <group title="Client Failure Detection and Handling">
3474 <column name="max_backoff">
3475 Maximum number of milliseconds to wait between connection attempts.
3476 Default is implementation-specific.
3479 <column name="inactivity_probe">
3480 Maximum number of milliseconds of idle time on connection to the client
3481 before sending an inactivity probe message. If Open vSwitch does not
3482 communicate with the client for the specified number of seconds, it
3483 will send a probe. If a response is not received for the same
3484 additional amount of time, Open vSwitch assumes the connection has been
3485 broken and attempts to reconnect. Default is implementation-specific.
3486 A value of 0 disables inactivity probes.
3490 <group title="Status">
3491 <column name="is_connected">
3492 <code>true</code> if currently connected to this manager,
3493 <code>false</code> otherwise.
3496 <column name="status" key="last_error">
3497 A human-readable description of the last error on the connection
3498 to the manager; i.e. <code>strerror(errno)</code>. This key
3499 will exist only if an error has occurred.
3502 <column name="status" key="state"
3503 type='{"type": "string", "enum": ["set", ["VOID", "BACKOFF", "CONNECTING", "ACTIVE", "IDLE"]]}'>
3505 The state of the connection to the manager:
3508 <dt><code>VOID</code></dt>
3509 <dd>Connection is disabled.</dd>
3511 <dt><code>BACKOFF</code></dt>
3512 <dd>Attempting to reconnect at an increasing period.</dd>
3514 <dt><code>CONNECTING</code></dt>
3515 <dd>Attempting to connect.</dd>
3517 <dt><code>ACTIVE</code></dt>
3518 <dd>Connected, remote host responsive.</dd>
3520 <dt><code>IDLE</code></dt>
3521 <dd>Connection is idle. Waiting for response to keep-alive.</dd>
3524 These values may change in the future. They are provided only for
3529 <column name="status" key="sec_since_connect"
3530 type='{"type": "integer", "minInteger": 0}'>
3531 The amount of time since this manager last successfully connected
3532 to the database (in seconds). Value is empty if manager has never
3533 successfully connected.
3536 <column name="status" key="sec_since_disconnect"
3537 type='{"type": "integer", "minInteger": 0}'>
3538 The amount of time since this manager last disconnected from the
3539 database (in seconds). Value is empty if manager has never
3543 <column name="status" key="locks_held">
3544 Space-separated list of the names of OVSDB locks that the connection
3545 holds. Omitted if the connection does not hold any locks.
3548 <column name="status" key="locks_waiting">
3549 Space-separated list of the names of OVSDB locks that the connection is
3550 currently waiting to acquire. Omitted if the connection is not waiting
3554 <column name="status" key="locks_lost">
3555 Space-separated list of the names of OVSDB locks that the connection
3556 has had stolen by another OVSDB client. Omitted if no locks have been
3557 stolen from this connection.
3560 <column name="status" key="n_connections"
3561 type='{"type": "integer", "minInteger": 2}'>
3563 When <ref column="target"/> specifies a connection method that
3564 listens for inbound connections (e.g. <code>ptcp:</code> or
3565 <code>pssl:</code>) and more than one connection is actually active,
3566 the value is the number of active connections. Otherwise, this
3567 key-value pair is omitted.
3570 When multiple connections are active, status columns and key-value
3571 pairs (other than this one) report the status of one arbitrarily
3576 <column name="status" key="bound_port" type='{"type": "integer"}'>
3577 When <ref column="target"/> is <code>ptcp:</code> or
3578 <code>pssl:</code>, this is the TCP port on which the OVSDB server is
3579 listening. (This is is particularly useful when <ref
3580 column="target"/> specifies a port of 0, allowing the kernel to
3581 choose any available port.)
3585 <group title="Connection Parameters">
3587 Additional configuration for a connection between the manager
3588 and the Open vSwitch Database.
3591 <column name="other_config" key="dscp"
3592 type='{"type": "integer"}'>
3593 The Differentiated Service Code Point (DSCP) is specified using 6 bits
3594 in the Type of Service (TOS) field in the IP header. DSCP provides a
3595 mechanism to classify the network traffic and provide Quality of
3596 Service (QoS) on IP networks.
3598 The DSCP value specified here is used when establishing the connection
3599 between the manager and the Open vSwitch. If no value is specified, a
3600 default value of 48 is chosen. Valid DSCP values must be in the range
3605 <group title="Common Columns">
3606 The overall purpose of these columns is described under <code>Common
3607 Columns</code> at the beginning of this document.
3609 <column name="external_ids"/>
3610 <column name="other_config"/>
3614 <table name="NetFlow">
3615 A NetFlow target. NetFlow is a protocol that exports a number of
3616 details about terminating IP flows, such as the principals involved
3619 <column name="targets">
3620 NetFlow targets in the form
3621 <code><var>ip</var>:<var>port</var></code>. The <var>ip</var>
3622 must be specified numerically, not as a DNS name.
3625 <column name="engine_id">
3626 Engine ID to use in NetFlow messages. Defaults to datapath index
3630 <column name="engine_type">
3631 Engine type to use in NetFlow messages. Defaults to datapath
3632 index if not specified.
3635 <column name="active_timeout">
3636 The interval at which NetFlow records are sent for flows that are
3637 still active, in seconds. A value of <code>0</code> requests the
3638 default timeout (currently 600 seconds); a value of <code>-1</code>
3639 disables active timeouts.
3642 <column name="add_id_to_interface">
3643 <p>If this column's value is <code>false</code>, the ingress and egress
3644 interface fields of NetFlow flow records are derived from OpenFlow port
3645 numbers. When it is <code>true</code>, the 7 most significant bits of
3646 these fields will be replaced by the least significant 7 bits of the
3647 engine id. This is useful because many NetFlow collectors do not
3648 expect multiple switches to be sending messages from the same host, so
3649 they do not store the engine information which could be used to
3650 disambiguate the traffic.</p>
3651 <p>When this option is enabled, a maximum of 508 ports are supported.</p>
3654 <group title="Common Columns">
3655 The overall purpose of these columns is described under <code>Common
3656 Columns</code> at the beginning of this document.
3658 <column name="external_ids"/>
3663 SSL configuration for an Open_vSwitch.
3665 <column name="private_key">
3666 Name of a PEM file containing the private key used as the switch's
3667 identity for SSL connections to the controller.
3670 <column name="certificate">
3671 Name of a PEM file containing a certificate, signed by the
3672 certificate authority (CA) used by the controller and manager,
3673 that certifies the switch's private key, identifying a trustworthy
3677 <column name="ca_cert">
3678 Name of a PEM file containing the CA certificate used to verify
3679 that the switch is connected to a trustworthy controller.
3682 <column name="bootstrap_ca_cert">
3683 If set to <code>true</code>, then Open vSwitch will attempt to
3684 obtain the CA certificate from the controller on its first SSL
3685 connection and save it to the named PEM file. If it is successful,
3686 it will immediately drop the connection and reconnect, and from then
3687 on all SSL connections must be authenticated by a certificate signed
3688 by the CA certificate thus obtained. <em>This option exposes the
3689 SSL connection to a man-in-the-middle attack obtaining the initial
3690 CA certificate.</em> It may still be useful for bootstrapping.
3693 <group title="Common Columns">
3694 The overall purpose of these columns is described under <code>Common
3695 Columns</code> at the beginning of this document.
3697 <column name="external_ids"/>
3701 <table name="sFlow">
3702 <p>A set of sFlow(R) targets. sFlow is a protocol for remote
3703 monitoring of switches.</p>
3705 <column name="agent">
3706 Name of the network device whose IP address should be reported as the
3707 ``agent address'' to collectors. If not specified, the agent device is
3708 figured from the first target address and the routing table. If the
3709 routing table does not contain a route to the target, the IP address
3710 defaults to the <ref table="Controller" column="local_ip"/> in the
3711 collector's <ref table="Controller"/>. If an agent IP address cannot be
3712 determined any of these ways, sFlow is disabled.
3715 <column name="header">
3716 Number of bytes of a sampled packet to send to the collector.
3717 If not specified, the default is 128 bytes.
3720 <column name="polling">
3721 Polling rate in seconds to send port statistics to the collector.
3722 If not specified, defaults to 30 seconds.
3725 <column name="sampling">
3726 Rate at which packets should be sampled and sent to the collector.
3727 If not specified, defaults to 400, which means one out of 400
3728 packets, on average, will be sent to the collector.
3731 <column name="targets">
3732 sFlow targets in the form
3733 <code><var>ip</var>:<var>port</var></code>.
3736 <group title="Common Columns">
3737 The overall purpose of these columns is described under <code>Common
3738 Columns</code> at the beginning of this document.
3740 <column name="external_ids"/>
3744 <table name="IPFIX">
3745 <p>A set of IPFIX collectors. IPFIX is a protocol that exports a
3746 number of details about flows.</p>
3748 <column name="targets">
3749 IPFIX target collectors in the form
3750 <code><var>ip</var>:<var>port</var></code>.
3753 <column name="sampling">
3754 For per-bridge packet sampling, i.e. when this row is referenced
3755 from a <ref table="Bridge"/>, the rate at which packets should
3756 be sampled and sent to each target collector. If not specified,
3757 defaults to 400, which means one out of 400 packets, on average,
3758 will be sent to each target collector. Ignored for per-flow
3759 sampling, i.e. when this row is referenced from a <ref
3760 table="Flow_Sample_Collector_Set"/>.
3763 <column name="obs_domain_id">
3764 For per-bridge packet sampling, i.e. when this row is referenced
3765 from a <ref table="Bridge"/>, the IPFIX Observation Domain ID
3766 sent in each IPFIX packet. If not specified, defaults to 0.
3767 Ignored for per-flow sampling, i.e. when this row is referenced
3768 from a <ref table="Flow_Sample_Collector_Set"/>.
3771 <column name="obs_point_id">
3772 For per-bridge packet sampling, i.e. when this row is referenced
3773 from a <ref table="Bridge"/>, the IPFIX Observation Point ID
3774 sent in each IPFIX flow record. If not specified, defaults to
3775 0. Ignored for per-flow sampling, i.e. when this row is
3776 referenced from a <ref table="Flow_Sample_Collector_Set"/>.
3779 <column name="cache_active_timeout">
3780 The maximum period in seconds for which an IPFIX flow record is
3781 cached and aggregated before being sent. If not specified,
3782 defaults to 0. If 0, caching is disabled.
3785 <column name="cache_max_flows">
3786 The maximum number of IPFIX flow records that can be cached at a
3787 time. If not specified, defaults to 0. If 0, caching is
3791 <group title="Common Columns">
3792 The overall purpose of these columns is described under <code>Common
3793 Columns</code> at the beginning of this document.
3795 <column name="external_ids"/>
3799 <table name="Flow_Sample_Collector_Set">
3800 <p>A set of IPFIX collectors of packet samples generated by
3801 OpenFlow <code>sample</code> actions.</p>
3804 The ID of this collector set, unique among the bridge's
3805 collector sets, to be used as the <code>collector_set_id</code>
3806 in OpenFlow <code>sample</code> actions.
3809 <column name="bridge">
3810 The bridge into which OpenFlow <code>sample</code> actions can
3811 be added to send packet samples to this set of IPFIX collectors.
3814 <column name="ipfix">
3815 Configuration of the set of IPFIX collectors to send one flow
3816 record per sampled packet to.
3819 <group title="Common Columns">
3820 The overall purpose of these columns is described under <code>Common
3821 Columns</code> at the beginning of this document.
3823 <column name="external_ids"/>