.\" -*- nroff -*-
.TH ovsdb\-server 1 "November 2009" "Open vSwitch" "Open vSwitch Manual"
.ds PN ovsdb\-server
.
.SH NAME
ovsdb\-server \- Open vSwitch database server
.
.SH SYNOPSIS
\fBovsdb\-server\fR
\fIdatabase\fR
[\fB--connect \fIremote\fR]\&...
[\fB--listen \fIlocal\fR]\&...
.so lib/daemon-syn.man
.so lib/vlog-syn.man
.so lib/common-syn.man
.
.SH DESCRIPTION
The \fBovsdb\-server\fR program provides RPC interfaces to an Open
vSwitch database (OVSDB).  It can listen for JSON-RPC connections from
TCP/IP or Unix domain socket clients (with \fB\-\-listen\fR), connect to
remote JSON-RPC TCP/IP or Unix domain socket clients (with
\fB\-\-connect\fR).
.PP
The name of the OVSDB file must be specified on the command line as
\fIdatabase\fR, which must already have been created and initialized
using, for example, \fBovsdb\-tool create\fR.
.
.SH OPTIONS
.
.IP "\fB\-\-listen=\fIlocal\fR"
Makes \fBovsdb\-server\fR listen for JSON-RPC connections on
\fIlocal\fR, which must take one of the following forms:
.
.RS
.IP "\fBptcp:\fIport\fR[\fB:\fIip\fR]"
Listens for JSON-RPC connections on the given TCP \fIport\fR.  By
default, \fB\*(PN\fR listens for connections to any local IP address,
but \fIip\fR may be specified to listen only for connections to the
given \fIip\fR.
.IP "\fBpunix:\fIfile\fR"
Listens for JSON-RPC connections on the Unix domain server socket
named \fIfile\fR.
.RE
.
.IP "\fB\-\-connect=\fIremote\fR"
Makes \fBovsdb\-server\fR initiate a JSON-RPC connection to
\fIremote\fR, which must take one of the forms listed below.  The
current implementation only attempts to connect once, and does not
reconnect after a failure or after the connection closes.  This will
be fixed later.
.
.RS
.IP "\fBtcp:\fIip\fB:\fIport\fR"
Connects to the given TCP \fIport\fR on \fIip\fR.
.IP "\fBunix:\fIfile\fR"
Connects to the Unix domain server socket named \fIfile\fR.
.RE
.
.SS "Daemon Options"
.so lib/daemon.man
.SS "Logging Options"
.so lib/vlog.man
.SS "Other Options"
.so lib/common.man
.SH "RUNTIME MANAGEMENT COMMANDS"
\fBovs\-appctl\fR(8) can send commands to a running
\fBovsdb\-server\fR process.  The currently supported commands are
described below.
.so lib/vlog-unixctl.man
.SH "SEE ALSO"
.
.BR ovsdb\-tool (1).