.\" -*- nroff -*-
.de IQ
.  br
.  ns
.  IP "\\$1"
..
.\" -*- nroff -*-
.TH ovsdb\-tool 1 "November 2009" "Open vSwitch" "Open vSwitch Manual"
.ds PN ovsdb\-tool
.
.SH NAME
ovsdb\-tool \- Open vSwitch database management utility
.
.SH SYNOPSIS
\fBovsdb\-tool \fR[\fIoptions\fR] \fBcreate\fI db schema\fR
.br
\fBovsdb\-tool \fR[\fIoptions\fR] \fBquery\fI db transaction\fR
.br
\fBovsdb\-tool \fR[\fIoptions\fR] \fBtransact\fI db transaction\fR
.br
\fBovsdb\-tool \fR[\fIoptions\fR] \fBshow\-log\fI db\fR
.br
\fBovsdb\-tool help\fR
.so lib/vlog-syn.man
.so lib/common-syn.man
.
.SH DESCRIPTION
The \fBovsdb\-tool\fR program is a command-line tool for managing Open
vSwitch database (OVSDB) files.  It does not interact directly with
running Open vSwitch database servers (instead, use
\fBovsdb\-client\fR).
.
.SS "Basic Commands"
.IP "\fBcreate\fI db schema\fR"
Reads an OVSDB schema from the file named \fIschema\fR and creates a
new OVSDB database file named \fIdb\fR using that schema.  The new
database is initially empty.  This command will not overwrite an
existing \fIdb\fR.
.IP
\fIschema\fR must contain an OVSDB schema in JSON format.  Refer to
the OVSDB specification for details.
.
.IP "\fBquery\fI db transaction\fR"
Opens \fIdb\fR, executes \fItransaction\fR on it, and prints the
results.  The \fItransaction\fR must be a JSON array in the format of
the \fBparams\fR array for the JSON-RPC \fBtransact\fR method, as
described in the OVSDB specification.
.IP
The \fIdb\fR is opened for read-only access, so this command may
safely run concurrently with other database activity, including
\fBovsdb-server\fR and other database writers.  The \fItransaction\fR
may specify database modifications, but these will have no effect on
\fIdb\fR.
.
.IP "\fBtransact\fI db transaction\fR"
Opens \fIdb\fR, executes \fItransaction\fR on it, prints the results,
and commits any changes to \fIdb\fR.  The \fItransaction\fR must be a
JSON array in the format of the \fBparams\fR array for the JSON-RPC
\fBtransact\fR method, as described in the OVSDB specification.
.IP
The \fIdb\fR is opened and locked for read/write access, so this
command will fail if the database is opened for writing by any other
process, including \fBovsdb-server\fR(1).  Use \fBovsdb\-client\fR(1),
instead, to write to a database that is served by
\fBovsdb-server\fR(1).
.
.IP "\fBshow-log\fI db\fR"
Prints a summary of the records in \fBdb\fR's log, including the time
and date at which each database change occurred and any associated
comment.  This may be useful for debugging.
.
.SH OPTIONS
.SS "Logging Options"
.so lib/vlog.man
.SS "Other Options"
.so lib/common.man
.SH "SEE ALSO"
.
\fBovsdb\-server\fR(1),
\fBovsdb\-client\fR(1),
and the OVSDB specification.