ifup --allow=ovs $list_of_bridges
ifdown --allow=ovs $list_of_bridges
+
+Notes on dependencies:
+---------------------
+
+openvswitch-switch depends on $network, $named $remote_fs and $syslog to start.
+This creates some startup dependency issues.
+
+* Since openvswitch utilities are placed in /usr and /usr can be mounted
+through NFS, openvswitch has to start after it. But if a user uses openvswitch
+for all his networking needs and hence to mount NFS, there will be a deadlock.
+So, if /usr is mounted through NFS and openvswitch is used for all networking,
+the administrator should figure out a way to mount NFS before starting OVS.
+One way to do this is in initramfs.
+
+* Since openvswitch starts after $network, $remote_fs and $syslog, any startup
+script that depends on openvswitch but starts before it, needs to be changed
+to depend on openvswitch-switch too.
+
+* Ideally, an admin should not add openvswitch bridges in the 'auto'
+section of the 'interfaces' file. This is because, when ifupdown starts
+working on bridges listed in 'auto', openvswitch has not yet started.
+
+But, if the admin wants to go down this route and adds openvswitch bridges
+in the 'auto' section, openvswitch-switch will forcefully be started when
+ifupdown kicks in. In a case like this, the admin needs to make sure that /usr
+has already been mounted and that a remote $syslog (if used) is ready to
+receive openvswitch logs.