1 .TH dpctl 8 "May 2008" "OpenFlow" "OpenFlow Manual"
4 dpctl \- administer OpenFlow datapaths
8 [\fIoptions\fR] \fIcommand \fR[\fIswitch\fR] [\fIargs\fR&...]
13 program is a command line tool for monitoring and administering OpenFlow
14 datapaths. It is able to show the current state of a datapath,
15 including features, configuration, and tables entries. When using the
16 OpenFlow kernel module,
18 is used to add, delete, modify, and monitor datapaths.
20 Most \fBdpctl\fR commands take an argument that specifies the
21 method for connecting to an OpenFlow switch. The following connection
22 methods are supported:
26 The local Netlink datapath numbered \fIdp_idx\fR. This form requires
27 that the local host has the OpenFlow kernel module for Linux loaded.
30 \fBssl:\fIhost\fR[\fB:\fIport\fR]
31 The specified SSL \fIport\fR (default: 976) on the given remote
32 \fIhost\fR. The \fB--private-key\fR, \fB--certificate\fR, and
33 \fB--ca-cert\fR options are mandatory when this form is used.
36 \fBtcp:\fIhost\fR[\fB:\fIport\fR]
37 The specified TCP \fIport\fR (default: 975) on the given remote
42 The Unix domain server socket named \fIfile\fR.
46 With the \fBdpctl\fR program, datapaths running in the kernel can be
47 created, deleted, modified, and monitored. A single machine may
48 host up to 32 datapaths (numbered 0 to 31). In most situations,
49 a machine hosts only one datapath.
51 A newly created datapath is not associated with any of the
52 host's network devices thus does not process any incoming
53 traffic. To intercept and process traffic on a given network device, the
54 network device must be explicitly added to a datapath through the
57 The following commands manage local datapaths.
60 \fBadddp nl:\fIdp_idx\fR
61 Creates datapath numbered \fIdp_idx\fR on the local host. This will
62 fail if \fIdp_idx\fR is not in the range 0 to 31, or if the datapath
63 with that number already exists on the host.
66 \fBdeldp nl:\fIdp_idx\fR
67 Deletes datapath \fIdp_idx\fR on the local host. \fIdp_idx\fR must be
68 an existing datapath. All of a datapath's network devices must be
69 explicitly removed before the datapath can be deleted (see \fBdelif\fR
73 \fBaddif nl:\fIdp_idx netdev\fR
74 Adds \fInetdev\fR to the list of network devices datapath
75 \fIdp_idx\fR monitors, where \fIdp_idx\fR is the ID of an existing
76 datapath, and \fInetdev\fR is the name of one of the host's
77 network devices, e.g. \fBeth0\fR. Once a network device has been added
78 to a datapath, the datapath has complete ownership of the network device's
79 traffic and the network device appears silent to the rest of the system.
82 \fBdelif nl:\fIdp_idx netdev\fR
83 Removes \fInetdev\fR from the list of network devices datapath
84 \fIdp_idx\fR monitors.
87 \fBmonitor nl:\fIdp_idx\fR
88 Prints to the console all OpenFlow packets sent by datapath
89 \fIdp_idx\fR to its controller, where \fIdp_idx\fR is the ID of an
93 The following commands can be apply to OpenFlow switches regardless of
94 the connection method.
98 Prints to the console information on datapath \fIswitch\fR including
99 information on its flow tables and ports.
102 \fBdump-tables \fIswitch\fR
103 Prints to the console statistics for each of the flow tables used by
104 datapath \fIswitch\fR.
107 \fBdump-ports \fIswitch\fR
108 Prints to the console statistics for each of the network devices
109 associated with datapath \fIswitch\fR.
112 \fBmod-port \fIswitch\fR \fInetdev\fR \fIaction\fR
113 Modify characteristics of an interface monitored by \fIswitch\fR.
114 \fInetdev\fR can be referred to by its OpenFlow assigned port number or
115 the device name, e.g. \fBeth0\fR. The \fIaction\fR may be any one of the
120 Enables the interface. This is equivalent to ``ifconfig up'' on a Unix
124 Disables the interface. This is equivalent to ``ifconfig down'' on a Unix
128 When a \fIflood\fR action is specified, traffic will be sent out this
129 interface. This is the default posture for monitored ports.
132 When a \fIflood\fR action is specified, traffic will not be sent out
133 this interface. This is primarily useful to prevent loops when a
134 spanning tree protocol is not in use.
139 \fBdump-flows \fIswitch \fR[\fIflows\fR]
140 Prints to the console all flow entries in datapath \fIswitch\fR's
141 tables that match \fIflows\fR. If \fIflows\fR is omitted, all flows
142 in the datapath are retrieved. See \fBFLOW SYNTAX\fR, below, for the
143 syntax of \fIflows\fR.
146 \fBdump-aggregate \fIswitch \fR[\fIflows\fR]
147 Prints to the console aggregate statistics for flows in datapath
148 \fSWITCH\fR's tables that match \fIflows\fR. If \fIflows\fR is omitted,
149 the statistics are aggregated across all flows in the datapath's flow
150 tables. See \fBFLOW SYNTAX\fR, below, for the syntax of \fIflows\fR.
153 \fBadd-flow \fIswitch flow\fR
154 Add the flow entry as described by \fIflow\fR to the datapath \fIswitch\fR's
155 tables. The flow entry is in the format described in \fBFLOW SYNTAX\fR,
159 \fBadd-flows \fIswitch file\fR
160 Add flow entries as described in \fIfile\fR to the datapath \fIswitch\fR's
161 tables. Each line in \fIfile\fR is a flow entry in the format
162 described in \fBFLOW SYNTAX\fR, below.
165 \fBdel-flows \fIswitch \fR[\fIflow\fR]
166 Deletes entries from the datapath \fIswitch\fR's tables that match
167 \fIflow\fR. If \fIflow\fR is omitted, all flows in the datapath's
168 tables are removed. See \fBFLOW SYNTAX\fR, below, for the syntax of
172 The following commands can be used regardless of the connection
173 method. They apply to OpenFlow switches and controllers.
177 Connects to \fIvconn\fR and sends a single OpenFlow echo-request
178 packet and waits for the response. With the \fB-t\fR or
179 \fB--timeout\fR option, this command can test whether an OpenFlow
180 switch or controller is up and running.
183 \fBping \fIvconn \fR[\fIn\fR]
184 Sends a series of 10 echo request packets to \fIvconn\fR and times
185 each reply. The echo request packets consist of an OpenFlow header
186 plus \fIn\fR bytes (default: 64) of randomly generated payload. This
187 measures the latency of individual requests.
190 \fBbenchmark \fIvconn n count\fR
191 Sends \fIcount\fR echo request packets that each consist of an
192 OpenFlow header plus \fIn\fR bytes of payload and waits for each
193 response. Reports the total time required. This is a measure of the
194 maximum bandwidth to \fIvconn\fR for round-trips of \fIn\fR-byte
199 Some \fBdpctl\fR commands accept an argument that describes a flow or
200 flows. Such flow descriptions comprise a series
201 \fIfield\fB=\fIvalue\fR assignments, separated by commas or white
204 The following field assignments describe how a flow matches a packet.
205 If any of these assignments is omitted from the flow syntax, the field
206 is treated as a wildcard; thus, if all of them are omitted, the
207 resulting flow matches all packets. The string \fB*\fR or \fBANY\fR
208 may be specified a value to explicitly mark any of these fields as a
211 .IP \fBin_port=\fIport_no\fR
212 Matches physical port \fIport_no\fR. Switch ports are numbered as
213 displayed by \fBdpctl show\fR.
215 .IP \fBdl_vlan=\fIvlan\fR
216 Matches IEEE 802.1q virtual LAN tag \fIvlan\fR. Specify \fB0xffff\fR
217 as \fIvlan\fR to match packets that are not tagged with a virtual LAN;
218 otherwise, specify a number between 0 and 4095, inclusive, as the
219 12-bit VLAN ID to match.
221 .IP \fBdl_src=\fImac\fR
222 Matches Ethernet source address \fImac\fR, which should be specified
223 as 6 pairs of hexadecimal digits delimited by colons,
224 e.g. \fB00:0A:E4:25:6B:B0\fR.
226 .IP \fBdl_dst=\fImac\fR
227 Matches Ethernet destination address \fImac\fR.
229 .IP \fBdl_type=\fIethertype\fR
230 Matches Ethernet protocol type \fIethertype\fR, which should be
231 specified as a integer between 0 and 65535, inclusive, either in
232 decimal or as a hexadecimal number prefixed by \fB0x\fR,
233 e.g. \fB0x0806\fR to match ARP packets.
235 .IP \fBnw_src=\fIip\fR[\fB/\fInetmask\fR]
236 Matches IPv4 source address \fIip\fR, which should be specified as an
237 IP address or host name, e.g. \fB192.168.1.1\fR or
238 \fBwww.example.com\fR. The optional \fInetmask\fR allows matching
239 only on an IPv4 address prefix. It may be specified as a dotted quad
240 (e.g. \fB192.168.1.0/255.255.255.0\fR) or as a count of bits
241 (e.g. \fB192.168.1.0/24\fR).
243 .IP \fBnw_dst=\fIip\fR[\fB/\fInetmask\fR]
244 Matches IPv4 destination address \fIip\fR.
246 .IP \fBnw_proto=\fIproto\fR
247 Matches IP protocol type \fIproto\fR, which should be specified as a
248 decimal number between 0 and 255, inclusive, e.g. 6 to match TCP
251 .IP \fBtp_src=\fIport\fR
252 Matches UDP or TCP source port \fIport\fR, which should be specified
253 as a decimal number between 0 and 65535, inclusive, e.g. 80 to match
254 packets originating from a HTTP server.
256 .IP \fBtp_dst=\fIport\fR
257 Matches UDP or TCP destination port \fIport\fR.
260 The following shorthand notations are also available:
263 Same as \fBdl_type=0x0800\fR.
266 Same as \fBdl_type=0x0800,nw_proto=1\fR.
269 Same as \fBdl_type=0x0800,nw_proto=6\fR.
272 Same as \fBdl_type=0x0800,nw_proto=17\fR.
275 Same as \fBdl_type=0x0806\fR.
278 The \fBadd-flow\fR and \fBadd-flows\fR commands require an additional field:
280 .IP \fIactions\fB=\fItarget\fR[\fB,\fItarget\fR...]\fR
281 Specifies a comma-separated list of actions to take on a packet when the
282 flow entry matches. The \fItarget\fR may be a decimal port number
283 designating the physical port on which to output the packet, or one of
284 the following keywords:
287 .IP \fBoutput\fR:\fIport\fR
288 Outputs the packet on the port specified by \fIport\fR.
291 Subjects the packet to the device's normal L2/L3 processing. (This
292 action is not implemented by all OpenFlow switches.)
295 Outputs the packet on all switch physical ports other than the port on
296 which it was received and any ports on which flooding is disabled
297 (typically, these would be ports disabled by the IEEE 802.1D spanning
301 Outputs the packet on all switch physical ports other than the port on
302 which it was received.
304 .IP \fBcontroller\fR:\fImax_len\fR
305 Sends the packet to the OpenFlow controller as a ``packet in''
306 message. If \fImax_len\fR is a number, then it specifies the maximum
307 number of bytes that should be sent. If \fImax_len\fR is \fBALL\fR or
308 omitted, then the entire packet is sent.
311 Outputs the packet on the ``local port,'' which corresponds to the
312 \fBof\fIn\fR network device (see \fBCONTACTING THE CONTROLLER\fR in
313 \fBsecchan\fR(8) for information on the \fBof\fIn\fR network device).
315 .IP \fBmod_vlan\fR:\fIvlan_id\fR
316 Modifies the VLAN tag on a packet. If \fIvlan_id\fR is a number, then
317 the VLAN tag is added or modified as necessary to match the value
318 specified. If \fIvlan_id\fR is \fBSTRIP\fR, then the VLAN tag is
319 stripped from the packet if one is present. (This action is not
320 implemented by all OpenFlow switches.)
324 (The OpenFlow protocol supports other actions that \fBdpctl\fR does
325 not yet expose to the user.)
328 The \fBadd-flow\fR, \fBadd-flows\fR, and \fBdel-flows\fR commands
329 support an additional optional field:
331 .IP \fBpriority=\fIvalue\fR
332 Sets the priority of the flow to be added or deleted to \fIvalue\fR,
333 which should be a number between 0 and 65535, inclusive. If this
334 field is not specified, it defaults to 32768.
337 The \fBadd-flow\fR and \fBadd-flows\fR commands support additional
341 \fBidle_timeout=\fIseconds\fR
342 Causes the flow to expire after the given number of seconds of
343 inactivity. A value of 0 prevents a flow from expiring due to
344 inactivity. The default is 60 seconds.
346 .IP \fBhard_timeout=\fIseconds\fR
347 Causes the flow to expire after the given number of seconds,
348 regardless of activity. A value of 0 (the default) gives the flow no
349 hard expiration deadline.
352 The \fBdump-flows\fR and \fBdump-aggregate\fR commands support an
353 additional optional field:
355 .IP \fBtable=\fInumber\fR
356 If specified, limits the flows about which statistics are gathered to
357 those in the table with the given \fInumber\fR. Tables are numbered
358 as shown by the \fBdump-tables\fR command.
360 If this field is not specified, or if \fInumber\fR is given as
361 \fB255\fR, statistics are gathered about flows from all tables.
365 \fB-t\fR, \fB--timeout=\fIsecs\fR
366 Limits \fBdpctl\fR runtime to approximately \fIsecs\fR seconds. If
367 the timeout expires, \fBdpctl\fR will exit with a \fBSIGALRM\fR
371 \fB-p\fR, \fB--private-key=\fIprivkey.pem\fR
372 Specifies a PEM file containing the private key used as the
373 identity for SSL connections to a switch.
376 \fB-c\fR, \fB--certificate=\fIcert.pem\fR
377 Specifies a PEM file containing a certificate, signed by the
378 controller's certificate authority (CA), that certifies the
379 private key to identify a trustworthy controller.
382 \fB-C\fR, \fB--ca-cert=\fIcacert.pem\fR
383 Specifies a PEM file containing the CA certificate used to verify that
384 a switch is trustworthy.
387 .BR \-h ", " \-\^\-help
388 Prints a brief help message to the console.
391 \fB-v\fImodule\fR[\fB:\fIfacility\fR[\fB:\fIlevel\fR]], \fB--verbose=\fImodule\fR[\fB:\fIfacility\fR[\fB:\fIlevel\fR]]
392 Sets the logging level for \fImodule\fR in \fIfacility\fR to
393 \fIlevel\fR. The \fImodule\fR may be any valid module name (as
394 displayed by the \fB--list\fR action on \fBvlogconf\fR(8)), or the
395 special name \fBANY\fR to set the logging levels for all modules. The
396 \fIfacility\fR may be \fBsyslog\fR or \fBconsole\fR to set the levels
397 for logging to the system log or to the console, respectively, or
398 \fBANY\fR to set the logging levels for both facilities. If it is
399 omitted, \fIfacility\fR defaults to \fBANY\fR. The \fIlevel\fR must
400 be one of \fBemer\fR, \fBerr\fR, \fBwarn\fR, or \fBdbg\fR, designating
401 the minimum severity of a message for it to be logged. If it is
402 omitted, \fIlevel\fR defaults to \fBdbg\fR.
405 \fB-v\fR, \fB--verbose\fR
406 Sets the maximum logging verbosity level, equivalent to
407 \fB--verbose=ANY:ANY:dbg\fR.
410 .BR \-V ", " \-\^\-version
411 Prints version information to the console.
415 A typical dpctl command sequence for controlling an OpenFlow kernel module:
418 Create datapath numbered 0:
420 .B % dpctl adddp nl:0
423 Add two network devices to the new datapath:
425 .B % dpctl addif nl:0 eth0
426 .B % dpctl addif nl:0 eth1
429 Monitor traffic received by the datapath (exit with control-C):
431 .B % dpctl monitor nl:0
435 View the datapath's table stats after some traffic has passed through:
437 .B % dpctl dump-tables nl:0
440 View the flow entries in the datapath:
442 .B % dpctl dump-flows nl:0
445 Remove network devices from the datapath when finished:
447 .B % dpctl delif nl:0 eth0
448 .B % dpctl delif nl:0 eth1
453 .B % dpctl deldp nl:0