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="flow-restore-wait"
76 type='{"type": "boolean"}'>
78 When <code>ovs-vswitchd</code> starts up, it has an empty flow table
79 and therefore it handles all arriving packets in its default fashion
80 according to its configuration, by dropping them or sending them to
81 an OpenFlow controller or switching them as a standalone switch.
82 This behavior is ordinarily desirable. However, if
83 <code>ovs-vswitchd</code> is restarting as part of a ``hot-upgrade,''
84 then this leads to a relatively long period during which packets are
88 This option allows for improvement. When <code>ovs-vswitchd</code>
89 starts with this value set as <code>true</code>, it will neither
90 flush or expire previously set datapath flows nor will it send and
91 receive any packets to or from the datapath. When this value is
92 later set to <code>false</code>, <code>ovs-vswitchd</code> will
93 start receiving packets from the datapath and re-setup the flows.
96 Thus, with this option, the procedure for a hot-upgrade of
97 <code>ovs-vswitchd</code> becomes roughly the following:
101 Stop <code>ovs-vswitchd</code>.
104 Set <ref column="other_config" key="flow-restore-wait"/>
105 to <code>true</code>.
108 Start <code>ovs-vswitchd</code>.
111 Use <code>ovs-ofctl</code> (or some other program, such as an
112 OpenFlow controller) to restore the OpenFlow flow table
113 to the desired state.
116 Set <ref column="other_config" key="flow-restore-wait"/>
117 to <code>false</code> (or remove it entirely from the database).
121 The <code>ovs-ctl</code>'s ``restart'' and ``force-reload-kmod''
122 functions use the above config option during hot upgrades.
126 <column name="other_config" key="flow-eviction-threshold"
127 type='{"type": "integer", "minInteger": 0}'>
129 A number of flows as a nonnegative integer. This sets number of
130 flows at which eviction from the datapath flow table will be
131 triggered. If there are a large number of flows then increasing this
132 value to around the number of flows present can result in reduced CPU
133 usage and packet loss.
136 The default is 2500. Values below 100 will be rounded up to 100.
140 <column name="other_config" key="force-miss-model">
142 Specifies userspace behaviour for handling flow misses. This takes
143 precedence over flow-eviction-threshold.
147 <dt><code>auto</code></dt>
148 <dd>Handle automatically based on the flow-eviction-threshold and
149 the flow setup governer (default, recommended).</dd>
150 <dt><code>with-facets</code></dt>
151 <dd>Always create facets. Expensive kernel flow creation and
152 statistics tracking is always performed, even on flows with only
153 a small number of packets.</dd>
154 <dt><code>without-facets</code></dt>
155 <dd>Always handle without facets. Forces flow misses to be handled
156 in userspace. May cause an increase in CPU usage and packet loss
157 on high throughput.</dd>
163 <group title="Status">
164 <column name="next_cfg">
165 Sequence number for client to increment. When a client modifies
166 any part of the database configuration and wishes to wait for
167 Open vSwitch to finish applying the changes, it may increment
168 this sequence number.
171 <column name="cur_cfg">
172 Sequence number that Open vSwitch sets to the current value of
173 <ref column="next_cfg"/> after it finishes applying a set of
174 configuration changes.
177 <group title="Statistics">
179 The <code>statistics</code> column contains key-value pairs that
180 report statistics about a system running an Open vSwitch. These are
181 updated periodically (currently, every 5 seconds). Key-value pairs
182 that cannot be determined or that do not apply to a platform are
186 <column name="other_config" key="enable-statistics"
187 type='{"type": "boolean"}'>
188 Statistics are disabled by default to avoid overhead in the common
189 case when statistics gathering is not useful. Set this value to
190 <code>true</code> to enable populating the <ref column="statistics"/>
191 column or to <code>false</code> to explicitly disable it.
194 <column name="statistics" key="cpu"
195 type='{"type": "integer", "minInteger": 1}'>
197 Number of CPU processors, threads, or cores currently online and
198 available to the operating system on which Open vSwitch is running,
199 as an integer. This may be less than the number installed, if some
200 are not online or if they are not available to the operating
204 Open vSwitch userspace processes are not multithreaded, but the
205 Linux kernel-based datapath is.
209 <column name="statistics" key="load_average">
210 A comma-separated list of three floating-point numbers,
211 representing the system load average over the last 1, 5, and 15
212 minutes, respectively.
215 <column name="statistics" key="memory">
217 A comma-separated list of integers, each of which represents a
218 quantity of memory in kilobytes that describes the operating
219 system on which Open vSwitch is running. In respective order,
224 <li>Total amount of RAM allocated to the OS.</li>
225 <li>RAM allocated to the OS that is in use.</li>
226 <li>RAM that can be flushed out to disk or otherwise discarded
227 if that space is needed for another purpose. This number is
228 necessarily less than or equal to the previous value.</li>
229 <li>Total disk space allocated for swap.</li>
230 <li>Swap space currently in use.</li>
234 On Linux, all five values can be determined and are included. On
235 other operating systems, only the first two values can be
236 determined, so the list will only have two values.
240 <column name="statistics" key="process_NAME">
242 One such key-value pair, with <code>NAME</code> replaced by
243 a process name, will exist for each running Open vSwitch
244 daemon process, with <var>name</var> replaced by the
245 daemon's name (e.g. <code>process_ovs-vswitchd</code>). The
246 value is a comma-separated list of integers. The integers
247 represent the following, with memory measured in kilobytes
248 and durations in milliseconds:
252 <li>The process's virtual memory size.</li>
253 <li>The process's resident set size.</li>
254 <li>The amount of user and system CPU time consumed by the
256 <li>The number of times that the process has crashed and been
257 automatically restarted by the monitor.</li>
258 <li>The duration since the process was started.</li>
259 <li>The duration for which the process has been running.</li>
263 The interpretation of some of these values depends on whether the
264 process was started with the <option>--monitor</option>. If it
265 was not, then the crash count will always be 0 and the two
266 durations will always be the same. If <option>--monitor</option>
267 was given, then the crash count may be positive; if it is, the
268 latter duration is the amount of time since the most recent crash
273 There will be one key-value pair for each file in Open vSwitch's
274 ``run directory'' (usually <code>/var/run/openvswitch</code>)
275 whose name ends in <code>.pid</code>, whose contents are a
276 process ID, and which is locked by a running process. The
277 <var>name</var> is taken from the pidfile's name.
281 Currently Open vSwitch is only able to obtain all of the above
282 detail on Linux systems. On other systems, the same key-value
283 pairs will be present but the values will always be the empty
288 <column name="statistics" key="file_systems">
290 A space-separated list of information on local, writable file
291 systems. Each item in the list describes one file system and
292 consists in turn of a comma-separated list of the following:
296 <li>Mount point, e.g. <code>/</code> or <code>/var/log</code>.
297 Any spaces or commas in the mount point are replaced by
299 <li>Total size, in kilobytes, as an integer.</li>
300 <li>Amount of storage in use, in kilobytes, as an integer.</li>
304 This key-value pair is omitted if there are no local, writable
305 file systems or if Open vSwitch cannot obtain the needed
312 <group title="Version Reporting">
314 These columns report the types and versions of the hardware and
315 software running Open vSwitch. We recommend in general that software
316 should test whether specific features are supported instead of relying
317 on version number checks. These values are primarily intended for
318 reporting to human administrators.
321 <column name="ovs_version">
322 The Open vSwitch version number, e.g. <code>1.1.0</code>.
325 <column name="db_version">
327 The database schema version number in the form
328 <code><var>major</var>.<var>minor</var>.<var>tweak</var></code>,
329 e.g. <code>1.2.3</code>. Whenever the database schema is changed in
330 a non-backward compatible way (e.g. deleting a column or a table),
331 <var>major</var> is incremented. When the database schema is changed
332 in a backward compatible way (e.g. adding a new column),
333 <var>minor</var> is incremented. When the database schema is changed
334 cosmetically (e.g. reindenting its syntax), <var>tweak</var> is
339 The schema version is part of the database schema, so it can also be
340 retrieved by fetching the schema using the Open vSwitch database
345 <column name="system_type">
347 An identifier for the type of system on top of which Open vSwitch
348 runs, e.g. <code>XenServer</code> or <code>KVM</code>.
351 System integrators are responsible for choosing and setting an
352 appropriate value for this column.
356 <column name="system_version">
358 The version of the system identified by <ref column="system_type"/>,
359 e.g. <code>5.6.100-39265p</code> on XenServer 5.6.100 build 39265.
362 System integrators are responsible for choosing and setting an
363 appropriate value for this column.
369 <group title="Database Configuration">
371 These columns primarily configure the Open vSwitch database
372 (<code>ovsdb-server</code>), not the Open vSwitch switch
373 (<code>ovs-vswitchd</code>). The OVSDB database also uses the <ref
374 column="ssl"/> settings.
378 The Open vSwitch switch does read the database configuration to
379 determine remote IP addresses to which in-band control should apply.
382 <column name="manager_options">
383 Database clients to which the Open vSwitch database server should
384 connect or to which it should listen, along with options for how these
385 connection should be configured. See the <ref table="Manager"/> table
386 for more information.
390 <group title="Common Columns">
391 The overall purpose of these columns is described under <code>Common
392 Columns</code> at the beginning of this document.
394 <column name="other_config"/>
395 <column name="external_ids"/>
399 <table name="Bridge">
401 Configuration for a bridge within an
402 <ref table="Open_vSwitch"/>.
405 A <ref table="Bridge"/> record represents an Ethernet switch with one or
406 more ``ports,'' which are the <ref table="Port"/> records pointed to by
407 the <ref table="Bridge"/>'s <ref column="ports"/> column.
410 <group title="Core Features">
412 Bridge identifier. Should be alphanumeric and no more than about 8
413 bytes long. Must be unique among the names of ports, interfaces, and
417 <column name="ports">
418 Ports included in the bridge.
421 <column name="mirrors">
422 Port mirroring configuration.
425 <column name="netflow">
426 NetFlow configuration.
429 <column name="sflow">
430 sFlow(R) configuration.
433 <column name="ipfix">
437 <column name="flood_vlans">
439 VLAN IDs of VLANs on which MAC address learning should be disabled,
440 so that packets are flooded instead of being sent to specific ports
441 that are believed to contain packets' destination MACs. This should
442 ordinarily be used to disable MAC learning on VLANs used for
443 mirroring (RSPAN VLANs). It may also be useful for debugging.
446 SLB bonding (see the <ref table="Port" column="bond_mode"/> column in
447 the <ref table="Port"/> table) is incompatible with
448 <code>flood_vlans</code>. Consider using another bonding mode or
449 a different type of mirror instead.
454 <group title="OpenFlow Configuration">
455 <column name="controller">
457 OpenFlow controller set. If unset, then no OpenFlow controllers
462 If there are primary controllers, removing all of them clears the
463 flow table. If there are no primary controllers, adding one also
464 clears the flow table. Other changes to the set of controllers, such
465 as adding or removing a service controller, adding another primary
466 controller to supplement an existing primary controller, or removing
467 only one of two primary controllers, have no effect on the flow
472 <column name="flow_tables">
473 Configuration for OpenFlow tables. Each pair maps from an OpenFlow
474 table ID to configuration for that table.
477 <column name="fail_mode">
478 <p>When a controller is configured, it is, ordinarily, responsible
479 for setting up all flows on the switch. Thus, if the connection to
480 the controller fails, no new network connections can be set up.
481 If the connection to the controller stays down long enough,
482 no packets can pass through the switch at all. This setting
483 determines the switch's response to such a situation. It may be set
484 to one of the following:
486 <dt><code>standalone</code></dt>
487 <dd>If no message is received from the controller for three
488 times the inactivity probe interval
489 (see <ref column="inactivity_probe"/>), then Open vSwitch
490 will take over responsibility for setting up flows. In
491 this mode, Open vSwitch causes the bridge to act like an
492 ordinary MAC-learning switch. Open vSwitch will continue
493 to retry connecting to the controller in the background
494 and, when the connection succeeds, it will discontinue its
495 standalone behavior.</dd>
496 <dt><code>secure</code></dt>
497 <dd>Open vSwitch will not set up flows on its own when the
498 controller connection fails or when no controllers are
499 defined. The bridge will continue to retry connecting to
500 any defined controllers forever.</dd>
504 The default is <code>standalone</code> if the value is unset, but
505 future versions of Open vSwitch may change the default.
508 The <code>standalone</code> mode can create forwarding loops on a
509 bridge that has more than one uplink port unless STP is enabled. To
510 avoid loops on such a bridge, configure <code>secure</code> mode or
511 enable STP (see <ref column="stp_enable"/>).
513 <p>When more than one controller is configured,
514 <ref column="fail_mode"/> is considered only when none of the
515 configured controllers can be contacted.</p>
517 Changing <ref column="fail_mode"/> when no primary controllers are
518 configured clears the flow table.
522 <column name="datapath_id">
523 Reports the OpenFlow datapath ID in use. Exactly 16 hex digits.
524 (Setting this column has no useful effect. Set <ref
525 column="other-config" key="datapath-id"/> instead.)
528 <column name="other_config" key="datapath-id">
529 Exactly 16 hex digits to set the OpenFlow datapath ID to a specific
530 value. May not be all-zero.
533 <column name="other_config" key="dp-desc">
534 Human readable description of datapath. It it a maximum 256
535 byte-long free-form string to describe the datapath for
536 debugging purposes, e.g. <code>switch3 in room 3120</code>.
539 <column name="other_config" key="disable-in-band"
540 type='{"type": "boolean"}'>
541 If set to <code>true</code>, disable in-band control on the bridge
542 regardless of controller and manager settings.
545 <column name="other_config" key="in-band-queue"
546 type='{"type": "integer", "minInteger": 0, "maxInteger": 4294967295}'>
547 A queue ID as a nonnegative integer. This sets the OpenFlow queue ID
548 that will be used by flows set up by in-band control on this bridge.
549 If unset, or if the port used by an in-band control flow does not have
550 QoS configured, or if the port does not have a queue with the specified
551 ID, the default queue is used instead.
554 <column name="protocols">
555 List of OpenFlow protocols that may be used when negotiating a
556 connection with a controller. A default value of
557 <code>OpenFlow10</code> will be used if this column is empty.
561 <group title="Spanning Tree Configuration">
562 The IEEE 802.1D Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) is a network protocol
563 that ensures loop-free topologies. It allows redundant links to
564 be included in the network to provide automatic backup paths if
565 the active links fails.
567 <column name="stp_enable">
568 Enable spanning tree on the bridge. By default, STP is disabled
569 on bridges. Bond, internal, and mirror ports are not supported
570 and will not participate in the spanning tree.
573 <column name="other_config" key="stp-system-id">
574 The bridge's STP identifier (the lower 48 bits of the bridge-id)
576 <var>xx</var>:<var>xx</var>:<var>xx</var>:<var>xx</var>:<var>xx</var>:<var>xx</var>.
577 By default, the identifier is the MAC address of the bridge.
580 <column name="other_config" key="stp-priority"
581 type='{"type": "integer", "minInteger": 0, "maxInteger": 65535}'>
582 The bridge's relative priority value for determining the root
583 bridge (the upper 16 bits of the bridge-id). A bridge with the
584 lowest bridge-id is elected the root. By default, the priority
588 <column name="other_config" key="stp-hello-time"
589 type='{"type": "integer", "minInteger": 1, "maxInteger": 10}'>
590 The interval between transmissions of hello messages by
591 designated ports, in seconds. By default the hello interval is
595 <column name="other_config" key="stp-max-age"
596 type='{"type": "integer", "minInteger": 6, "maxInteger": 40}'>
597 The maximum age of the information transmitted by the bridge
598 when it is the root bridge, in seconds. By default, the maximum
602 <column name="other_config" key="stp-forward-delay"
603 type='{"type": "integer", "minInteger": 4, "maxInteger": 30}'>
604 The delay to wait between transitioning root and designated
605 ports to <code>forwarding</code>, in seconds. By default, the
606 forwarding delay is 15 seconds.
610 <group title="Other Features">
611 <column name="datapath_type">
612 Name of datapath provider. The kernel datapath has
613 type <code>system</code>. The userspace datapath has
614 type <code>netdev</code>.
617 <column name="external_ids" key="bridge-id">
618 A unique identifier of the bridge. On Citrix XenServer this will
619 commonly be the same as
620 <ref column="external_ids" key="xs-network-uuids"/>.
623 <column name="external_ids" key="xs-network-uuids">
624 Semicolon-delimited set of universally unique identifier(s) for the
625 network with which this bridge is associated on a Citrix XenServer
626 host. The network identifiers are RFC 4122 UUIDs as displayed by,
627 e.g., <code>xe network-list</code>.
630 <column name="other_config" key="hwaddr">
631 An Ethernet address in the form
632 <var>xx</var>:<var>xx</var>:<var>xx</var>:<var>xx</var>:<var>xx</var>:<var>xx</var>
633 to set the hardware address of the local port and influence the
637 <column name="other_config" key="forward-bpdu"
638 type='{"type": "boolean"}'>
639 Option to allow forwarding of BPDU frames when NORMAL action is
640 invoked. Frames with reserved Ethernet addresses (e.g. STP
641 BPDU) will be forwarded when this option is enabled and the
642 switch is not providing that functionality. If STP is enabled
643 on the port, STP BPDUs will never be forwarded. If the Open
644 vSwitch bridge is used to connect different Ethernet networks,
645 and if Open vSwitch node does not run STP, then this option
646 should be enabled. Default is disabled, set to
647 <code>true</code> to enable.
649 The following destination MAC addresss will not be forwarded when this
652 <dt><code>01:80:c2:00:00:00</code></dt>
653 <dd>IEEE 802.1D Spanning Tree Protocol (STP).</dd>
655 <dt><code>01:80:c2:00:00:01</code></dt>
656 <dd>IEEE Pause frame.</dd>
658 <dt><code>01:80:c2:00:00:0<var>x</var></code></dt>
659 <dd>Other reserved protocols.</dd>
661 <dt><code>00:e0:2b:00:00:00</code></dt>
662 <dd>Extreme Discovery Protocol (EDP).</dd>
665 <code>00:e0:2b:00:00:04</code> and <code>00:e0:2b:00:00:06</code>
667 <dd>Ethernet Automatic Protection Switching (EAPS).</dd>
669 <dt><code>01:00:0c:cc:cc:cc</code></dt>
671 Cisco Discovery Protocol (CDP), VLAN Trunking Protocol (VTP),
672 Dynamic Trunking Protocol (DTP), Port Aggregation Protocol (PAgP),
676 <dt><code>01:00:0c:cc:cc:cd</code></dt>
677 <dd>Cisco Shared Spanning Tree Protocol PVSTP+.</dd>
679 <dt><code>01:00:0c:cd:cd:cd</code></dt>
680 <dd>Cisco STP Uplink Fast.</dd>
682 <dt><code>01:00:0c:00:00:00</code></dt>
683 <dd>Cisco Inter Switch Link.</dd>
685 <dt><code>01:00:0c:cc:cc:c<var>x</var></code></dt>
690 <column name="other_config" key="mac-aging-time"
691 type='{"type": "integer", "minInteger": 1}'>
693 The maximum number of seconds to retain a MAC learning entry for
694 which no packets have been seen. The default is currently 300
695 seconds (5 minutes). The value, if specified, is forced into a
696 reasonable range, currently 15 to 3600 seconds.
700 A short MAC aging time allows a network to more quickly detect that a
701 host is no longer connected to a switch port. However, it also makes
702 it more likely that packets will be flooded unnecessarily, when they
703 are addressed to a connected host that rarely transmits packets. To
704 reduce the incidence of unnecessary flooding, use a MAC aging time
705 longer than the maximum interval at which a host will ordinarily
710 <column name="other_config" key="mac-table-size"
711 type='{"type": "integer", "minInteger": 1}'>
713 The maximum number of MAC addresses to learn. The default is
714 currently 2048. The value, if specified, is forced into a reasonable
715 range, currently 10 to 1,000,000.
720 <group title="Bridge Status">
722 Status information about bridges.
724 <column name="status">
725 Key-value pairs that report bridge status.
727 <column name="status" key="stp_bridge_id">
729 The bridge-id (in hex) used in spanning tree advertisements.
730 Configuring the bridge-id is described in the
731 <code>stp-system-id</code> and <code>stp-priority</code> keys
732 of the <code>other_config</code> section earlier.
735 <column name="status" key="stp_designated_root">
737 The designated root (in hex) for this spanning tree.
740 <column name="status" key="stp_root_path_cost">
742 The path cost of reaching the designated bridge. A lower
748 <group title="Common Columns">
749 The overall purpose of these columns is described under <code>Common
750 Columns</code> at the beginning of this document.
752 <column name="other_config"/>
753 <column name="external_ids"/>
757 <table name="Port" table="Port or bond configuration.">
758 <p>A port within a <ref table="Bridge"/>.</p>
759 <p>Most commonly, a port has exactly one ``interface,'' pointed to by its
760 <ref column="interfaces"/> column. Such a port logically
761 corresponds to a port on a physical Ethernet switch. A port
762 with more than one interface is a ``bonded port'' (see
763 <ref group="Bonding Configuration"/>).</p>
764 <p>Some properties that one might think as belonging to a port are actually
765 part of the port's <ref table="Interface"/> members.</p>
768 Port name. Should be alphanumeric and no more than about 8
769 bytes long. May be the same as the interface name, for
770 non-bonded ports. Must otherwise be unique among the names of
771 ports, interfaces, and bridges on a host.
774 <column name="interfaces">
775 The port's interfaces. If there is more than one, this is a
779 <group title="VLAN Configuration">
780 <p>Bridge ports support the following types of VLAN configuration:</p>
785 A trunk port carries packets on one or more specified VLANs
786 specified in the <ref column="trunks"/> column (often, on every
787 VLAN). A packet that ingresses on a trunk port is in the VLAN
788 specified in its 802.1Q header, or VLAN 0 if the packet has no
789 802.1Q header. A packet that egresses through a trunk port will
790 have an 802.1Q header if it has a nonzero VLAN ID.
794 Any packet that ingresses on a trunk port tagged with a VLAN that
795 the port does not trunk is dropped.
802 An access port carries packets on exactly one VLAN specified in the
803 <ref column="tag"/> column. Packets egressing on an access port
804 have no 802.1Q header.
808 Any packet with an 802.1Q header with a nonzero VLAN ID that
809 ingresses on an access port is dropped, regardless of whether the
810 VLAN ID in the header is the access port's VLAN ID.
814 <dt>native-tagged</dt>
816 A native-tagged port resembles a trunk port, with the exception that
817 a packet without an 802.1Q header that ingresses on a native-tagged
818 port is in the ``native VLAN'' (specified in the <ref column="tag"/>
822 <dt>native-untagged</dt>
824 A native-untagged port resembles a native-tagged port, with the
825 exception that a packet that egresses on a native-untagged port in
826 the native VLAN will not have an 802.1Q header.
830 A packet will only egress through bridge ports that carry the VLAN of
831 the packet, as described by the rules above.
834 <column name="vlan_mode">
836 The VLAN mode of the port, as described above. When this column is
837 empty, a default mode is selected as follows:
841 If <ref column="tag"/> contains a value, the port is an access
842 port. The <ref column="trunks"/> column should be empty.
845 Otherwise, the port is a trunk port. The <ref column="trunks"/>
846 column value is honored if it is present.
853 For an access port, the port's implicitly tagged VLAN. For a
854 native-tagged or native-untagged port, the port's native VLAN. Must
855 be empty if this is a trunk port.
859 <column name="trunks">
861 For a trunk, native-tagged, or native-untagged port, the 802.1Q VLAN
862 or VLANs that this port trunks; if it is empty, then the port trunks
863 all VLANs. Must be empty if this is an access port.
866 A native-tagged or native-untagged port always trunks its native
867 VLAN, regardless of whether <ref column="trunks"/> includes that
872 <column name="other_config" key="priority-tags"
873 type='{"type": "boolean"}'>
875 An 802.1Q header contains two important pieces of information: a VLAN
876 ID and a priority. A frame with a zero VLAN ID, called a
877 ``priority-tagged'' frame, is supposed to be treated the same way as
878 a frame without an 802.1Q header at all (except for the priority).
882 However, some network elements ignore any frame that has 802.1Q
883 header at all, even when the VLAN ID is zero. Therefore, by default
884 Open vSwitch does not output priority-tagged frames, instead omitting
885 the 802.1Q header entirely if the VLAN ID is zero. Set this key to
886 <code>true</code> to enable priority-tagged frames on a port.
890 Regardless of this setting, Open vSwitch omits the 802.1Q header on
891 output if both the VLAN ID and priority would be zero.
895 All frames output to native-tagged ports have a nonzero VLAN ID, so
896 this setting is not meaningful on native-tagged ports.
901 <group title="Bonding Configuration">
902 <p>A port that has more than one interface is a ``bonded port.'' Bonding
903 allows for load balancing and fail-over.</p>
906 The following types of bonding will work with any kind of upstream
907 switch. On the upstream switch, do not configure the interfaces as a
912 <dt><code>balance-slb</code></dt>
914 Balances flows among slaves based on source MAC address and output
915 VLAN, with periodic rebalancing as traffic patterns change.
918 <dt><code>active-backup</code></dt>
920 Assigns all flows to one slave, failing over to a backup slave when
921 the active slave is disabled. This is the only bonding mode in which
922 interfaces may be plugged into different upstream switches.
927 The following modes require the upstream switch to support 802.3ad with
928 successful LACP negotiation:
932 <dt><code>balance-tcp</code></dt>
934 Balances flows among slaves based on L2, L3, and L4 protocol
935 information such as destination MAC address, IP address, and TCP
940 <p>These columns apply only to bonded ports. Their values are
941 otherwise ignored.</p>
943 <column name="bond_mode">
944 <p>The type of bonding used for a bonded port. Defaults to
945 <code>active-backup</code> if unset.
949 <column name="other_config" key="bond-hash-basis"
950 type='{"type": "integer"}'>
951 An integer hashed along with flows when choosing output slaves in load
952 balanced bonds. When changed, all flows will be assigned different
953 hash values possibly causing slave selection decisions to change. Does
954 not affect bonding modes which do not employ load balancing such as
955 <code>active-backup</code>.
958 <group title="Link Failure Detection">
960 An important part of link bonding is detecting that links are down so
961 that they may be disabled. These settings determine how Open vSwitch
962 detects link failure.
965 <column name="other_config" key="bond-detect-mode"
966 type='{"type": "string", "enum": ["set", ["carrier", "miimon"]]}'>
967 The means used to detect link failures. Defaults to
968 <code>carrier</code> which uses each interface's carrier to detect
969 failures. When set to <code>miimon</code>, will check for failures
970 by polling each interface's MII.
973 <column name="other_config" key="bond-miimon-interval"
974 type='{"type": "integer"}'>
975 The interval, in milliseconds, between successive attempts to poll
976 each interface's MII. Relevant only when <ref column="other_config"
977 key="bond-detect-mode"/> is <code>miimon</code>.
980 <column name="bond_updelay">
982 The number of milliseconds for which the link must stay up on an
983 interface before the interface is considered to be up. Specify
984 <code>0</code> to enable the interface immediately.
988 This setting is honored only when at least one bonded interface is
989 already enabled. When no interfaces are enabled, then the first
990 bond interface to come up is enabled immediately.
994 <column name="bond_downdelay">
995 The number of milliseconds for which the link must stay down on an
996 interface before the interface is considered to be down. Specify
997 <code>0</code> to disable the interface immediately.
1001 <group title="LACP Configuration">
1003 LACP, the Link Aggregation Control Protocol, is an IEEE standard that
1004 allows switches to automatically detect that they are connected by
1005 multiple links and aggregate across those links. These settings
1006 control LACP behavior.
1009 <column name="lacp">
1010 Configures LACP on this port. LACP allows directly connected
1011 switches to negotiate which links may be bonded. LACP may be enabled
1012 on non-bonded ports for the benefit of any switches they may be
1013 connected to. <code>active</code> ports are allowed to initiate LACP
1014 negotiations. <code>passive</code> ports are allowed to participate
1015 in LACP negotiations initiated by a remote switch, but not allowed to
1016 initiate such negotiations themselves. If LACP is enabled on a port
1017 whose partner switch does not support LACP, the bond will be
1018 disabled. Defaults to <code>off</code> if unset.
1021 <column name="other_config" key="lacp-system-id">
1022 The LACP system ID of this <ref table="Port"/>. The system ID of a
1023 LACP bond is used to identify itself to its partners. Must be a
1024 nonzero MAC address. Defaults to the bridge Ethernet address if
1028 <column name="other_config" key="lacp-system-priority"
1029 type='{"type": "integer", "minInteger": 1, "maxInteger": 65535}'>
1030 The LACP system priority of this <ref table="Port"/>. In LACP
1031 negotiations, link status decisions are made by the system with the
1032 numerically lower priority.
1035 <column name="other_config" key="lacp-time"
1036 type='{"type": "string", "enum": ["set", ["fast", "slow"]]}'>
1038 The LACP timing which should be used on this <ref table="Port"/>.
1039 By default <code>slow</code> is used. When configured to be
1040 <code>fast</code> LACP heartbeats are requested at a rate of once
1041 per second causing connectivity problems to be detected more
1042 quickly. In <code>slow</code> mode, heartbeats are requested at a
1043 rate of once every 30 seconds.
1048 <group title="Rebalancing Configuration">
1050 These settings control behavior when a bond is in
1051 <code>balance-slb</code> or <code>balance-tcp</code> mode.
1054 <column name="other_config" key="bond-rebalance-interval"
1055 type='{"type": "integer", "minInteger": 0, "maxInteger": 10000}'>
1056 For a load balanced bonded port, the number of milliseconds between
1057 successive attempts to rebalance the bond, that is, to move flows
1058 from one interface on the bond to another in an attempt to keep usage
1059 of each interface roughly equal. If zero, load balancing is disabled
1060 on the bond (link failure still cause flows to move). If
1061 less than 1000ms, the rebalance interval will be 1000ms.
1065 <column name="bond_fake_iface">
1066 For a bonded port, whether to create a fake internal interface with the
1067 name of the port. Use only for compatibility with legacy software that
1072 <group title="Spanning Tree Configuration">
1073 <column name="other_config" key="stp-enable"
1074 type='{"type": "boolean"}'>
1075 If spanning tree is enabled on the bridge, member ports are
1076 enabled by default (with the exception of bond, internal, and
1077 mirror ports which do not work with STP). If this column's
1078 value is <code>false</code> spanning tree is disabled on the
1082 <column name="other_config" key="stp-port-num"
1083 type='{"type": "integer", "minInteger": 1, "maxInteger": 255}'>
1084 The port number used for the lower 8 bits of the port-id. By
1085 default, the numbers will be assigned automatically. If any
1086 port's number is manually configured on a bridge, then they
1090 <column name="other_config" key="stp-port-priority"
1091 type='{"type": "integer", "minInteger": 0, "maxInteger": 255}'>
1092 The port's relative priority value for determining the root
1093 port (the upper 8 bits of the port-id). A port with a lower
1094 port-id will be chosen as the root port. By default, the
1098 <column name="other_config" key="stp-path-cost"
1099 type='{"type": "integer", "minInteger": 0, "maxInteger": 65535}'>
1100 Spanning tree path cost for the port. A lower number indicates
1101 a faster link. By default, the cost is based on the maximum
1106 <group title="Other Features">
1108 Quality of Service configuration for this port.
1112 The MAC address to use for this port for the purpose of choosing the
1113 bridge's MAC address. This column does not necessarily reflect the
1114 port's actual MAC address, nor will setting it change the port's actual
1118 <column name="fake_bridge">
1119 Does this port represent a sub-bridge for its tagged VLAN within the
1120 Bridge? See ovs-vsctl(8) for more information.
1123 <column name="external_ids" key="fake-bridge-id-*">
1124 External IDs for a fake bridge (see the <ref column="fake_bridge"/>
1125 column) are defined by prefixing a <ref table="Bridge"/> <ref
1126 table="Bridge" column="external_ids"/> key with
1127 <code>fake-bridge-</code>,
1128 e.g. <code>fake-bridge-xs-network-uuids</code>.
1132 <group title="Port Status">
1134 Status information about ports attached to bridges.
1136 <column name="status">
1137 Key-value pairs that report port status.
1139 <column name="status" key="stp_port_id">
1141 The port-id (in hex) used in spanning tree advertisements for
1142 this port. Configuring the port-id is described in the
1143 <code>stp-port-num</code> and <code>stp-port-priority</code>
1144 keys of the <code>other_config</code> section earlier.
1147 <column name="status" key="stp_state"
1148 type='{"type": "string", "enum": ["set",
1149 ["disabled", "listening", "learning",
1150 "forwarding", "blocking"]]}'>
1152 STP state of the port.
1155 <column name="status" key="stp_sec_in_state"
1156 type='{"type": "integer", "minInteger": 0}'>
1158 The amount of time (in seconds) port has been in the current
1162 <column name="status" key="stp_role"
1163 type='{"type": "string", "enum": ["set",
1164 ["root", "designated", "alternate"]]}'>
1166 STP role of the port.
1171 <group title="Port Statistics">
1173 Key-value pairs that report port statistics.
1175 <group title="Statistics: STP transmit and receive counters">
1176 <column name="statistics" key="stp_tx_count">
1177 Number of STP BPDUs sent on this port by the spanning
1180 <column name="statistics" key="stp_rx_count">
1181 Number of STP BPDUs received on this port and accepted by the
1182 spanning tree library.
1184 <column name="statistics" key="stp_error_count">
1185 Number of bad STP BPDUs received on this port. Bad BPDUs
1186 include runt packets and those with an unexpected protocol ID.
1191 <group title="Common Columns">
1192 The overall purpose of these columns is described under <code>Common
1193 Columns</code> at the beginning of this document.
1195 <column name="other_config"/>
1196 <column name="external_ids"/>
1200 <table name="Interface" title="One physical network device in a Port.">
1201 An interface within a <ref table="Port"/>.
1203 <group title="Core Features">
1204 <column name="name">
1205 Interface name. Should be alphanumeric and no more than about 8 bytes
1206 long. May be the same as the port name, for non-bonded ports. Must
1207 otherwise be unique among the names of ports, interfaces, and bridges
1211 <column name="ifindex">
1212 A positive interface index as defined for SNMP MIB-II in RFCs 1213 and
1213 2863, if the interface has one, otherwise 0. The ifindex is useful for
1214 seamless integration with protocols such as SNMP and sFlow.
1217 <column name="mac_in_use">
1218 The MAC address in use by this interface.
1222 <p>Ethernet address to set for this interface. If unset then the
1223 default MAC address is used:</p>
1225 <li>For the local interface, the default is the lowest-numbered MAC
1226 address among the other bridge ports, either the value of the
1227 <ref table="Port" column="mac"/> in its <ref table="Port"/> record,
1228 if set, or its actual MAC (for bonded ports, the MAC of its slave
1229 whose name is first in alphabetical order). Internal ports and
1230 bridge ports that are used as port mirroring destinations (see the
1231 <ref table="Mirror"/> table) are ignored.</li>
1232 <li>For other internal interfaces, the default MAC is randomly
1234 <li>External interfaces typically have a MAC address associated with
1235 their hardware.</li>
1237 <p>Some interfaces may not have a software-controllable MAC
1241 <column name="ofport">
1242 <p>OpenFlow port number for this interface. Unlike most columns, this
1243 column's value should be set only by Open vSwitch itself. Other
1244 clients should set this column to an empty set (the default) when
1245 creating an <ref table="Interface"/>.</p>
1246 <p>Open vSwitch populates this column when the port number becomes
1247 known. If the interface is successfully added,
1248 <ref column="ofport"/> will be set to a number between 1 and 65535
1249 (generally either in the range 1 to 65279, inclusive, or 65534, the
1250 port number for the OpenFlow ``local port''). If the interface
1251 cannot be added then Open vSwitch sets this column
1253 <p>When <ref column="ofport_request"/> is not set, Open vSwitch picks
1254 an appropriate value for this column and then tries to keep the value
1255 constant across restarts.</p>
1258 <column name="ofport_request">
1259 <p>Requested OpenFlow port number for this interface. The port
1260 number must be between 1 and 65279, inclusive. Some datapaths
1261 cannot satisfy all requests for particular port numbers. When
1262 this column is empty or the request cannot be fulfilled, the
1263 system will choose a free port. The <ref column="ofport"/>
1264 column reports the assigned OpenFlow port number.</p>
1265 <p>The port number must be requested in the same transaction
1266 that creates the port.</p>
1270 <group title="System-Specific Details">
1271 <column name="type">
1273 The interface type, one of:
1277 <dt><code>system</code></dt>
1278 <dd>An ordinary network device, e.g. <code>eth0</code> on Linux.
1279 Sometimes referred to as ``external interfaces'' since they are
1280 generally connected to hardware external to that on which the Open
1281 vSwitch is running. The empty string is a synonym for
1282 <code>system</code>.</dd>
1284 <dt><code>internal</code></dt>
1285 <dd>A simulated network device that sends and receives traffic. An
1286 internal interface whose <ref column="name"/> is the same as its
1287 bridge's <ref table="Open_vSwitch" column="name"/> is called the
1288 ``local interface.'' It does not make sense to bond an internal
1289 interface, so the terms ``port'' and ``interface'' are often used
1290 imprecisely for internal interfaces.</dd>
1292 <dt><code>tap</code></dt>
1293 <dd>A TUN/TAP device managed by Open vSwitch.</dd>
1295 <dt><code>gre</code></dt>
1297 An Ethernet over RFC 2890 Generic Routing Encapsulation over IPv4
1301 <dt><code>ipsec_gre</code></dt>
1303 An Ethernet over RFC 2890 Generic Routing Encapsulation over IPv4
1307 <dt><code>gre64</code></dt>
1309 It is same as GRE, but it allows 64 bit key. To store higher 32-bits
1310 of key, it uses GRE protocol sequence number field. This is non
1311 standard use of GRE protocol since OVS does not increment
1312 sequence number for every packet at time of encap as expected by
1313 standard GRE implementation. See <ref group="Tunnel Options"/>
1314 for information on configuring GRE tunnels.
1317 <dt><code>ipsec_gre64</code></dt>
1319 Same as IPSEC_GRE except 64 bit key.
1322 <dt><code>vxlan</code></dt>
1325 An Ethernet tunnel over the experimental, UDP-based VXLAN
1326 protocol described at
1327 <code>http://tools.ietf.org/html/draft-mahalingam-dutt-dcops-vxlan-03</code>.
1328 VXLAN is currently supported only with the Linux kernel datapath
1329 with kernel version 2.6.26 or later.
1332 Open vSwitch uses UDP destination port 4789. The source port used for
1333 VXLAN traffic varies on a per-flow basis and is in the ephemeral port
1338 <dt><code>lisp</code></dt>
1340 A layer 3 tunnel over the experimental, UDP-based Locator/ID
1341 Separation Protocol (RFC 6830). LISP is currently supported only
1342 with the Linux kernel datapath with kernel version 2.6.26 or later.
1345 <dt><code>patch</code></dt>
1347 A pair of virtual devices that act as a patch cable.
1350 <dt><code>null</code></dt>
1351 <dd>An ignored interface. Deprecated and slated for removal in
1357 <group title="Tunnel Options">
1359 These options apply to interfaces with <ref column="type"/> of
1360 <code>gre</code>, <code>ipsec_gre</code>, <code>gre64</code>,
1361 <code>ipsec_gre64</code>, <code>vxlan</code>, and <code>lisp</code>.
1365 Each tunnel must be uniquely identified by the combination of <ref
1366 column="type"/>, <ref column="options" key="remote_ip"/>, <ref
1367 column="options" key="local_ip"/>, and <ref column="options"
1368 key="in_key"/>. If two ports are defined that are the same except one
1369 has an optional identifier and the other does not, the more specific
1370 one is matched first. <ref column="options" key="in_key"/> is
1371 considered more specific than <ref column="options" key="local_ip"/> if
1372 a port defines one and another port defines the other.
1375 <column name="options" key="remote_ip">
1376 <p>Required. The remote tunnel endpoint, one of:</p>
1380 An IPv4 address (not a DNS name), e.g. <code>192.168.0.123</code>.
1381 Only unicast endpoints are supported.
1384 The word <code>flow</code>. The tunnel accepts packets from any
1385 remote tunnel endpoint. To process only packets from a specific
1386 remote tunnel endpoint, the flow entries may match on the
1387 <code>tun_src</code> field. When sending packets to a
1388 <code>remote_ip=flow</code> tunnel, the flow actions must
1389 explicitly set the <code>tun_dst</code> field to the IP address of
1390 the desired remote tunnel endpoint, e.g. with a
1391 <code>set_field</code> action.
1396 The remote tunnel endpoint for any packet received from a tunnel
1397 is available in the <code>tun_src</code> field for matching in the
1402 <column name="options" key="local_ip">
1404 Optional. The tunnel destination IP that received packets must
1405 match. Default is to match all addresses. If specified, may be one
1411 An IPv4 address (not a DNS name), e.g. <code>192.168.12.3</code>.
1414 The word <code>flow</code>. The tunnel accepts packets sent to any
1415 of the local IP addresses of the system running OVS. To process
1416 only packets sent to a specific IP address, the flow entries may
1417 match on the <code>tun_dst</code> field. When sending packets to a
1418 <code>local_ip=flow</code> tunnel, the flow actions may
1419 explicitly set the <code>tun_src</code> field to the desired IP
1420 address, e.g. with a <code>set_field</code> action. However, while
1421 routing the tunneled packet out, the local system may override the
1422 specified address with the local IP address configured for the
1423 outgoing system interface.
1426 This option is valid only for tunnels also configured with the
1427 <code>remote_ip=flow</code> option.
1433 The tunnel destination IP address for any packet received from a
1434 tunnel is available in the <code>tun_dst</code> field for matching in
1439 <column name="options" key="in_key">
1440 <p>Optional. The key that received packets must contain, one of:</p>
1444 <code>0</code>. The tunnel receives packets with no key or with a
1445 key of 0. This is equivalent to specifying no <ref column="options"
1446 key="in_key"/> at all.
1449 A positive 24-bit (for VXLAN and LISP), 32-bit (for GRE) or 64-bit
1450 (for GRE64) number. The tunnel receives only packets with the
1454 The word <code>flow</code>. The tunnel accepts packets with any
1455 key. The key will be placed in the <code>tun_id</code> field for
1456 matching in the flow table. The <code>ovs-ofctl</code> manual page
1457 contains additional information about matching fields in OpenFlow
1466 <column name="options" key="out_key">
1467 <p>Optional. The key to be set on outgoing packets, one of:</p>
1471 <code>0</code>. Packets sent through the tunnel will have no key.
1472 This is equivalent to specifying no <ref column="options"
1473 key="out_key"/> at all.
1476 A positive 24-bit (for VXLAN and LISP), 32-bit (for GRE) or 64-bit
1477 (for GRE64) number. Packets sent through the tunnel will have the
1481 The word <code>flow</code>. Packets sent through the tunnel will
1482 have the key set using the <code>set_tunnel</code> Nicira OpenFlow
1483 vendor extension (0 is used in the absence of an action). The
1484 <code>ovs-ofctl</code> manual page contains additional information
1485 about the Nicira OpenFlow vendor extensions.
1490 <column name="options" key="key">
1491 Optional. Shorthand to set <code>in_key</code> and
1492 <code>out_key</code> at the same time.
1495 <column name="options" key="tos">
1496 Optional. The value of the ToS bits to be set on the encapsulating
1497 packet. ToS is interpreted as DSCP and ECN bits, ECN part must be
1498 zero. It may also be the word <code>inherit</code>, in which case
1499 the ToS will be copied from the inner packet if it is IPv4 or IPv6
1500 (otherwise it will be 0). The ECN fields are always inherited.
1504 <column name="options" key="ttl">
1505 Optional. The TTL to be set on the encapsulating packet. It may also
1506 be the word <code>inherit</code>, in which case the TTL will be copied
1507 from the inner packet if it is IPv4 or IPv6 (otherwise it will be the
1508 system default, typically 64). Default is the system default TTL.
1511 <column name="options" key="df_default"
1512 type='{"type": "boolean"}'>
1513 Optional. If enabled, the Don't Fragment bit will be set on tunnel
1514 outer headers to allow path MTU discovery. Default is enabled; set
1515 to <code>false</code> to disable.
1518 <group title="Tunnel Options: gre and ipsec_gre only">
1520 Only <code>gre</code> and <code>ipsec_gre</code> interfaces support
1524 <column name="options" key="csum" type='{"type": "boolean"}'>
1526 Optional. Compute GRE checksums on outgoing packets. Default is
1527 disabled, set to <code>true</code> to enable. Checksums present on
1528 incoming packets will be validated regardless of this setting.
1532 GRE checksums impose a significant performance penalty because they
1533 cover the entire packet. The encapsulated L3, L4, and L7 packet
1534 contents typically have their own checksums, so this additional
1535 checksum only adds value for the GRE and encapsulated L2 headers.
1539 This option is supported for <code>ipsec_gre</code>, but not useful
1540 because GRE checksums are weaker than, and redundant with, IPsec
1541 payload authentication.
1546 <group title="Tunnel Options: ipsec_gre only">
1548 Only <code>ipsec_gre</code> interfaces support these options.
1551 <column name="options" key="peer_cert">
1552 Required for certificate authentication. A string containing the
1553 peer's certificate in PEM format. Additionally the host's
1554 certificate must be specified with the <code>certificate</code>
1558 <column name="options" key="certificate">
1559 Required for certificate authentication. The name of a PEM file
1560 containing a certificate that will be presented to the peer during
1564 <column name="options" key="private_key">
1565 Optional for certificate authentication. The name of a PEM file
1566 containing the private key associated with <code>certificate</code>.
1567 If <code>certificate</code> contains the private key, this option may
1571 <column name="options" key="psk">
1572 Required for pre-shared key authentication. Specifies a pre-shared
1573 key for authentication that must be identical on both sides of the
1579 <group title="Patch Options">
1581 Only <code>patch</code> interfaces support these options.
1584 <column name="options" key="peer">
1585 The <ref column="name"/> of the <ref table="Interface"/> for the other
1586 side of the patch. The named <ref table="Interface"/>'s own
1587 <code>peer</code> option must specify this <ref table="Interface"/>'s
1588 name. That is, the two patch interfaces must have reversed <ref
1589 column="name"/> and <code>peer</code> values.
1593 <group title="Interface Status">
1595 Status information about interfaces attached to bridges, updated every
1596 5 seconds. Not all interfaces have all of these properties; virtual
1597 interfaces don't have a link speed, for example. Non-applicable
1598 columns will have empty values.
1600 <column name="admin_state">
1602 The administrative state of the physical network link.
1606 <column name="link_state">
1608 The observed state of the physical network link. This is ordinarily
1609 the link's carrier status. If the interface's <ref table="Port"/> is
1610 a bond configured for miimon monitoring, it is instead the network
1611 link's miimon status.
1615 <column name="link_resets">
1617 The number of times Open vSwitch has observed the
1618 <ref column="link_state"/> of this <ref table="Interface"/> change.
1622 <column name="link_speed">
1624 The negotiated speed of the physical network link.
1625 Valid values are positive integers greater than 0.
1629 <column name="duplex">
1631 The duplex mode of the physical network link.
1637 The MTU (maximum transmission unit); i.e. the largest
1638 amount of data that can fit into a single Ethernet frame.
1639 The standard Ethernet MTU is 1500 bytes. Some physical media
1640 and many kinds of virtual interfaces can be configured with
1644 This column will be empty for an interface that does not
1645 have an MTU as, for example, some kinds of tunnels do not.
1649 <column name="lacp_current">
1650 Boolean value indicating LACP status for this interface. If true, this
1651 interface has current LACP information about its LACP partner. This
1652 information may be used to monitor the health of interfaces in a LACP
1653 enabled port. This column will be empty if LACP is not enabled.
1656 <column name="status">
1657 Key-value pairs that report port status. Supported status values are
1658 <ref column="type"/>-dependent; some interfaces may not have a valid
1659 <ref column="status" key="driver_name"/>, for example.
1662 <column name="status" key="driver_name">
1663 The name of the device driver controlling the network adapter.
1666 <column name="status" key="driver_version">
1667 The version string of the device driver controlling the network
1671 <column name="status" key="firmware_version">
1672 The version string of the network adapter's firmware, if available.
1675 <column name="status" key="source_ip">
1676 The source IP address used for an IPv4 tunnel end-point, such as
1680 <column name="status" key="tunnel_egress_iface">
1681 Egress interface for tunnels. Currently only relevant for GRE tunnels
1682 On Linux systems, this column will show the name of the interface
1683 which is responsible for routing traffic destined for the configured
1684 <ref column="options" key="remote_ip"/>. This could be an internal
1685 interface such as a bridge port.
1688 <column name="status" key="tunnel_egress_iface_carrier"
1689 type='{"type": "string", "enum": ["set", ["down", "up"]]}'>
1690 Whether carrier is detected on <ref column="status"
1691 key="tunnel_egress_iface"/>.
1695 <group title="Statistics">
1697 Key-value pairs that report interface statistics. The current
1698 implementation updates these counters periodically. Future
1699 implementations may update them when an interface is created, when they
1700 are queried (e.g. using an OVSDB <code>select</code> operation), and
1701 just before an interface is deleted due to virtual interface hot-unplug
1702 or VM shutdown, and perhaps at other times, but not on any regular
1706 These are the same statistics reported by OpenFlow in its <code>struct
1707 ofp_port_stats</code> structure. If an interface does not support a
1708 given statistic, then that pair is omitted.
1710 <group title="Statistics: Successful transmit and receive counters">
1711 <column name="statistics" key="rx_packets">
1712 Number of received packets.
1714 <column name="statistics" key="rx_bytes">
1715 Number of received bytes.
1717 <column name="statistics" key="tx_packets">
1718 Number of transmitted packets.
1720 <column name="statistics" key="tx_bytes">
1721 Number of transmitted bytes.
1724 <group title="Statistics: Receive errors">
1725 <column name="statistics" key="rx_dropped">
1726 Number of packets dropped by RX.
1728 <column name="statistics" key="rx_frame_err">
1729 Number of frame alignment errors.
1731 <column name="statistics" key="rx_over_err">
1732 Number of packets with RX overrun.
1734 <column name="statistics" key="rx_crc_err">
1735 Number of CRC errors.
1737 <column name="statistics" key="rx_errors">
1738 Total number of receive errors, greater than or equal to the sum of
1742 <group title="Statistics: Transmit errors">
1743 <column name="statistics" key="tx_dropped">
1744 Number of packets dropped by TX.
1746 <column name="statistics" key="collisions">
1747 Number of collisions.
1749 <column name="statistics" key="tx_errors">
1750 Total number of transmit errors, greater than or equal to the sum of
1756 <group title="Ingress Policing">
1758 These settings control ingress policing for packets received on this
1759 interface. On a physical interface, this limits the rate at which
1760 traffic is allowed into the system from the outside; on a virtual
1761 interface (one connected to a virtual machine), this limits the rate at
1762 which the VM is able to transmit.
1765 Policing is a simple form of quality-of-service that simply drops
1766 packets received in excess of the configured rate. Due to its
1767 simplicity, policing is usually less accurate and less effective than
1768 egress QoS (which is configured using the <ref table="QoS"/> and <ref
1769 table="Queue"/> tables).
1772 Policing is currently implemented only on Linux. The Linux
1773 implementation uses a simple ``token bucket'' approach:
1777 The size of the bucket corresponds to <ref
1778 column="ingress_policing_burst"/>. Initially the bucket is full.
1781 Whenever a packet is received, its size (converted to tokens) is
1782 compared to the number of tokens currently in the bucket. If the
1783 required number of tokens are available, they are removed and the
1784 packet is forwarded. Otherwise, the packet is dropped.
1787 Whenever it is not full, the bucket is refilled with tokens at the
1788 rate specified by <ref column="ingress_policing_rate"/>.
1792 Policing interacts badly with some network protocols, and especially
1793 with fragmented IP packets. Suppose that there is enough network
1794 activity to keep the bucket nearly empty all the time. Then this token
1795 bucket algorithm will forward a single packet every so often, with the
1796 period depending on packet size and on the configured rate. All of the
1797 fragments of an IP packets are normally transmitted back-to-back, as a
1798 group. In such a situation, therefore, only one of these fragments
1799 will be forwarded and the rest will be dropped. IP does not provide
1800 any way for the intended recipient to ask for only the remaining
1801 fragments. In such a case there are two likely possibilities for what
1802 will happen next: either all of the fragments will eventually be
1803 retransmitted (as TCP will do), in which case the same problem will
1804 recur, or the sender will not realize that its packet has been dropped
1805 and data will simply be lost (as some UDP-based protocols will do).
1806 Either way, it is possible that no forward progress will ever occur.
1808 <column name="ingress_policing_rate">
1810 Maximum rate for data received on this interface, in kbps. Data
1811 received faster than this rate is dropped. Set to <code>0</code>
1812 (the default) to disable policing.
1816 <column name="ingress_policing_burst">
1817 <p>Maximum burst size for data received on this interface, in kb. The
1818 default burst size if set to <code>0</code> is 1000 kb. This value
1819 has no effect if <ref column="ingress_policing_rate"/>
1820 is <code>0</code>.</p>
1822 Specifying a larger burst size lets the algorithm be more forgiving,
1823 which is important for protocols like TCP that react severely to
1824 dropped packets. The burst size should be at least the size of the
1825 interface's MTU. Specifying a value that is numerically at least as
1826 large as 10% of <ref column="ingress_policing_rate"/> helps TCP come
1827 closer to achieving the full rate.
1832 <group title="Bidirectional Forwarding Detection (BFD)">
1834 BFD, defined in RFC 5880 and RFC 5881, allows point to point
1835 detection of connectivity failures by occasional transmission of
1836 BFD control messages. It is implemented in Open vSwitch to serve
1837 as a more popular and standards compliant alternative to CFM.
1841 BFD operates by regularly transmitting BFD control messages at a
1842 rate negotiated independently in each direction. Each endpoint
1843 specifies the rate at which it expects to receive control messages,
1844 and the rate at which it's willing to transmit them. Open vSwitch
1845 uses a detection multiplier of three, meaning that an endpoint
1846 which fails to receive BFD control messages for a period of three
1847 times the expected reception rate, will signal a connectivity
1848 fault. In the case of a unidirectional connectivity issue, the
1849 system not receiving BFD control messages will signal the problem
1850 to its peer in the messages it transmits.
1854 The Open vSwitch implementation of BFD aims to comply faithfully
1855 with the requirements put forth in RFC 5880. Currently, the only
1856 known omission is ``Demand Mode'', which we hope to include in
1857 future. Open vSwitch does not implement the optional
1858 Authentication or ``Echo Mode'' features.
1861 <column name="bfd" key="enable">
1862 When <code>true</code> BFD is enabled on this
1863 <ref table="Interface"/>, otherwise it's disabled. Defaults to
1867 <column name="bfd" key="min_rx"
1868 type='{"type": "integer", "minInteger": 1}'>
1869 The fastest rate, in milliseconds, at which this BFD session is
1870 willing to receive BFD control messages. The actual rate may be
1871 slower if the remote endpoint isn't willing to transmit as quickly as
1872 specified. Defaults to <code>1000</code>.
1875 <column name="bfd" key="min_tx"
1876 type='{"type": "integer", "minInteger": 1}'>
1877 The fastest rate, in milliseconds, at which this BFD session is
1878 willing to transmit BFD control messages. The actual rate may be
1879 slower if the remote endpoint isn't willing to receive as quickly as
1880 specified. Defaults to <code>100</code>.
1883 <column name="bfd" key="cpath_down" type='{"type": "boolean"}'>
1884 Concatenated path down may be used when the local system should not
1885 have traffic forwarded to it for some reason other than a connectivty
1886 failure on the interface being monitored. When a controller thinks
1887 this may be the case, it may set <code>cpath_down</code> to
1888 <code>true</code> which may cause the remote BFD session not to
1889 forward traffic to this <ref table="Interface"/>. Defaults to
1893 <column name="bfd" key="check_tnl_key" type='{"type": "boolean"}'>
1894 When set to true, Check Tunnel Key will make BFD only accept control
1895 messages with an <code>in_key</code> of zero. Defaults to
1899 <column name="bfd_status" key="state"
1900 type='{"type": "string",
1901 "enum": ["set", ["admin_down", "down", "init", "up"]]}'>
1902 State of the BFD session. The BFD session is fully healthy and
1903 negotiated if <code>UP</code>.
1906 <column name="bfd_status" key="forwarding" type='{"type": "boolean"}'>
1907 True if the BFD session believes this <ref table="Interface"/> may be
1908 used to forward traffic. Typically this means the local session is
1909 signaling <code>UP</code>, and the remote system isn't signaling a
1910 problem such as concatenated path down.
1913 <column name="bfd_status" key="diagnostic">
1914 A short message indicating what the BFD session thinks is wrong in
1918 <column name="bfd_status" key="remote_state"
1919 type='{"type": "string",
1920 "enum": ["set", ["admin_down", "down", "init", "up"]]}'>
1921 State of the remote endpoint's BFD session.
1924 <column name="bfd_status" key="remote_diagnostic">
1925 A short message indicating what the remote endpoint's BFD session
1926 thinks is wrong in case of a problem.
1930 <group title="Connectivity Fault Management">
1932 802.1ag Connectivity Fault Management (CFM) allows a group of
1933 Maintenance Points (MPs) called a Maintenance Association (MA) to
1934 detect connectivity problems with each other. MPs within a MA should
1935 have complete and exclusive interconnectivity. This is verified by
1936 occasionally broadcasting Continuity Check Messages (CCMs) at a
1937 configurable transmission interval.
1941 According to the 802.1ag specification, each Maintenance Point should
1942 be configured out-of-band with a list of Remote Maintenance Points it
1943 should have connectivity to. Open vSwitch differs from the
1944 specification in this area. It simply assumes the link is faulted if
1945 no Remote Maintenance Points are reachable, and considers it not
1950 When operating over tunnels which have no <code>in_key</code>, or an
1951 <code>in_key</code> of <code>flow</code>. CFM will only accept CCMs
1952 with a tunnel key of zero.
1955 <column name="cfm_mpid">
1956 A Maintenance Point ID (MPID) uniquely identifies each endpoint within
1957 a Maintenance Association. The MPID is used to identify this endpoint
1958 to other Maintenance Points in the MA. Each end of a link being
1959 monitored should have a different MPID. Must be configured to enable
1960 CFM on this <ref table="Interface"/>.
1963 <column name="cfm_fault">
1965 Indicates a connectivity fault triggered by an inability to receive
1966 heartbeats from any remote endpoint. When a fault is triggered on
1967 <ref table="Interface"/>s participating in bonds, they will be
1971 Faults can be triggered for several reasons. Most importantly they
1972 are triggered when no CCMs are received for a period of 3.5 times the
1973 transmission interval. Faults are also triggered when any CCMs
1974 indicate that a Remote Maintenance Point is not receiving CCMs but
1975 able to send them. Finally, a fault is triggered if a CCM is
1976 received which indicates unexpected configuration. Notably, this
1977 case arises when a CCM is received which advertises the local MPID.
1981 <column name="cfm_fault_status" key="recv">
1982 Indicates a CFM fault was triggered due to a lack of CCMs received on
1983 the <ref table="Interface"/>.
1986 <column name="cfm_fault_status" key="rdi">
1987 Indicates a CFM fault was triggered due to the reception of a CCM with
1988 the RDI bit flagged. Endpoints set the RDI bit in their CCMs when they
1989 are not receiving CCMs themselves. This typically indicates a
1990 unidirectional connectivity failure.
1993 <column name="cfm_fault_status" key="maid">
1994 Indicates a CFM fault was triggered due to the reception of a CCM with
1995 a MAID other than the one Open vSwitch uses. CFM broadcasts are tagged
1996 with an identification number in addition to the MPID called the MAID.
1997 Open vSwitch only supports receiving CCM broadcasts tagged with the
1998 MAID it uses internally.
2001 <column name="cfm_fault_status" key="loopback">
2002 Indicates a CFM fault was triggered due to the reception of a CCM
2003 advertising the same MPID configured in the <ref column="cfm_mpid"/>
2004 column of this <ref table="Interface"/>. This may indicate a loop in
2008 <column name="cfm_fault_status" key="overflow">
2009 Indicates a CFM fault was triggered because the CFM module received
2010 CCMs from more remote endpoints than it can keep track of.
2013 <column name="cfm_fault_status" key="override">
2014 Indicates a CFM fault was manually triggered by an administrator using
2015 an <code>ovs-appctl</code> command.
2018 <column name="cfm_fault_status" key="interval">
2019 Indicates a CFM fault was triggered due to the reception of a CCM
2020 frame having an invalid interval.
2023 <column name="cfm_remote_opstate">
2024 <p>When in extended mode, indicates the operational state of the
2025 remote endpoint as either <code>up</code> or <code>down</code>. See
2026 <ref column="other_config" key="cfm_opstate"/>.
2030 <column name="cfm_health">
2032 Indicates the health of the interface as a percentage of CCM frames
2033 received over 21 <ref column="other_config" key="cfm_interval"/>s.
2034 The health of an interface is undefined if it is communicating with
2035 more than one <ref column="cfm_remote_mpids"/>. It reduces if
2036 healthy heartbeats are not received at the expected rate, and
2037 gradually improves as healthy heartbeats are received at the desired
2038 rate. Every 21 <ref column="other_config" key="cfm_interval"/>s, the
2039 health of the interface is refreshed.
2042 As mentioned above, the faults can be triggered for several reasons.
2043 The link health will deteriorate even if heartbeats are received but
2044 they are reported to be unhealthy. An unhealthy heartbeat in this
2045 context is a heartbeat for which either some fault is set or is out
2046 of sequence. The interface health can be 100 only on receiving
2047 healthy heartbeats at the desired rate.
2051 <column name="cfm_remote_mpids">
2052 When CFM is properly configured, Open vSwitch will occasionally
2053 receive CCM broadcasts. These broadcasts contain the MPID of the
2054 sending Maintenance Point. The list of MPIDs from which this
2055 <ref table="Interface"/> is receiving broadcasts from is regularly
2056 collected and written to this column.
2059 <column name="other_config" key="cfm_interval"
2060 type='{"type": "integer"}'>
2062 The interval, in milliseconds, between transmissions of CFM
2063 heartbeats. Three missed heartbeat receptions indicate a
2068 In standard operation only intervals of 3, 10, 100, 1,000, 10,000,
2069 60,000, or 600,000 ms are supported. Other values will be rounded
2070 down to the nearest value on the list. Extended mode (see <ref
2071 column="other_config" key="cfm_extended"/>) supports any interval up
2072 to 65,535 ms. In either mode, the default is 1000 ms.
2075 <p>We do not recommend using intervals less than 100 ms.</p>
2078 <column name="other_config" key="cfm_extended"
2079 type='{"type": "boolean"}'>
2080 When <code>true</code>, the CFM module operates in extended mode. This
2081 causes it to use a nonstandard destination address to avoid conflicting
2082 with compliant implementations which may be running concurrently on the
2083 network. Furthermore, extended mode increases the accuracy of the
2084 <code>cfm_interval</code> configuration parameter by breaking wire
2085 compatibility with 802.1ag compliant implementations. Defaults to
2089 <column name="other_config" key="cfm_demand" type='{"type": "boolean"}'>
2091 When <code>true</code>, and
2092 <ref column="other_config" key="cfm_extended"/> is true, the CFM
2093 module operates in demand mode. When in demand mode, traffic
2094 received on the <ref table="Interface"/> is used to indicate
2095 liveness. CCMs are still transmitted and received, but if the
2096 <ref table="Interface"/> is receiving traffic, their absence does not
2097 cause a connectivity fault.
2101 Demand mode has a couple of caveats:
2104 To ensure that ovs-vswitchd has enough time to pull statistics
2105 from the datapath, the minimum
2106 <ref column="other_config" key="cfm_interval"/> is 500ms.
2110 To avoid ambiguity, demand mode disables itself when there are
2111 multiple remote maintenance points.
2115 If the <ref table="Interface"/> is heavily congested, CCMs
2116 containing the <ref column="other_config" key="cfm_opstate"/>
2117 status may be dropped causing changes in the operational state to
2118 be delayed. Similarly, if CCMs containing the RDI bit are not
2119 received, unidirectional link failures may not be detected.
2125 <column name="other_config" key="cfm_opstate"
2126 type='{"type": "string", "enum": ["set", ["down", "up"]]}'>
2127 When <code>down</code>, the CFM module marks all CCMs it generates as
2128 operationally down without triggering a fault. This allows remote
2129 maintenance points to choose not to forward traffic to the
2130 <ref table="Interface"/> on which this CFM module is running.
2131 Currently, in Open vSwitch, the opdown bit of CCMs affects
2132 <ref table="Interface"/>s participating in bonds, and the bundle
2133 OpenFlow action. This setting is ignored when CFM is not in extended
2134 mode. Defaults to <code>up</code>.
2137 <column name="other_config" key="cfm_ccm_vlan"
2138 type='{"type": "integer", "minInteger": 1, "maxInteger": 4095}'>
2139 When set, the CFM module will apply a VLAN tag to all CCMs it generates
2140 with the given value. May be the string <code>random</code> in which
2141 case each CCM will be tagged with a different randomly generated VLAN.
2144 <column name="other_config" key="cfm_ccm_pcp"
2145 type='{"type": "integer", "minInteger": 1, "maxInteger": 7}'>
2146 When set, the CFM module will apply a VLAN tag to all CCMs it generates
2147 with the given PCP value, the VLAN ID of the tag is governed by the
2148 value of <ref column="other_config" key="cfm_ccm_vlan"/>. If
2149 <ref column="other_config" key="cfm_ccm_vlan"/> is unset, a VLAN ID of
2155 <group title="Bonding Configuration">
2156 <column name="other_config" key="lacp-port-id"
2157 type='{"type": "integer", "minInteger": 1, "maxInteger": 65535}'>
2158 The LACP port ID of this <ref table="Interface"/>. Port IDs are
2159 used in LACP negotiations to identify individual ports
2160 participating in a bond.
2163 <column name="other_config" key="lacp-port-priority"
2164 type='{"type": "integer", "minInteger": 1, "maxInteger": 65535}'>
2165 The LACP port priority of this <ref table="Interface"/>. In LACP
2166 negotiations <ref table="Interface"/>s with numerically lower
2167 priorities are preferred for aggregation.
2170 <column name="other_config" key="lacp-aggregation-key"
2171 type='{"type": "integer", "minInteger": 1, "maxInteger": 65535}'>
2172 The LACP aggregation key of this <ref table="Interface"/>. <ref
2173 table="Interface"/>s with different aggregation keys may not be active
2174 within a given <ref table="Port"/> at the same time.
2178 <group title="Virtual Machine Identifiers">
2180 These key-value pairs specifically apply to an interface that
2181 represents a virtual Ethernet interface connected to a virtual
2182 machine. These key-value pairs should not be present for other types
2183 of interfaces. Keys whose names end in <code>-uuid</code> have
2184 values that uniquely identify the entity in question. For a Citrix
2185 XenServer hypervisor, these values are UUIDs in RFC 4122 format.
2186 Other hypervisors may use other formats.
2189 <column name="external_ids" key="attached-mac">
2190 The MAC address programmed into the ``virtual hardware'' for this
2191 interface, in the form
2192 <var>xx</var>:<var>xx</var>:<var>xx</var>:<var>xx</var>:<var>xx</var>:<var>xx</var>.
2193 For Citrix XenServer, this is the value of the <code>MAC</code> field
2194 in the VIF record for this interface.
2197 <column name="external_ids" key="iface-id">
2198 A system-unique identifier for the interface. On XenServer, this will
2199 commonly be the same as <ref column="external_ids" key="xs-vif-uuid"/>.
2202 <column name="external_ids" key="iface-status"
2203 type='{"type": "string",
2204 "enum": ["set", ["active", "inactive"]]}'>
2206 Hypervisors may sometimes have more than one interface associated
2207 with a given <ref column="external_ids" key="iface-id"/>, only one of
2208 which is actually in use at a given time. For example, in some
2209 circumstances XenServer has both a ``tap'' and a ``vif'' interface
2210 for a single <ref column="external_ids" key="iface-id"/>, but only
2211 uses one of them at a time. A hypervisor that behaves this way must
2212 mark the currently in use interface <code>active</code> and the
2213 others <code>inactive</code>. A hypervisor that never has more than
2214 one interface for a given <ref column="external_ids" key="iface-id"/>
2215 may mark that interface <code>active</code> or omit <ref
2216 column="external_ids" key="iface-status"/> entirely.
2220 During VM migration, a given <ref column="external_ids"
2221 key="iface-id"/> might transiently be marked <code>active</code> on
2222 two different hypervisors. That is, <code>active</code> means that
2223 this <ref column="external_ids" key="iface-id"/> is the active
2224 instance within a single hypervisor, not in a broader scope.
2225 There is one exception: some hypervisors support ``migration'' from a
2226 given hypervisor to itself (most often for test purposes). During
2227 such a ``migration,'' two instances of a single <ref
2228 column="external_ids" key="iface-id"/> might both be briefly marked
2229 <code>active</code> on a single hypervisor.
2233 <column name="external_ids" key="xs-vif-uuid">
2234 The virtual interface associated with this interface.
2237 <column name="external_ids" key="xs-network-uuid">
2238 The virtual network to which this interface is attached.
2241 <column name="external_ids" key="vm-id">
2242 The VM to which this interface belongs. On XenServer, this will be the
2243 same as <ref column="external_ids" key="xs-vm-uuid"/>.
2246 <column name="external_ids" key="xs-vm-uuid">
2247 The VM to which this interface belongs.
2251 <group title="VLAN Splinters">
2253 The ``VLAN splinters'' feature increases Open vSwitch compatibility
2254 with buggy network drivers in old versions of Linux that do not
2255 properly support VLANs when VLAN devices are not used, at some cost
2256 in memory and performance.
2260 When VLAN splinters are enabled on a particular interface, Open vSwitch
2261 creates a VLAN device for each in-use VLAN. For sending traffic tagged
2262 with a VLAN on the interface, it substitutes the VLAN device. Traffic
2263 received on the VLAN device is treated as if it had been received on
2264 the interface on the particular VLAN.
2268 VLAN splinters consider a VLAN to be in use if:
2273 The VLAN is the <ref table="Port" column="tag"/> value in any <ref
2274 table="Port"/> record.
2278 The VLAN is listed within the <ref table="Port" column="trunks"/>
2279 column of the <ref table="Port"/> record of an interface on which
2280 VLAN splinters are enabled.
2282 An empty <ref table="Port" column="trunks"/> does not influence the
2283 in-use VLANs: creating 4,096 VLAN devices is impractical because it
2284 will exceed the current 1,024 port per datapath limit.
2288 An OpenFlow flow within any bridge matches the VLAN.
2293 The same set of in-use VLANs applies to every interface on which VLAN
2294 splinters are enabled. That is, the set is not chosen separately for
2295 each interface but selected once as the union of all in-use VLANs based
2300 It does not make sense to enable VLAN splinters on an interface for an
2301 access port, or on an interface that is not a physical port.
2305 VLAN splinters are deprecated. When broken device drivers are no
2306 longer in widespread use, we will delete this feature.
2309 <column name="other_config" key="enable-vlan-splinters"
2310 type='{"type": "boolean"}'>
2312 Set to <code>true</code> to enable VLAN splinters on this interface.
2313 Defaults to <code>false</code>.
2317 VLAN splinters increase kernel and userspace memory overhead, so do
2318 not use them unless they are needed.
2322 VLAN splinters do not support 802.1p priority tags. Received
2323 priorities will appear to be 0, regardless of their actual values,
2324 and priorities on transmitted packets will also be cleared to 0.
2329 <group title="Common Columns">
2330 The overall purpose of these columns is described under <code>Common
2331 Columns</code> at the beginning of this document.
2333 <column name="other_config"/>
2334 <column name="external_ids"/>
2338 <table name="Flow_Table" title="OpenFlow table configuration">
2339 <p>Configuration for a particular OpenFlow table.</p>
2341 <column name="name">
2342 The table's name. Set this column to change the name that controllers
2343 will receive when they request table statistics, e.g. <code>ovs-ofctl
2344 dump-tables</code>. The name does not affect switch behavior.
2347 <column name="flow_limit">
2348 If set, limits the number of flows that may be added to the table. Open
2349 vSwitch may limit the number of flows in a table for other reasons,
2350 e.g. due to hardware limitations or for resource availability or
2351 performance reasons.
2354 <column name="overflow_policy">
2356 Controls the switch's behavior when an OpenFlow flow table modification
2357 request would add flows in excess of <ref column="flow_limit"/>. The
2358 supported values are:
2362 <dt><code>refuse</code></dt>
2364 Refuse to add the flow or flows. This is also the default policy
2365 when <ref column="overflow_policy"/> is unset.
2368 <dt><code>evict</code></dt>
2370 Delete the flow that will expire soonest. See <ref column="groups"/>
2376 <column name="groups">
2378 When <ref column="overflow_policy"/> is <code>evict</code>, this
2379 controls how flows are chosen for eviction when the flow table would
2380 otherwise exceed <ref column="flow_limit"/> flows. Its value is a set
2381 of NXM fields or sub-fields, each of which takes one of the forms
2382 <code><var>field</var>[]</code> or
2383 <code><var>field</var>[<var>start</var>..<var>end</var>]</code>,
2384 e.g. <code>NXM_OF_IN_PORT[]</code>. Please see
2385 <code>nicira-ext.h</code> for a complete list of NXM field names.
2389 When a flow must be evicted due to overflow, the flow to evict is
2390 chosen through an approximation of the following algorithm:
2395 Divide the flows in the table into groups based on the values of the
2396 specified fields or subfields, so that all of the flows in a given
2397 group have the same values for those fields. If a flow does not
2398 specify a given field, that field's value is treated as 0.
2402 Consider the flows in the largest group, that is, the group that
2403 contains the greatest number of flows. If two or more groups all
2404 have the same largest number of flows, consider the flows in all of
2409 Among the flows under consideration, choose the flow that expires
2410 soonest for eviction.
2415 The eviction process only considers flows that have an idle timeout or
2416 a hard timeout. That is, eviction never deletes permanent flows.
2417 (Permanent flows do count against <ref column="flow_limit"/>.)
2421 Open vSwitch ignores any invalid or unknown field specifications.
2425 When <ref column="overflow_policy"/> is not <code>evict</code>, this
2426 column has no effect.
2431 <table name="QoS" title="Quality of Service configuration">
2432 <p>Quality of Service (QoS) configuration for each Port that
2435 <column name="type">
2436 <p>The type of QoS to implement. The currently defined types are
2439 <dt><code>linux-htb</code></dt>
2441 Linux ``hierarchy token bucket'' classifier. See tc-htb(8) (also at
2442 <code>http://linux.die.net/man/8/tc-htb</code>) and the HTB manual
2443 (<code>http://luxik.cdi.cz/~devik/qos/htb/manual/userg.htm</code>)
2444 for information on how this classifier works and how to configure it.
2448 <dt><code>linux-hfsc</code></dt>
2450 Linux "Hierarchical Fair Service Curve" classifier.
2451 See <code>http://linux-ip.net/articles/hfsc.en/</code> for
2452 information on how this classifier works.
2457 <column name="queues">
2458 <p>A map from queue numbers to <ref table="Queue"/> records. The
2459 supported range of queue numbers depend on <ref column="type"/>. The
2460 queue numbers are the same as the <code>queue_id</code> used in
2461 OpenFlow in <code>struct ofp_action_enqueue</code> and other
2465 Queue 0 is the ``default queue.'' It is used by OpenFlow output
2466 actions when no specific queue has been set. When no configuration for
2467 queue 0 is present, it is automatically configured as if a <ref
2468 table="Queue"/> record with empty <ref table="Queue" column="dscp"/>
2469 and <ref table="Queue" column="other_config"/> columns had been
2471 (Before version 1.6, Open vSwitch would leave queue 0 unconfigured in
2472 this case. With some queuing disciplines, this dropped all packets
2473 destined for the default queue.)
2477 <group title="Configuration for linux-htb and linux-hfsc">
2479 The <code>linux-htb</code> and <code>linux-hfsc</code> classes support
2480 the following key-value pair:
2483 <column name="other_config" key="max-rate" type='{"type": "integer"}'>
2484 Maximum rate shared by all queued traffic, in bit/s. Optional. If not
2485 specified, for physical interfaces, the default is the link rate. For
2486 other interfaces or if the link rate cannot be determined, the default
2487 is currently 100 Mbps.
2491 <group title="Common Columns">
2492 The overall purpose of these columns is described under <code>Common
2493 Columns</code> at the beginning of this document.
2495 <column name="other_config"/>
2496 <column name="external_ids"/>
2500 <table name="Queue" title="QoS output queue.">
2501 <p>A configuration for a port output queue, used in configuring Quality of
2502 Service (QoS) features. May be referenced by <ref column="queues"
2503 table="QoS"/> column in <ref table="QoS"/> table.</p>
2505 <column name="dscp">
2506 If set, Open vSwitch will mark all traffic egressing this
2507 <ref table="Queue"/> with the given DSCP bits. Traffic egressing the
2508 default <ref table="Queue"/> is only marked if it was explicitly selected
2509 as the <ref table="Queue"/> at the time the packet was output. If unset,
2510 the DSCP bits of traffic egressing this <ref table="Queue"/> will remain
2514 <group title="Configuration for linux-htb QoS">
2516 <ref table="QoS"/> <ref table="QoS" column="type"/>
2517 <code>linux-htb</code> may use <code>queue_id</code>s less than 61440.
2518 It has the following key-value pairs defined.
2521 <column name="other_config" key="min-rate"
2522 type='{"type": "integer", "minInteger": 1}'>
2523 Minimum guaranteed bandwidth, in bit/s.
2526 <column name="other_config" key="max-rate"
2527 type='{"type": "integer", "minInteger": 1}'>
2528 Maximum allowed bandwidth, in bit/s. Optional. If specified, the
2529 queue's rate will not be allowed to exceed the specified value, even
2530 if excess bandwidth is available. If unspecified, defaults to no
2534 <column name="other_config" key="burst"
2535 type='{"type": "integer", "minInteger": 1}'>
2536 Burst size, in bits. This is the maximum amount of ``credits'' that a
2537 queue can accumulate while it is idle. Optional. Details of the
2538 <code>linux-htb</code> implementation require a minimum burst size, so
2539 a too-small <code>burst</code> will be silently ignored.
2542 <column name="other_config" key="priority"
2543 type='{"type": "integer", "minInteger": 0, "maxInteger": 4294967295}'>
2544 A queue with a smaller <code>priority</code> will receive all the
2545 excess bandwidth that it can use before a queue with a larger value
2546 receives any. Specific priority values are unimportant; only relative
2547 ordering matters. Defaults to 0 if unspecified.
2551 <group title="Configuration for linux-hfsc QoS">
2553 <ref table="QoS"/> <ref table="QoS" column="type"/>
2554 <code>linux-hfsc</code> may use <code>queue_id</code>s less than 61440.
2555 It has the following key-value pairs defined.
2558 <column name="other_config" key="min-rate"
2559 type='{"type": "integer", "minInteger": 1}'>
2560 Minimum guaranteed bandwidth, in bit/s.
2563 <column name="other_config" key="max-rate"
2564 type='{"type": "integer", "minInteger": 1}'>
2565 Maximum allowed bandwidth, in bit/s. Optional. If specified, the
2566 queue's rate will not be allowed to exceed the specified value, even if
2567 excess bandwidth is available. If unspecified, defaults to no
2572 <group title="Common Columns">
2573 The overall purpose of these columns is described under <code>Common
2574 Columns</code> at the beginning of this document.
2576 <column name="other_config"/>
2577 <column name="external_ids"/>
2581 <table name="Mirror" title="Port mirroring.">
2582 <p>A port mirror within a <ref table="Bridge"/>.</p>
2583 <p>A port mirror configures a bridge to send selected frames to special
2584 ``mirrored'' ports, in addition to their normal destinations. Mirroring
2585 traffic may also be referred to as SPAN or RSPAN, depending on how
2586 the mirrored traffic is sent.</p>
2588 <column name="name">
2589 Arbitrary identifier for the <ref table="Mirror"/>.
2592 <group title="Selecting Packets for Mirroring">
2594 To be selected for mirroring, a given packet must enter or leave the
2595 bridge through a selected port and it must also be in one of the
2599 <column name="select_all">
2600 If true, every packet arriving or departing on any port is
2601 selected for mirroring.
2604 <column name="select_dst_port">
2605 Ports on which departing packets are selected for mirroring.
2608 <column name="select_src_port">
2609 Ports on which arriving packets are selected for mirroring.
2612 <column name="select_vlan">
2613 VLANs on which packets are selected for mirroring. An empty set
2614 selects packets on all VLANs.
2618 <group title="Mirroring Destination Configuration">
2620 These columns are mutually exclusive. Exactly one of them must be
2624 <column name="output_port">
2625 <p>Output port for selected packets, if nonempty.</p>
2626 <p>Specifying a port for mirror output reserves that port exclusively
2627 for mirroring. No frames other than those selected for mirroring
2629 will be forwarded to the port, and any frames received on the port
2630 will be discarded.</p>
2632 The output port may be any kind of port supported by Open vSwitch.
2633 It may be, for example, a physical port (sometimes called SPAN) or a
2638 <column name="output_vlan">
2639 <p>Output VLAN for selected packets, if nonempty.</p>
2640 <p>The frames will be sent out all ports that trunk
2641 <ref column="output_vlan"/>, as well as any ports with implicit VLAN
2642 <ref column="output_vlan"/>. When a mirrored frame is sent out a
2643 trunk port, the frame's VLAN tag will be set to
2644 <ref column="output_vlan"/>, replacing any existing tag; when it is
2645 sent out an implicit VLAN port, the frame will not be tagged. This
2646 type of mirroring is sometimes called RSPAN.</p>
2648 See the documentation for
2649 <ref column="other_config" key="forward-bpdu"/> in the
2650 <ref table="Interface"/> table for a list of destination MAC
2651 addresses which will not be mirrored to a VLAN to avoid confusing
2652 switches that interpret the protocols that they represent.
2654 <p><em>Please note:</em> Mirroring to a VLAN can disrupt a network that
2655 contains unmanaged switches. Consider an unmanaged physical switch
2656 with two ports: port 1, connected to an end host, and port 2,
2657 connected to an Open vSwitch configured to mirror received packets
2658 into VLAN 123 on port 2. Suppose that the end host sends a packet on
2659 port 1 that the physical switch forwards to port 2. The Open vSwitch
2660 forwards this packet to its destination and then reflects it back on
2661 port 2 in VLAN 123. This reflected packet causes the unmanaged
2662 physical switch to replace the MAC learning table entry, which
2663 correctly pointed to port 1, with one that incorrectly points to port
2664 2. Afterward, the physical switch will direct packets destined for
2665 the end host to the Open vSwitch on port 2, instead of to the end
2666 host on port 1, disrupting connectivity. If mirroring to a VLAN is
2667 desired in this scenario, then the physical switch must be replaced
2668 by one that learns Ethernet addresses on a per-VLAN basis. In
2669 addition, learning should be disabled on the VLAN containing mirrored
2670 traffic. If this is not done then intermediate switches will learn
2671 the MAC address of each end host from the mirrored traffic. If
2672 packets being sent to that end host are also mirrored, then they will
2673 be dropped since the switch will attempt to send them out the input
2674 port. Disabling learning for the VLAN will cause the switch to
2675 correctly send the packet out all ports configured for that VLAN. If
2676 Open vSwitch is being used as an intermediate switch, learning can be
2677 disabled by adding the mirrored VLAN to <ref column="flood_vlans"/>
2678 in the appropriate <ref table="Bridge"/> table or tables.</p>
2680 Mirroring to a GRE tunnel has fewer caveats than mirroring to a
2681 VLAN and should generally be preferred.
2686 <group title="Statistics: Mirror counters">
2688 Key-value pairs that report mirror statistics.
2690 <column name="statistics" key="tx_packets">
2691 Number of packets transmitted through this mirror.
2693 <column name="statistics" key="tx_bytes">
2694 Number of bytes transmitted through this mirror.
2698 <group title="Common Columns">
2699 The overall purpose of these columns is described under <code>Common
2700 Columns</code> at the beginning of this document.
2702 <column name="external_ids"/>
2706 <table name="Controller" title="OpenFlow controller configuration.">
2707 <p>An OpenFlow controller.</p>
2710 Open vSwitch supports two kinds of OpenFlow controllers:
2714 <dt>Primary controllers</dt>
2717 This is the kind of controller envisioned by the OpenFlow 1.0
2718 specification. Usually, a primary controller implements a network
2719 policy by taking charge of the switch's flow table.
2723 Open vSwitch initiates and maintains persistent connections to
2724 primary controllers, retrying the connection each time it fails or
2725 drops. The <ref table="Bridge" column="fail_mode"/> column in the
2726 <ref table="Bridge"/> table applies to primary controllers.
2730 Open vSwitch permits a bridge to have any number of primary
2731 controllers. When multiple controllers are configured, Open
2732 vSwitch connects to all of them simultaneously. Because
2733 OpenFlow 1.0 does not specify how multiple controllers
2734 coordinate in interacting with a single switch, more than
2735 one primary controller should be specified only if the
2736 controllers are themselves designed to coordinate with each
2737 other. (The Nicira-defined <code>NXT_ROLE</code> OpenFlow
2738 vendor extension may be useful for this.)
2741 <dt>Service controllers</dt>
2744 These kinds of OpenFlow controller connections are intended for
2745 occasional support and maintenance use, e.g. with
2746 <code>ovs-ofctl</code>. Usually a service controller connects only
2747 briefly to inspect or modify some of a switch's state.
2751 Open vSwitch listens for incoming connections from service
2752 controllers. The service controllers initiate and, if necessary,
2753 maintain the connections from their end. The <ref table="Bridge"
2754 column="fail_mode"/> column in the <ref table="Bridge"/> table does
2755 not apply to service controllers.
2759 Open vSwitch supports configuring any number of service controllers.
2765 The <ref column="target"/> determines the type of controller.
2768 <group title="Core Features">
2769 <column name="target">
2770 <p>Connection method for controller.</p>
2772 The following connection methods are currently supported for primary
2776 <dt><code>ssl:<var>ip</var></code>[<code>:<var>port</var></code>]</dt>
2778 <p>The specified SSL <var>port</var> (default: 6633) on the host at
2779 the given <var>ip</var>, which must be expressed as an IP address
2780 (not a DNS name). The <ref table="Open_vSwitch" column="ssl"/>
2781 column in the <ref table="Open_vSwitch"/> table must point to a
2782 valid SSL configuration when this form is used.</p>
2783 <p>SSL support is an optional feature that is not always built as
2784 part of Open vSwitch.</p>
2786 <dt><code>tcp:<var>ip</var></code>[<code>:<var>port</var></code>]</dt>
2787 <dd>The specified TCP <var>port</var> (default: 6633) on the host at
2788 the given <var>ip</var>, which must be expressed as an IP address
2789 (not a DNS name).</dd>
2792 The following connection methods are currently supported for service
2796 <dt><code>pssl:</code>[<var>port</var>][<code>:<var>ip</var></code>]</dt>
2799 Listens for SSL connections on the specified TCP <var>port</var>
2800 (default: 6633). If <var>ip</var>, which must be expressed as an
2801 IP address (not a DNS name), is specified, then connections are
2802 restricted to the specified local IP address.
2805 The <ref table="Open_vSwitch" column="ssl"/> column in the <ref
2806 table="Open_vSwitch"/> table must point to a valid SSL
2807 configuration when this form is used.
2809 <p>SSL support is an optional feature that is not always built as
2810 part of Open vSwitch.</p>
2812 <dt><code>ptcp:</code>[<var>port</var>][<code>:<var>ip</var></code>]</dt>
2814 Listens for connections on the specified TCP <var>port</var>
2815 (default: 6633). If <var>ip</var>, which must be expressed as an
2816 IP address (not a DNS name), is specified, then connections are
2817 restricted to the specified local IP address.
2820 <p>When multiple controllers are configured for a single bridge, the
2821 <ref column="target"/> values must be unique. Duplicate
2822 <ref column="target"/> values yield unspecified results.</p>
2825 <column name="connection_mode">
2826 <p>If it is specified, this setting must be one of the following
2827 strings that describes how Open vSwitch contacts this OpenFlow
2828 controller over the network:</p>
2831 <dt><code>in-band</code></dt>
2832 <dd>In this mode, this controller's OpenFlow traffic travels over the
2833 bridge associated with the controller. With this setting, Open
2834 vSwitch allows traffic to and from the controller regardless of the
2835 contents of the OpenFlow flow table. (Otherwise, Open vSwitch
2836 would never be able to connect to the controller, because it did
2837 not have a flow to enable it.) This is the most common connection
2838 mode because it is not necessary to maintain two independent
2840 <dt><code>out-of-band</code></dt>
2841 <dd>In this mode, OpenFlow traffic uses a control network separate
2842 from the bridge associated with this controller, that is, the
2843 bridge does not use any of its own network devices to communicate
2844 with the controller. The control network must be configured
2845 separately, before or after <code>ovs-vswitchd</code> is started.
2849 <p>If not specified, the default is implementation-specific.</p>
2853 <group title="Controller Failure Detection and Handling">
2854 <column name="max_backoff">
2855 Maximum number of milliseconds to wait between connection attempts.
2856 Default is implementation-specific.
2859 <column name="inactivity_probe">
2860 Maximum number of milliseconds of idle time on connection to
2861 controller before sending an inactivity probe message. If Open
2862 vSwitch does not communicate with the controller for the specified
2863 number of seconds, it will send a probe. If a response is not
2864 received for the same additional amount of time, Open vSwitch
2865 assumes the connection has been broken and attempts to reconnect.
2866 Default is implementation-specific. A value of 0 disables
2871 <group title="Asynchronous Message Configuration">
2873 OpenFlow switches send certain messages to controllers spontanenously,
2874 that is, not in response to any request from the controller. These
2875 messages are called ``asynchronous messages.'' These columns allow
2876 asynchronous messages to be limited or disabled to ensure the best use
2877 of network resources.
2880 <column name="enable_async_messages">
2881 The OpenFlow protocol enables asynchronous messages at time of
2882 connection establishment, which means that a controller can receive
2883 asynchronous messages, potentially many of them, even if it turns them
2884 off immediately after connecting. Set this column to
2885 <code>false</code> to change Open vSwitch behavior to disable, by
2886 default, all asynchronous messages. The controller can use the
2887 <code>NXT_SET_ASYNC_CONFIG</code> Nicira extension to OpenFlow to turn
2888 on any messages that it does want to receive, if any.
2891 <column name="controller_rate_limit">
2893 The maximum rate at which the switch will forward packets to the
2894 OpenFlow controller, in packets per second. This feature prevents a
2895 single bridge from overwhelming the controller. If not specified,
2896 the default is implementation-specific.
2900 In addition, when a high rate triggers rate-limiting, Open vSwitch
2901 queues controller packets for each port and transmits them to the
2902 controller at the configured rate. The <ref
2903 column="controller_burst_limit"/> value limits the number of queued
2904 packets. Ports on a bridge share the packet queue fairly.
2908 Open vSwitch maintains two such packet rate-limiters per bridge: one
2909 for packets sent up to the controller because they do not correspond
2910 to any flow, and the other for packets sent up to the controller by
2911 request through flow actions. When both rate-limiters are filled with
2912 packets, the actual rate that packets are sent to the controller is
2913 up to twice the specified rate.
2917 <column name="controller_burst_limit">
2918 In conjunction with <ref column="controller_rate_limit"/>,
2919 the maximum number of unused packet credits that the bridge will
2920 allow to accumulate, in packets. If not specified, the default
2921 is implementation-specific.
2925 <group title="Additional In-Band Configuration">
2926 <p>These values are considered only in in-band control mode (see
2927 <ref column="connection_mode"/>).</p>
2929 <p>When multiple controllers are configured on a single bridge, there
2930 should be only one set of unique values in these columns. If different
2931 values are set for these columns in different controllers, the effect
2934 <column name="local_ip">
2935 The IP address to configure on the local port,
2936 e.g. <code>192.168.0.123</code>. If this value is unset, then
2937 <ref column="local_netmask"/> and <ref column="local_gateway"/> are
2941 <column name="local_netmask">
2942 The IP netmask to configure on the local port,
2943 e.g. <code>255.255.255.0</code>. If <ref column="local_ip"/> is set
2944 but this value is unset, then the default is chosen based on whether
2945 the IP address is class A, B, or C.
2948 <column name="local_gateway">
2949 The IP address of the gateway to configure on the local port, as a
2950 string, e.g. <code>192.168.0.1</code>. Leave this column unset if
2951 this network has no gateway.
2955 <group title="Controller Status">
2956 <column name="is_connected">
2957 <code>true</code> if currently connected to this controller,
2958 <code>false</code> otherwise.
2962 type='{"type": "string", "enum": ["set", ["other", "master", "slave"]]}'>
2963 <p>The level of authority this controller has on the associated
2964 bridge. Possible values are:</p>
2966 <dt><code>other</code></dt>
2967 <dd>Allows the controller access to all OpenFlow features.</dd>
2968 <dt><code>master</code></dt>
2969 <dd>Equivalent to <code>other</code>, except that there may be at
2970 most one master controller at a time. When a controller configures
2971 itself as <code>master</code>, any existing master is demoted to
2972 the <code>slave</code>role.</dd>
2973 <dt><code>slave</code></dt>
2974 <dd>Allows the controller read-only access to OpenFlow features.
2975 Attempts to modify the flow table will be rejected with an
2976 error. Slave controllers do not receive OFPT_PACKET_IN or
2977 OFPT_FLOW_REMOVED messages, but they do receive OFPT_PORT_STATUS
2982 <column name="status" key="last_error">
2983 A human-readable description of the last error on the connection
2984 to the controller; i.e. <code>strerror(errno)</code>. This key
2985 will exist only if an error has occurred.
2988 <column name="status" key="state"
2989 type='{"type": "string", "enum": ["set", ["VOID", "BACKOFF", "CONNECTING", "ACTIVE", "IDLE"]]}'>
2991 The state of the connection to the controller:
2994 <dt><code>VOID</code></dt>
2995 <dd>Connection is disabled.</dd>
2997 <dt><code>BACKOFF</code></dt>
2998 <dd>Attempting to reconnect at an increasing period.</dd>
3000 <dt><code>CONNECTING</code></dt>
3001 <dd>Attempting to connect.</dd>
3003 <dt><code>ACTIVE</code></dt>
3004 <dd>Connected, remote host responsive.</dd>
3006 <dt><code>IDLE</code></dt>
3007 <dd>Connection is idle. Waiting for response to keep-alive.</dd>
3010 These values may change in the future. They are provided only for
3015 <column name="status" key="sec_since_connect"
3016 type='{"type": "integer", "minInteger": 0}'>
3017 The amount of time since this controller last successfully connected to
3018 the switch (in seconds). Value is empty if controller has never
3019 successfully connected.
3022 <column name="status" key="sec_since_disconnect"
3023 type='{"type": "integer", "minInteger": 1}'>
3024 The amount of time since this controller last disconnected from
3025 the switch (in seconds). Value is empty if controller has never
3030 <group title="Connection Parameters">
3032 Additional configuration for a connection between the controller
3033 and the Open vSwitch.
3036 <column name="other_config" key="dscp"
3037 type='{"type": "integer"}'>
3038 The Differentiated Service Code Point (DSCP) is specified using 6 bits
3039 in the Type of Service (TOS) field in the IP header. DSCP provides a
3040 mechanism to classify the network traffic and provide Quality of
3041 Service (QoS) on IP networks.
3043 The DSCP value specified here is used when establishing the connection
3044 between the controller and the Open vSwitch. If no value is specified,
3045 a default value of 48 is chosen. Valid DSCP values must be in the
3051 <group title="Common Columns">
3052 The overall purpose of these columns is described under <code>Common
3053 Columns</code> at the beginning of this document.
3055 <column name="external_ids"/>
3056 <column name="other_config"/>
3060 <table name="Manager" title="OVSDB management connection.">
3062 Configuration for a database connection to an Open vSwitch database
3067 This table primarily configures the Open vSwitch database
3068 (<code>ovsdb-server</code>), not the Open vSwitch switch
3069 (<code>ovs-vswitchd</code>). The switch does read the table to determine
3070 what connections should be treated as in-band.
3074 The Open vSwitch database server can initiate and maintain active
3075 connections to remote clients. It can also listen for database
3079 <group title="Core Features">
3080 <column name="target">
3081 <p>Connection method for managers.</p>
3083 The following connection methods are currently supported:
3086 <dt><code>ssl:<var>ip</var></code>[<code>:<var>port</var></code>]</dt>
3089 The specified SSL <var>port</var> (default: 6632) on the host at
3090 the given <var>ip</var>, which must be expressed as an IP address
3091 (not a DNS name). The <ref table="Open_vSwitch" column="ssl"/>
3092 column in the <ref table="Open_vSwitch"/> table must point to a
3093 valid SSL configuration when this form is used.
3096 SSL support is an optional feature that is not always built as
3097 part of Open vSwitch.
3101 <dt><code>tcp:<var>ip</var></code>[<code>:<var>port</var></code>]</dt>
3103 The specified TCP <var>port</var> (default: 6632) on the host at
3104 the given <var>ip</var>, which must be expressed as an IP address
3107 <dt><code>pssl:</code>[<var>port</var>][<code>:<var>ip</var></code>]</dt>
3110 Listens for SSL connections on the specified TCP <var>port</var>
3111 (default: 6632). Specify 0 for <var>port</var> to have the
3112 kernel automatically choose an available port. If <var>ip</var>,
3113 which must be expressed as an IP address (not a DNS name), is
3114 specified, then connections are restricted to the specified local
3118 The <ref table="Open_vSwitch" column="ssl"/> column in the <ref
3119 table="Open_vSwitch"/> table must point to a valid SSL
3120 configuration when this form is used.
3123 SSL support is an optional feature that is not always built as
3124 part of Open vSwitch.
3127 <dt><code>ptcp:</code>[<var>port</var>][<code>:<var>ip</var></code>]</dt>
3129 Listens for connections on the specified TCP <var>port</var>
3130 (default: 6632). Specify 0 for <var>port</var> to have the kernel
3131 automatically choose an available port. If <var>ip</var>, which
3132 must be expressed as an IP address (not a DNS name), is specified,
3133 then connections are restricted to the specified local IP address.
3136 <p>When multiple managers are configured, the <ref column="target"/>
3137 values must be unique. Duplicate <ref column="target"/> values yield
3138 unspecified results.</p>
3141 <column name="connection_mode">
3143 If it is specified, this setting must be one of the following strings
3144 that describes how Open vSwitch contacts this OVSDB client over the
3149 <dt><code>in-band</code></dt>
3151 In this mode, this connection's traffic travels over a bridge
3152 managed by Open vSwitch. With this setting, Open vSwitch allows
3153 traffic to and from the client regardless of the contents of the
3154 OpenFlow flow table. (Otherwise, Open vSwitch would never be able
3155 to connect to the client, because it did not have a flow to enable
3156 it.) This is the most common connection mode because it is not
3157 necessary to maintain two independent networks.
3159 <dt><code>out-of-band</code></dt>
3161 In this mode, the client's traffic uses a control network separate
3162 from that managed by Open vSwitch, that is, Open vSwitch does not
3163 use any of its own network devices to communicate with the client.
3164 The control network must be configured separately, before or after
3165 <code>ovs-vswitchd</code> is started.
3170 If not specified, the default is implementation-specific.
3175 <group title="Client Failure Detection and Handling">
3176 <column name="max_backoff">
3177 Maximum number of milliseconds to wait between connection attempts.
3178 Default is implementation-specific.
3181 <column name="inactivity_probe">
3182 Maximum number of milliseconds of idle time on connection to the client
3183 before sending an inactivity probe message. If Open vSwitch does not
3184 communicate with the client for the specified number of seconds, it
3185 will send a probe. If a response is not received for the same
3186 additional amount of time, Open vSwitch assumes the connection has been
3187 broken and attempts to reconnect. Default is implementation-specific.
3188 A value of 0 disables inactivity probes.
3192 <group title="Status">
3193 <column name="is_connected">
3194 <code>true</code> if currently connected to this manager,
3195 <code>false</code> otherwise.
3198 <column name="status" key="last_error">
3199 A human-readable description of the last error on the connection
3200 to the manager; i.e. <code>strerror(errno)</code>. This key
3201 will exist only if an error has occurred.
3204 <column name="status" key="state"
3205 type='{"type": "string", "enum": ["set", ["VOID", "BACKOFF", "CONNECTING", "ACTIVE", "IDLE"]]}'>
3207 The state of the connection to the manager:
3210 <dt><code>VOID</code></dt>
3211 <dd>Connection is disabled.</dd>
3213 <dt><code>BACKOFF</code></dt>
3214 <dd>Attempting to reconnect at an increasing period.</dd>
3216 <dt><code>CONNECTING</code></dt>
3217 <dd>Attempting to connect.</dd>
3219 <dt><code>ACTIVE</code></dt>
3220 <dd>Connected, remote host responsive.</dd>
3222 <dt><code>IDLE</code></dt>
3223 <dd>Connection is idle. Waiting for response to keep-alive.</dd>
3226 These values may change in the future. They are provided only for
3231 <column name="status" key="sec_since_connect"
3232 type='{"type": "integer", "minInteger": 0}'>
3233 The amount of time since this manager last successfully connected
3234 to the database (in seconds). Value is empty if manager has never
3235 successfully connected.
3238 <column name="status" key="sec_since_disconnect"
3239 type='{"type": "integer", "minInteger": 0}'>
3240 The amount of time since this manager last disconnected from the
3241 database (in seconds). Value is empty if manager has never
3245 <column name="status" key="locks_held">
3246 Space-separated list of the names of OVSDB locks that the connection
3247 holds. Omitted if the connection does not hold any locks.
3250 <column name="status" key="locks_waiting">
3251 Space-separated list of the names of OVSDB locks that the connection is
3252 currently waiting to acquire. Omitted if the connection is not waiting
3256 <column name="status" key="locks_lost">
3257 Space-separated list of the names of OVSDB locks that the connection
3258 has had stolen by another OVSDB client. Omitted if no locks have been
3259 stolen from this connection.
3262 <column name="status" key="n_connections"
3263 type='{"type": "integer", "minInteger": 2}'>
3265 When <ref column="target"/> specifies a connection method that
3266 listens for inbound connections (e.g. <code>ptcp:</code> or
3267 <code>pssl:</code>) and more than one connection is actually active,
3268 the value is the number of active connections. Otherwise, this
3269 key-value pair is omitted.
3272 When multiple connections are active, status columns and key-value
3273 pairs (other than this one) report the status of one arbitrarily
3278 <column name="status" key="bound_port" type='{"type": "integer"}'>
3279 When <ref column="target"/> is <code>ptcp:</code> or
3280 <code>pssl:</code>, this is the TCP port on which the OVSDB server is
3281 listening. (This is is particularly useful when <ref
3282 column="target"/> specifies a port of 0, allowing the kernel to
3283 choose any available port.)
3287 <group title="Connection Parameters">
3289 Additional configuration for a connection between the manager
3290 and the Open vSwitch Database.
3293 <column name="other_config" key="dscp"
3294 type='{"type": "integer"}'>
3295 The Differentiated Service Code Point (DSCP) is specified using 6 bits
3296 in the Type of Service (TOS) field in the IP header. DSCP provides a
3297 mechanism to classify the network traffic and provide Quality of
3298 Service (QoS) on IP networks.
3300 The DSCP value specified here is used when establishing the connection
3301 between the manager and the Open vSwitch. If no value is specified, a
3302 default value of 48 is chosen. Valid DSCP values must be in the range
3307 <group title="Common Columns">
3308 The overall purpose of these columns is described under <code>Common
3309 Columns</code> at the beginning of this document.
3311 <column name="external_ids"/>
3312 <column name="other_config"/>
3316 <table name="NetFlow">
3317 A NetFlow target. NetFlow is a protocol that exports a number of
3318 details about terminating IP flows, such as the principals involved
3321 <column name="targets">
3322 NetFlow targets in the form
3323 <code><var>ip</var>:<var>port</var></code>. The <var>ip</var>
3324 must be specified numerically, not as a DNS name.
3327 <column name="engine_id">
3328 Engine ID to use in NetFlow messages. Defaults to datapath index
3332 <column name="engine_type">
3333 Engine type to use in NetFlow messages. Defaults to datapath
3334 index if not specified.
3337 <column name="active_timeout">
3338 The interval at which NetFlow records are sent for flows that are
3339 still active, in seconds. A value of <code>0</code> requests the
3340 default timeout (currently 600 seconds); a value of <code>-1</code>
3341 disables active timeouts.
3344 <column name="add_id_to_interface">
3345 <p>If this column's value is <code>false</code>, the ingress and egress
3346 interface fields of NetFlow flow records are derived from OpenFlow port
3347 numbers. When it is <code>true</code>, the 7 most significant bits of
3348 these fields will be replaced by the least significant 7 bits of the
3349 engine id. This is useful because many NetFlow collectors do not
3350 expect multiple switches to be sending messages from the same host, so
3351 they do not store the engine information which could be used to
3352 disambiguate the traffic.</p>
3353 <p>When this option is enabled, a maximum of 508 ports are supported.</p>
3356 <group title="Common Columns">
3357 The overall purpose of these columns is described under <code>Common
3358 Columns</code> at the beginning of this document.
3360 <column name="external_ids"/>
3365 SSL configuration for an Open_vSwitch.
3367 <column name="private_key">
3368 Name of a PEM file containing the private key used as the switch's
3369 identity for SSL connections to the controller.
3372 <column name="certificate">
3373 Name of a PEM file containing a certificate, signed by the
3374 certificate authority (CA) used by the controller and manager,
3375 that certifies the switch's private key, identifying a trustworthy
3379 <column name="ca_cert">
3380 Name of a PEM file containing the CA certificate used to verify
3381 that the switch is connected to a trustworthy controller.
3384 <column name="bootstrap_ca_cert">
3385 If set to <code>true</code>, then Open vSwitch will attempt to
3386 obtain the CA certificate from the controller on its first SSL
3387 connection and save it to the named PEM file. If it is successful,
3388 it will immediately drop the connection and reconnect, and from then
3389 on all SSL connections must be authenticated by a certificate signed
3390 by the CA certificate thus obtained. <em>This option exposes the
3391 SSL connection to a man-in-the-middle attack obtaining the initial
3392 CA certificate.</em> It may still be useful for bootstrapping.
3395 <group title="Common Columns">
3396 The overall purpose of these columns is described under <code>Common
3397 Columns</code> at the beginning of this document.
3399 <column name="external_ids"/>
3403 <table name="sFlow">
3404 <p>A set of sFlow(R) targets. sFlow is a protocol for remote
3405 monitoring of switches.</p>
3407 <column name="agent">
3408 Name of the network device whose IP address should be reported as the
3409 ``agent address'' to collectors. If not specified, the agent device is
3410 figured from the first target address and the routing table. If the
3411 routing table does not contain a route to the target, the IP address
3412 defaults to the <ref table="Controller" column="local_ip"/> in the
3413 collector's <ref table="Controller"/>. If an agent IP address cannot be
3414 determined any of these ways, sFlow is disabled.
3417 <column name="header">
3418 Number of bytes of a sampled packet to send to the collector.
3419 If not specified, the default is 128 bytes.
3422 <column name="polling">
3423 Polling rate in seconds to send port statistics to the collector.
3424 If not specified, defaults to 30 seconds.
3427 <column name="sampling">
3428 Rate at which packets should be sampled and sent to the collector.
3429 If not specified, defaults to 400, which means one out of 400
3430 packets, on average, will be sent to the collector.
3433 <column name="targets">
3434 sFlow targets in the form
3435 <code><var>ip</var>:<var>port</var></code>.
3438 <group title="Common Columns">
3439 The overall purpose of these columns is described under <code>Common
3440 Columns</code> at the beginning of this document.
3442 <column name="external_ids"/>
3446 <table name="IPFIX">
3447 <p>A set of IPFIX collectors. IPFIX is a protocol that exports a
3448 number of details about flows.</p>
3450 <column name="targets">
3451 IPFIX target collectors in the form
3452 <code><var>ip</var>:<var>port</var></code>.
3455 <column name="sampling">
3456 For per-bridge packet sampling, i.e. when this row is referenced
3457 from a <ref table="Bridge"/>, the rate at which packets should
3458 be sampled and sent to each target collector. If not specified,
3459 defaults to 400, which means one out of 400 packets, on average,
3460 will be sent to each target collector. Ignored for per-flow
3461 sampling, i.e. when this row is referenced from a <ref
3462 table="Flow_Sample_Collector_Set"/>.
3465 <column name="obs_domain_id">
3466 For per-bridge packet sampling, i.e. when this row is referenced
3467 from a <ref table="Bridge"/>, the IPFIX Observation Domain ID
3468 sent in each IPFIX packet. If not specified, defaults to 0.
3469 Ignored for per-flow sampling, i.e. when this row is referenced
3470 from a <ref table="Flow_Sample_Collector_Set"/>.
3473 <column name="obs_point_id">
3474 For per-bridge packet sampling, i.e. when this row is referenced
3475 from a <ref table="Bridge"/>, the IPFIX Observation Point ID
3476 sent in each IPFIX flow record. If not specified, defaults to
3477 0. Ignored for per-flow sampling, i.e. when this row is
3478 referenced from a <ref table="Flow_Sample_Collector_Set"/>.
3481 <group title="Common Columns">
3482 The overall purpose of these columns is described under <code>Common
3483 Columns</code> at the beginning of this document.
3485 <column name="external_ids"/>
3489 <table name="Flow_Sample_Collector_Set">
3490 <p>A set of IPFIX collectors of packet samples generated by
3491 OpenFlow <code>sample</code> actions.</p>
3494 The ID of this collector set, unique among the bridge's
3495 collector sets, to be used as the <code>collector_set_id</code>
3496 in OpenFlow <code>sample</code> actions.
3499 <column name="bridge">
3500 The bridge into which OpenFlow <code>sample</code> actions can
3501 be added to send packet samples to this set of IPFIX collectors.
3504 <column name="ipfix">
3505 Configuration of the set of IPFIX collectors to send one flow
3506 record per sampled packet to.
3509 <group title="Common Columns">
3510 The overall purpose of these columns is described under <code>Common
3511 Columns</code> at the beginning of this document.
3513 <column name="external_ids"/>