The OpenFlow reference implementation includes three separate
OpenFlow switch implementations:
- - The "userspace switch": This implements an OpenFlow switch
- as a single user program (built as switch/switch). The
- userspace switch is the easiest to build and use but it is
- much less featureful than the other switch implementations.
-
- The "kernel-based switch": This divides the switch into a
"datapath" Linux kernel module (openflow_mod.o for Linux 2.4
or openflow_mod.ko for Linux 2.6) and a userspace program
switch into a userspace "datapath" (built as
udatapath/udatapath) and the same userspace program used by
the kernel-based switch (secchan). The userspace
- datapath-based switch is as featureful as the kernel-based
- switch and it does not require building a kernel module, but
- it is not as fast as the kernel-based switch and it is part
- of the OpenFlow extensions distribution, not the main
- OpenFlow distribution.
+ datapath-based switch does not require building a kernel
+ module, but it is not as fast as the kernel-based switch.
+
+ - The "userspace switch": This implements an OpenFlow switch
+ as a single user program (built as switch/switch). The
+ userspace switch is the easiest to build and use but it is
+ much less featureful than the other switch implementations.
+
+ The userspace switch is deprecated in favor of the userspace
+ datapath-based switch. It will likely be removed in a
+ future OpenFlow release.
The reference implementation also contains a simple OpenFlow
controller (built as controller/controller) and a number of related
- libssl, from OpenSSL (http://www.openssl.org/), is optional but
recommended. libssl is required to establish confidentiality
and authenticity in the connections among OpenFlow switches and
- controllers. To enable, configure with --enable-ssl=yes
+ controllers. To enable, configure with --enable-ssl=yes.
If you are working from a Git tree or snapshot (instead of from a
distribution tarball), or if you modify the OpenFlow build system, you
The following binaries will be built:
- - Switch executable: switch/switch.
+ - Userspace datapath: udatapath/udatapath.
- Secure channel executable: secchan/secchan.
- Tests: various binaries in tests/.
+ - Switch executable: switch/switch.
+
If your distribution includes the OpenFlow extensions, the
following additional binaries will be built:
- - Userspace datapath: ext/udatapath/udatapath.
-
- ANSI terminal support for EZIO 16x2 LCD panel:
ext/ezio/ezio-term.
openflow-pki (see below).
- openflow-switch: Install this package on a machine that acts
- as an OpenFlow userspace or kernel switch.
+ as an OpenFlow kernel switch.
- openflow-datapath-source: Source code for OpenFlow's Linux
kernel module.
used to verify that the distribution built properly. For full
installation instructions, refer to the Installation section below.
-Userspace Switch
-----------------
-
-These instructions use the OpenFlow userspace switch that runs as an
-integrated userspace program.
-
-1. Start the OpenFlow controller running in the background, by running
- the "controller" program with a command like the following:
-
- # controller ptcp: &
-
- This command causes the controller to bind to port 6633 (the
- default) awaiting connections from OpenFlow switches. See
- controller(8) for details.
-
- The "controller" program does not require any special privilege, so
- you do not need to run it as root.
-
-2. The "switch" program must run as root, so log in as root, or use a
- program such as "su" to become root temporarily.
-
-3. On the same machine, use the "switch" program to start an OpenFlow
- switch, specifying network devices to use as switch ports on the -i
- option as a comma-separated list, like so:
-
- # switch tcp:127.0.0.1 -i eth1,eth2
-
- The network devices that you specify should not have configured IP
- addresses.
-
-4. The controller causes each switch that connects to it to act like a
- learning Ethernet switch. Thus, devices plugged into the specified
- network ports should now be able to send packets to each other, as
- if they were plugged into ports on a conventional Ethernet switch.
-
-Troubleshooting: if the commands above do not work, try using the -v
-or --verbose option on the controller or switch commands, which will
-cause a large amount of debug output from each program.
-
Userspace Datapath
------------------
These instructions use the OpenFlow userspace datapath ("udatapath").
-The udatapath program is part of the OpenFlow extensions repository,
-which is not included in every OpenFlow distribution.
1. Start the OpenFlow controller running in the background, by running
the "controller" program with a command like the following:
now be able to send packets to each other, as if they were plugged
into ports on a conventional Ethernet switch.
+Userspace Switch
+----------------
+
+These instructions use the OpenFlow userspace switch that runs as an
+integrated userspace program. Keep in mind that the userspace switch
+is deprecated: you should use the userspace datapath instead.
+
+1. Start the OpenFlow controller running in the background, by running
+ the "controller" program with a command like the following:
+
+ # controller ptcp: &
+
+ This command causes the controller to bind to port 6633 (the
+ default) awaiting connections from OpenFlow switches. See
+ controller(8) for details.
+
+ The "controller" program does not require any special privilege, so
+ you do not need to run it as root.
+
+2. The "switch" program must run as root, so log in as root, or use a
+ program such as "su" to become root temporarily.
+
+3. On the same machine, use the "switch" program to start an OpenFlow
+ switch, specifying network devices to use as switch ports on the -i
+ option as a comma-separated list, like so:
+
+ # switch tcp:127.0.0.1 -i eth1,eth2
+
+ The network devices that you specify should not have configured IP
+ addresses.
+
+4. The controller causes each switch that connects to it to act like a
+ learning Ethernet switch. Thus, devices plugged into the specified
+ network ports should now be able to send packets to each other, as
+ if they were plugged into ports on a conventional Ethernet switch.
+
Installation
============
location of the controller must be configured manually in this
case.
- All three switch implementations support only out-of-band
- control.
-
- Use the same network for control and for data ("in-band
control"). When in-band control is used, the location of the
controller may be configured manually or discovered
please refer to secchan(8) for instructions on setting up
controller discovery.
- The userspace datapath-based and kernel-based switch
- implementations support in-band control. The userspace switch
- does not.
+ The (deprecated) userspace switch does not support in-band
+ control.
Controller Setup
----------------
Make sure the machine hosting the controller is reachable by the
switch.
-Userspace Switch-Based Setup
-----------------------------
-
-To set up an OpenFlow switch using the userspace switch, follow this
-procedure. The userspace switch must be connected to the controller
-over a "control network" that is physically separate from the one that
-the switch and controller are controlling. (The kernel-based and
-userspace datapath-based switches do not have this limitation.)
-
-0. The commands below must run as root, so log in as root, or use a
- program such as "su" to become root temporarily.
-
-1. Use the "switch" program to start an OpenFlow switch, specifying
- the IP address of the controller as the first argument to the
- switch program, and the network devices to include in the switch as
- arguments to the -i option. For example, if the controller is
- running on host 192.168.1.2 port 6633 (the default port), and eth1
- and eth2 are to be the switch ports, the switch invocation would
- look like this:
-
- # switch tcp:127.0.0.1 -i eth1,eth2
-
- The network devices that you specify should not have configured IP
- addresses.
-
-2. The controller causes each switch that connects to it to act like a
- learning Ethernet switch. Thus, devices plugged into the specified
- network ports should now be able to send packets to each other, as
- if they were plugged into ports on a conventional Ethernet switch.
-
Userspace Datapath-Based Setup
------------------------------
On a machine that is to host an OpenFlow userspace datapath-based
-switch, follow the procedure below. These instructions require the
-OpenFlow userspace datapath ("udatapath"). The udatapath program is
-part of the OpenFlow extensions repository, which is not included in
-every OpenFlow distribution.
+switch, follow the procedure below.
0. The commands below must run as root, so log in as root, or use a
program such as "su" to become root temporarily.
# dpctl adddp nl:0
- (In principle, openflow_mod supports multiple datapaths within the
- same host which would be identified as nl:1, nl:2, etc., but this
- is rarely useful in practice.)
+ (nl:0 is the first datapath within a host. openflow_mod supports
+ multiple datapaths within the same host, which would be identified
+ as nl:1, nl:2, etc.)
Creating datapath nl:0 also creates a new network device named of0.
This network device, called the datapath's "local port", will be
use, because the switch must then also obtain its own IP address
and the controller's location via DHCP.
+Userspace Switch-Based Setup
+----------------------------
+
+To set up an OpenFlow switch using the (deprecated) userspace switch,
+follow this procedure. The userspace switch must be connected to the
+controller over a "control network" that is physically separate from
+the one that the switch and controller are controlling. (The other
+switch implementations do not have this limitation.)
+
+0. The commands below must run as root, so log in as root, or use a
+ program such as "su" to become root temporarily.
+
+1. Use the "switch" program to start an OpenFlow switch, specifying
+ the IP address of the controller as the first argument to the
+ switch program, and the network devices to include in the switch as
+ arguments to the -i option. For example, if the controller is
+ running on host 192.168.1.2 port 6633 (the default port), and eth1
+ and eth2 are to be the switch ports, the switch invocation would
+ look like this:
+
+ # switch tcp:127.0.0.1 -i eth1,eth2
+
+ The network devices that you specify should not have configured IP
+ addresses.
+
+2. The controller causes each switch that connects to it to act like a
+ learning Ethernet switch. Thus, devices plugged into the specified
+ network ports should now be able to send packets to each other, as
+ if they were plugged into ports on a conventional Ethernet switch.
+
Configuration
=============
git://git.onelab.eu / sliver-openvswitch.git / blobdiff