This file documents how Open vSwitch may be used as a drop-in
replacement for a Linux kernel bridge in an environment that includes
elements that are tightly tied to the Linux bridge tools
-(e.g. "brctl") and architecture. We do not recommend using the
-approach described here outside such an environment, since the other
-tools included with Open vSwitch are easier to use and more
-general-purpose than the Linux bridging tools.
+(e.g. "brctl") and architecture. We recommend directly using the
+management tools provided with Open vSwitch rather than these
+compatibility hooks for environments that are not tightly tied to the
+Linux bridging tools; they are more efficient and better reflect the
+actual operation and status.
+
Installation Procedure
----------------------
bridge interfaces), to ensure that the Open vSwitch kernel modules
are loaded before the Linux kernel bridge module.
-3. Create an initial ovs-vswitchd.conf file. This file may be empty
- when ovs-vswitchd, or you may add any valid configuration
- directives to it (as described in ovs-vswitchd.conf(5)), but it
- must exist.
+3. Create an initial version of the configuration file, for example
+ /etc/ovs-vswitchd.conf. This file may be empty initially or may
+ contain add any valid configuration directives described in
+ ovs-vswitchd.conf(5). However, it must exist when you start
+ ovs-vswitchd.
To create an empty configuration file:
% brctl show
Each of these commands actually uses or modifies the Open vSwitch
- configuration. For example, after executing the commands above
- starting from an empty configuration file, "cat
- /etc/ovs-vswitchd.conf" should show that the configuration file now
- contains the following:
+ configuration file, then notifies the ovs-vswitchd daemon of the
+ change. For example, after executing the commands above starting
+ from an empty configuration file, "cat /etc/ovs-vswitchd.conf"
+ should show that the configuration file now contains the following:
bridge.br0.port=br0
bridge.br0.port=eth0