Open vSwitch is a multilayer software switch licensed under the open
source Apache 2 license. Our goal is to implement a production
quality switch platform that supports standard management interfaces
-(e.g. NetFlow, sFlow(R), RSPAN, ERSPAN, IOS-like CLI), and opens the
-forwarding functions to programmatic extension and control.
+and opens the forwarding functions to programmatic extension and
+control.
Open vSwitch is well suited to function as a virtual switch in VM
environments. In addition to exposing standard control and visibility
easily ported to other environments. The current release of Open
vSwitch supports the following features:
- * Visibility into inter-VM communication via NetFlow, sFlow, SPAN,
- and RSPAN
- * Standard 802.1Q VLAN model with trunking
- * Per VM policing
- * NIC bonding with source-MAC load balancing
- * Kernel-based forwarding
- * Support for OpenFlow
- * Compatibility layer for the Linux bridging code
-
-The included Linux kernel module supports Linux 2.6.15 and up, with
-testing focused on 2.6.18 with Centos and Xen patches and version
-2.6.26 from kernel.org. Open vSwitch also has special support for
-Citrix XenServer hosts.
+ * Standard 802.1Q VLAN model with trunk and access ports
+ * NIC bonding with or without LACP on upstream switch
+ * NetFlow, sFlow(R), SPAN, RSPAN, and ERSPAN for increased visibility
+ * QoS (Quality of Service) configuration, plus policing
+ * GRE, GRE over IPSEC, and CAPWAP tunneling
+ * 802.1ag connectivity fault management
+ * OpenFlow 1.0 plus numerous extensions
+ * Transactional configuration database with C and Python bindings
+ * Compatibility layer for Linux bridging code
+ * High-performance forwarding using a Linux kernel module
+
+The included Linux kernel module supports Linux 2.6.18 and up, with
+testing focused on 2.6.32 with Centos and Xen patches. Open vSwitch
+also has special support for Citrix XenServer and Red Hat Enterprise
+Linux hosts.
Open vSwitch can also operate, at a cost in performance, entirely in
userspace, without assistance from a kernel module. This userspace
* ovs-vswitchd, a daemon that implements the switch, along with
a companion Linux kernel module for flow-based switching.
+ * ovsdb-server, a lightweight database server that ovs-vswitchd
+ queries to obtain its configuration.
+
* ovs-brcompatd, a daemon that allows ovs-vswitchd to act as a
drop-in replacement for the Linux bridge in many environments,
along with a companion Linux kernel module to intercept bridge
* ovs-dpctl, a tool for configuring the switch kernel module.
- * Scripts and specs for building RPMs that allow Open vSwitch
- to be installed on a Citrix XenServer host as a drop-in
- replacement for its switch, with additional functionality.
+ * Scripts and specs for building RPMs for Citrix XenServer and Red
+ Hat Enterprise Linux. The XenServer RPMs allow Open vSwitch to
+ be installed on a Citrix XenServer host as a drop-in replacement
+ for its switch, with additional functionality.
* ovs-vsctl, a utility for querying and updating the configuration
of ovs-vswitchd.
* ovs-appctl, a utility that sends commands to running Open
vSwitch daemons.
-Open vSwitch also provides an OpenFlow implementation and tools for
-those interested in OpenFlow but not additional Open vSwitch features:
+ * ovsdbmonitor, a GUI tool for remotely viewing OVS databases and
+ OpenFlow flow tables.
- * ovs-openflowd, a program that implements a simple OpenFlow
- switch (without the special features provided by ovs-vswitchd)
- using the same kernel module as ovs-vswitchd.
+Open vSwitch also provides some tools:
* ovs-controller, a simple OpenFlow controller.
To build RPMs for installing Open vSwitch on a Citrix XenServer host
or resource pool, read INSTALL.XenServer.
+To build RPMs for installing Open vSwitch on a Red Hat Enterprise
+Linux host, read INSTALL.RHEL.
+
+To use Open vSwitch with KVM on Linux, read INSTALL.Linux, then
+INSTALL.KVM.
+
To install Open vSwitch without using a kernel module, read
INSTALL.userspace.
-To learn set up SSL support for Open vSwitch, read INSTALL.SSL.
+To learn how to set up SSL support for Open vSwitch, read INSTALL.SSL.
Each Open vSwitch userspace program is accompanied by a manpage. Many
of the manpages are customized to your configuration as part of the