.\" -*- nroff -*- .de IQ . br . ns . IP "\\$1" .. .TH ovsdb\-server 1 "@VERSION@" "Open vSwitch" "Open vSwitch Manual" .\" This program's name: .ds PN ovsdb\-server . .SH NAME ovsdb\-server \- Open vSwitch database server . .SH SYNOPSIS \fBovsdb\-server\fR [\fIdatabase\fR]\&... [\fB\-\-remote=\fIremote\fR]\&... [\fB\-\-run=\fIcommand\fR] .so lib/daemon-syn.man .so lib/service-syn.man .so lib/vlog-syn.man .so lib/ssl-syn.man .so lib/ssl-bootstrap-syn.man .so lib/unixctl-syn.man .so lib/common-syn.man . .SH DESCRIPTION The \fBovsdb\-server\fR program provides RPC interfaces to one or more Open vSwitch databases (OVSDBs). It supports JSON-RPC client connections over active or passive TCP/IP or Unix domain sockets. .PP Each OVSDB file may be specified on the command line as \fIdatabase\fR. If none is specified, the default is \fB@DBDIR@/conf.db\fR. The database files must already have been created and initialized using, for example, \fBovsdb\-tool create\fR. . .SH OPTIONS . .IP "\fB\-\-remote=\fIremote\fR" Adds \fIremote\fR as a connection method used by \fBovsdb\-server\fR. \fIremote\fR must take one of the following forms: . .RS .so ovsdb/remote-passive.man .so ovsdb/remote-active.man . .IP "\fBdb:\fIdb\fB,\fItable\fB,\fIcolumn\fR" Reads additional connection methods from \fIcolumn\fR in all of the rows in \fItable\fR within \fIdb\fR. As the contents of \fIcolumn\fR changes, \fBovsdb\-server\fR also adds and drops connection methods accordingly. .IP If \fIcolumn\fR's type is string or set of strings, then the connection methods are taken directly from the column. The connection methods in the column must have one of the forms described above. .IP If \fIcolumn\fR's type is UUID or set of UUIDs and references a table, then each UUID is looked up in the referenced table to obtain a row. The following columns in the row, if present and of the correct type, configure a connection method. Any additional columns are ignored. .RS .IP "\fBtarget\fR (string)" Connection method, in one of the forms described above. This column is mandatory: if it is missing or empty then no connection method can be configured. .IP "\fBmax_backoff\fR (integer)" Maximum number of milliseconds to wait between connection attempts. .IP "\fBinactivity_probe\fR (integer)" Maximum number of milliseconds of idle time on connection to client before sending an inactivity probe message. .RE .IP It is an error for \fIcolumn\fR to have another type. .RE . .IP To connect or listen on multiple connection methods, use multiple \fB\-\-remote\fR options. . .IP "\fB\-\-run=\fIcommand\fR]" Ordinarily \fBovsdb\-server\fR runs forever, or until it is told to exit (see \fBRUNTIME MANAGEMENT COMMANDS\fR below). With this option, \fBovsdb\-server\fR instead starts a shell subprocess running \fIcommand\fR. When the subprocess terminates, \fBovsdb\-server\fR also exits gracefully. If the subprocess exits normally with exit code 0, then \fBovsdb\-server\fR exits with exit code 0 also; otherwise, it exits with exit code 1. .IP This option can be useful where a database server is needed only to run a single command, e.g.: .B "ovsdb\-server \-\-remote=punix:socket \-\-run='ovsdb\-client dump unix:socket Open_vSwitch'" .IP This option is not supported on Windows platform. .SS "Daemon Options" .ds DD \ \fBovsdb\-server\fR detaches only after it starts listening on all \ configured remotes. .so lib/daemon.man .SS "Service Options" .so lib/service.man .SS "Logging Options" .so lib/vlog.man .SS "Public Key Infrastructure Options" The options described below for configuring the SSL public key infrastructure accept a special syntax for obtaining their configuration from the database. If any of these options is given \fBdb:\fIdb\fB,\fItable\fB,\fIcolumn\fR as its argument, then the actual file name is read from the specified \fIcolumn\fR in \fItable\fR within the \fIdb\fR database. The \fIcolumn\fR must have type string or set of strings. The first nonempty string in the table is taken as the file name. (This means that ordinarily there should be at most one row in \fItable\fR.) .so lib/ssl.man .so lib/ssl-bootstrap.man .SS "Other Options" .so lib/unixctl.man .so lib/common.man .SH "RUNTIME MANAGEMENT COMMANDS" \fBovs\-appctl\fR(8) can send commands to a running \fBovsdb\-server\fR process. The currently supported commands are described below. .SS "OVSDB\-SERVER COMMANDS" These commands are specific to \fBovsdb\-server\fR. .IP "\fBexit\fR" Causes \fBovsdb\-server\fR to gracefully terminate. .IP "\fBovsdb\-server/compact\fR [\fIdb\fR]\&..." Compacts each database \fIdb\fR in-place. If no \fIdb\fR is specified, compacts every database in-place. Databases are also automatically compacted occasionally. . .IP "\fBovsdb\-server/reconnect\fR" Makes \fBovsdb\-server\fR drop all of the JSON\-RPC connections to database clients and reconnect. .IP This command might be useful for debugging issues with database clients. . .IP "\fBovsdb\-server/add\-remote \fIremote\fR" Adds a remote, as if \fB\-\-remote=\fIremote\fR had been specified on the \fBovsdb\-server\fR command line. (If \fIremote\fR is already a remote, this command succeeds without changing the configuration.) . .IP "\fBovsdb\-server/remove\-remote \fIremote\fR" Removes the specified \fIremote\fR from the configuration, failing with an error if \fIremote\fR is not configured as a remote. This command only works with remotes that were named on \fB\-\-remote\fR or \fBovsdb\-server/add\-remote\fR, that is, it will not remove remotes added indirectly because they were read from the database by configuring a \fBdb:\fIdb\fB,\fItable\fB,\fIcolumn\fR remote. (You can remove a database source with \fBovsdb\-server/remove\-remote \fBdb:\fIdb\fB,\fItable\fB,\fIcolumn\fR, but not individual remotes found indirectly through the database.) . .IP "\fBovsdb\-server/list\-remotes" Outputs a list of the currently configured remotes named on \fB\-\-remote\fR or \fBovsdb\-server/add\-remote\fR, that is, it does not list remotes added indirectly because they were read from the database by configuring a \fBdb:\fIdb\fB,\fItable\fB,\fIcolumn\fR remote. . .IP "\fBovsdb\-server/add\-db \fIdatabase\fR" Adds the \fIdatabase\fR to the running \fBovsdb\-server\fR. The database file must already have been created and initialized using, for example, \fBovsdb\-tool create\fR. . .IP "\fBovsdb\-server/remove\-db \fIdatabase\fR" Removes \fIdatabase\fR from the running \fBovsdb\-server\fR. \fIdatabase\fR must be a database name as listed by \fBovsdb-server/list\-dbs\fR. .IP If a remote has been configured that points to the specified \fIdatabase\fR (e.g. \fB\-\-remote=db:\fIdatabase\fB,\fR... on the command line), then it will be disabled until another database with the same name is added again (with \fBovsdb\-server/add\-db\fR). .IP Any public key infrastructure options specified through this database (e.g. \fB\-\-private\-key=db:\fIdatabase,\fR... on the command line) will be disabled until another database with the same name is added again (with \fBovsdb\-server/add\-db\fR). . .IP "\fBovsdb\-server/list\-dbs" Outputs a list of the currently configured databases added either through the command line or through the \fBovsdb\-server/add\-db\fR command. . .so lib/vlog-unixctl.man .so lib/memory-unixctl.man .so lib/coverage-unixctl.man .SH "SPECIFICATIONS" . .PP \fBovsdb\-server\fR implements the Open vSwitch Database (OVSDB) protocol specified in RFC 7047, with the following clarifications: . .IP "3.1. JSON Usage" RFC 4627 says that names within a JSON object should be unique. The Open vSwitch JSON parser discards all but the last value for a name that is specified more than once. . .IP "3.2. Schema Format" RFC 7047 requires the "version" field in . Current versions of \fBovsdb\-server\fR allow it to be omitted (future versions are likely to require it). . .IP "4. Wire Protocol" The original OVSDB specifications included the following reason, omitted from RFC 7047, to operate JSON-RPC directly over a stream instead of over HTTP: . .RS .IP \(bu JSON-RPC is a peer-to-peer protocol, but HTTP is a client-server protocol, which is a poor match. Thus, JSON-RPC over HTTP requires the client to periodically poll the server to receive server requests. .IP \(bu HTTP is more complicated than stream connections and doesn't provide any corresponding advantage. .IP \(bu The JSON-RPC specification for HTTP transport is incomplete. .RE . .IP "4.1.5. Monitor" For backward compatibility, \fBovsdb\-server\fR currently permits a single to be used instead of an array; it is treated as a single-element array. Future versions of \fBovsdb\-server\fR might remove this compatibility feature. .IP Because the parameter is used to match subsequent update notifications (see below) to the request, it must be unique among all active monitors. \fBovsdb\-server\fR rejects attempt to create two monitors with the same identifier. . .IP "6. IANA Considerations" \fBovsdb\-server\fR currently defaults to its historical port number 6632. Future versions will adopt IANA-assigned port 6640 as default. .SH "SEE ALSO" . .BR ovsdb\-tool (1).