.\" -*- nroff -*-
.TH ovsdb\-server 1 "November 2009" "Open vSwitch" "Open vSwitch Manual"
.\" This program's name:
.ds PN ovsdb\-server
.\" SSL peer program's name:
.ds SN ovsdb\-client
.
.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/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 an Open
vSwitch database (OVSDB).  It supports JSON-RPC client connections
over active or passive TCP/IP or Unix domain sockets.
.PP
The OVSDB file may be specified on the command line as \fIdatabase\fR.
The default is \fB@sysconfdir@/openvswitch/conf.db\fR.  The database
file 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:\fItable\fB,\fIcolumn\fR"
Reads additional connection methods from \fIcolumn\fR in all of the
rows in \fItable\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 "\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'"
.SS "Daemon Options"
.ds DD \
\fBovsdb\-server\fR detaches only after it starts listening on all \
configured remotes.
.so lib/daemon.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:\fItable\fB,\fIcolumn\fR as its argument, then the actual file
name is read from the specified \fIcolumn\fR in \fItable\fR within the
\fBovsdb\-server\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"
Compacts the database in-place.  The database is 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.
.
.so lib/vlog-unixctl.man
.so lib/stress-unixctl.man
.SH "SEE ALSO"
.
.BR ovsdb\-tool (1).