Document how to use Open vSwitch as a replacement for the Linux bridge.

diff --git a/INSTALL.bridge b/INSTALL.bridge
new file mode 100644 (file)
index 0000000..ec9e091
--- /dev/null
+++ b/INSTALL.bridge
@@ -0,0 +1,75 @@
+              Replacing a Linux Bridge with Open vSwitch
+              ==========================================
+
+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.
+
+Installation Procedure
+----------------------
+
+The procedure below explains how to use the Open vSwitch bridge
+compatibility support.  This procedure is written from the perspective
+of a system administrator manually loading and starting Open vSwitch
+in bridge compatibility mode, but of course in practice one would want
+to update system scripts to follow these steps.
+
+1. Build and install the Open vSwitch kernel modules and userspace
+   programs as described in INSTALL.Linux.
+
+   It is important to run "make install", because some Open vSwitch
+   programs expect to find files in locations selected at installation
+   time.
+
+2. Load both the openvswitch and brcompat kernel modules (which were
+   built in step 1), e.g.:
+
+      % insmod datapath/linux-2.6/openvswitch_mod.ko
+      % insmod datapath/linux-2.6/brcompat_mod.ko
+
+   These kernel modules cannot be loaded if the Linux bridge module is
+   already loaded.  Thus, you may need to remove any existing bridges
+   and unload the bridge module with "rmmod bridge" before you can do
+   this.  In addition, if you edit your system configuration files to
+   load these modules at boot time, it should happen before any bridge
+   configuration (e.g. before any calls to "brctl" or "ifup" of any
+   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.
+
+   To create an empty configuration file:
+
+      % touch /etc/ovs-vswitchd.conf
+
+4. Start ovs-vswitchd and ovs-brcompatd, e.g.:
+
+      % ovs-vswitchd -P -D -vANY:console:EMER /etc/ovs-vswitchd.conf
+      % ovs-brcompatd -P -D -vANY:console:EMER /etc/ovs-vswitchd.conf
+
+5. Now you should be able to manage the Open vSwitch using brctl and
+   related tools.  For example, you can create an Open vSwitch bridge,
+   add interfaces to it, then print information about bridges with the
+   commands:
+
+      % brctl addbr br0
+      % brctl addif br0 eth0
+      % brctl addif br0 eth1
+      % 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:
+
+      bridge.br0.port=br0
+      bridge.br0.port=eth0
+      bridge.br0.port=eth1

diff --git a/README b/README
index 4f5882b..1fa27ba 100644 (file)
--- a/README
+++ b/README
@@ -65,6 +65,9 @@ What other documentation is available?
 
 To install Open vSwitch on a regular Linux machine, read INSTALL.Linux.
 
 
 To install Open vSwitch on a regular Linux machine, read INSTALL.Linux.
 

+To use Open vSwitch as a drop-in replacement for the Linux bridge,
+read INSTALL.bridge.
+

 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 Citrix XenServer host
 or resource pool, read INSTALL.XenServer.
 

diff --git a/vswitchd/ovs-brcompatd.8.in b/vswitchd/ovs-brcompatd.8.in
index ebd6702..8df8498 100644 (file)
--- a/vswitchd/ovs-brcompatd.8.in
+++ b/vswitchd/ovs-brcompatd.8.in
@@ -46,4 +46,4 @@ loaded.
 .BR ovs\-appctl (8),
 .BR ovs\-vswitchd (8),
 .BR ovs\-vswitchd.conf (5),
 .BR ovs\-appctl (8),
 .BR ovs\-vswitchd (8),
 .BR ovs\-vswitchd.conf (5),

-\fBINSTALL\fR in the Open vSwitch distribution.
+\fBINSTALL.bridge\fR in the Open vSwitch distribution.

diff --git a/vswitchd/ovs-vswitchd.8.in b/vswitchd/ovs-vswitchd.8.in
index 2585a20..6941bdf 100644 (file)
--- a/vswitchd/ovs-vswitchd.8.in
+++ b/vswitchd/ovs-vswitchd.8.in
@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@ to modify datapaths when \fBovs\-vswitchd\fR is running can interfere with
 its operation.  (\fBovs\-dpctl\fR may still be useful for diagnostics.)
 .PP
 An Open vSwitch datapath kernel module must be loaded for \fBovs\-vswitchd\fR
 its operation.  (\fBovs\-dpctl\fR may still be useful for diagnostics.)
 .PP
 An Open vSwitch datapath kernel module must be loaded for \fBovs\-vswitchd\fR

-to be useful.  Please refer to the \fBINSTALL\fR file included in the
+to be useful.  Please refer to the \fBINSTALL.Linux\fR file included in the

 Open vSwitch distribution for instructions on how to build and load
 the Open vSwitch kernel module.
 .PP
 Open vSwitch distribution for instructions on how to build and load
 the Open vSwitch kernel module.
 .PP


@@ -84,4 +84,4 @@ Only Linux 2.6.\fIx\fR is currently supported.
 .BR ovs\-appctl (8),
 .BR ovs\-vswitchd.conf (5),
 .BR ovs\-brcompatd (8),
 .BR ovs\-appctl (8),
 .BR ovs\-vswitchd.conf (5),
 .BR ovs\-brcompatd (8),

-\fBINSTALL\fR in the Open vSwitch distribution.
+\fBINSTALL.Linux\fR in the Open vSwitch distribution.