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Open vSwitch is a multilayer software switch licensed under the open sourceApache 2 license. Our goal is to implement a production quality switchplatform that supports standard management interfaces and opens the forwardingfunctions 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 interfaces to thevirtual networking layer, it was designed to support distribution acrossmultiple physical servers. Open vSwitch supports multiple Linux-basedvirtualization technologies including Xen/XenServer, KVM, and VirtualBox.

The bulk of the code is written in platform-independent C and is easily portedto other environments. The current release of Open vSwitch supports thefollowing features:

• Standard 802.1Q VLAN model with trunk and access ports
• NIC bonding with or without LACP on upstream switch
• NetFlow, sFlow(R), and mirroring for increased visibility
• QoS (Quality of Service) configuration, plus policing
• Geneve, GRE, VXLAN, STT, and LISP tunneling
• 802.1ag connectivity fault management
• OpenFlow 1.0 plus numerous extensions
• Transactional configuration database with C and Python bindings
• High-performance forwarding using a Linux kernel module

The included Linux kernel module supports Linux 3.10 and up.

Open vSwitch can also operate entirely in userspace without assistance froma kernel module. This userspace implementation should be easier to port thanthe kernel-based switch. OVS in userspace can access Linux or DPDK devices.Note Open vSwitch with userspace datapath and non DPDK devices is consideredexperimental and comes with a cost in performance.

The main components of this distribution are:

• ovs-vswitchd, a daemon that implements the switch, along with a companionLinux kernel module for flow-based switching.
• ovsdb-server, a lightweight database server that ovs-vswitchd queries toobtain its configuration.
• ovs-dpctl, a tool for configuring the switch kernel module.
• Scripts and specs for building RPMs for Citrix XenServer and Red HatEnterprise Linux. The XenServer RPMs allow Open vSwitch to be installed on aCitrix XenServer host as a drop-in replacement for its switch, withadditional functionality.
• ovs-vsctl, a utility for querying and updating the configuration ofovs-vswitchd.
• ovs-appctl, a utility that sends commands to running Open vSwitch daemons.

Open vSwitch also provides some tools:

• ovs-ofctl, a utility for querying and controlling OpenFlow switches andcontrollers.
• ovs-pki, a utility for creating and managing the public-key infrastructurefor OpenFlow switches.
• ovs-testcontroller, a simple OpenFlow controller that may be useful fortesting (though not for production).
• A patch to tcpdump that enables it to parse OpenFlow messages.

To install Open vSwitch on a regular Linux or FreeBSD host, please read theinstallation guide. For specificsaround installation on a specific platform, refer to one of theotherinstallation guides

For answers to common questions, refer to theFAQ.

To learn about some advanced features of the Open vSwitch software switch, readthetutorial.

Each Open vSwitch userspace program is accompanied by a manpage. Many of themanpages are customized to your configuration as part of the build process, sowe recommend building Open vSwitch before reading the manpages.

bugs@openvswitch.org