1ovs-dpctl(8) Open vSwitch Manual ovs-dpctl(8)
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6 ovs-dpctl - administer Open vSwitch datapaths
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9 ovs-dpctl [options] command [switch] [args...]
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12 The ovs-dpctl program can create, modify, and delete Open vSwitch data‐
13 paths. A single machine may host any number of datapaths.
14 A newly created datapath is associated with only one network device, a
16 virtual network device sometimes called the datapath's ``local port''.
17 A newly created datapath is not, however, associated with any of the
18 host's other network devices. To intercept and process traffic on a
19 given network device, use the add-if command to explicitly add that
20 network device to the datapath.
21 If ovs-vswitchd(8) is in use, use ovs-vsctl(8) instead of ovs-dpctl.
23 Most ovs-dpctl commands that work with datapaths take an argument that
25 specifies the name of the datapath. Datapath names take the form
26 [type@]name, where name is the network device associated with the data‐
27 path's local port. If type is given, it specifies the datapath
28 provider of name, otherwise the default provider system is assumed.
29 The following commands manage datapaths.
31 add-dp dp [netdev[,option]...]
33 Creates datapath dp, with a local port also named dp. This will
34 fail if a network device dp already exists.
35 If netdevs are specified, ovs-dpctl adds them to the new data‐
37 path, just as if add-if was specified.
38 del-dp dp
40 Deletes datapath dp. If dp is associated with any network
41 devices, they are automatically removed.
42 add-if dp netdev[,option]...
44 Adds each netdev to the set of network devices datapath dp moni‐
45 tors, where dp is the name of an existing datapath, and netdev
46 is the name of one of the host's network devices, e.g. eth0.
47 Once a network device has been added to a datapath, the datapath
48 has complete ownership of the network device's traffic and the
49 network device appears silent to the rest of the system.
50 A netdev may be followed by a comma-separated list of options.
52 The following options are currently supported:
53 type=type
55 Specifies the type of port to add. The default type is
56 system.
57 port_no=port
59 Requests a specific port number within the datapath. If
60 this option is not specified then one will be automati‐
61 cally assigned.
62 key=value
64 Adds an arbitrary key-value option to the port's configu‐
65 ration.
66 ovs-vswitchd.conf.db(5) documents the available port types and
68 options.
69 set-if dp port[,option]...
71 Reconfigures each port in dp as specified. An option of the
72 form key=value adds the specified key-value option to the port
73 or overrides an existing key's value. An option of the form
74 key=, that is, without a value, deletes the key-value named key.
75 The type and port number of a port cannot be changed, so type
76 and port_no are only allowed if they match the existing configu‐
77 ration.
78 del-if dp netdev...
80 Removes each netdev from the list of network devices datapath dp
81 monitors.
82 dump-dps
84 Prints the name of each configured datapath on a separate line.
85 [-s | --statistics] show [dp...]
87 Prints a summary of configured datapaths, including their data‐
88 path numbers and a list of ports connected to each datapath.
89 (The local port is identified as port 0.) If -s or --statistics
90 is specified, then packet and byte counters are also printed for
91 each port.
92 If one or more datapaths are specified, information on only
94 those datapaths are displayed. Otherwise, ovs-dpctl displays
95 information about all configured datapaths.
96 DEBUGGING COMMANDS
98 The following commands are primarily useful for debugging Open vSwitch.
99 The flow table entries (both matches and actions) that they work with
100 are not OpenFlow flow entries. Instead, they are different and consid‐
101 erably simpler flows maintained by the Open vSwitch kernel module. Use
102 ovs-ofctl(8), instead, to work with OpenFlow flow entries.
103 The dp argument to each of these commands is optional when exactly one
105 datapath exists, in which case that datapath is the default. When mul‐
106 tiple datapaths exist, then a datapath name is required.
107 [-m | --more] dump-flows [dp]
109 Prints to the console all flow entries in datapath dp's flow ta‐
110 ble. Without -m or --more, output omits match fields that a
111 flow wildcards entirely; with -m or --more, output includes all
112 wildcarded fields.
113 add-flow [dp] flow actions
115 [--clear] [--may-create] [-s | --statistics] mod-flow [dp] flow actions
116 Adds or modifies a flow in dp's flow table that, when a packet
117 matching flow arrives, causes actions to be executed.
118 The add-flow command succeeds only if flow does not already
120 exist in dp. Contrariwise, mod-flow without --may-create only
121 modifies the actions for an existing flow. With --may-create,
122 mod-flow will add a new flow or modify an existing one.
123 If -s or --statistics is specified, then mod-flows prints the
125 modified flow's statistics. A flow's statistics are the number
126 of packets and bytes that have passed through the flow, the
127 elapsed time since the flow last processed a packet (if ever),
128 and (for TCP flows) the union of the TCP flags processed through
129 the flow.
130 With --clear, mod-flows zeros out the flow's statistics. The
132 statistics printed if -s or --statistics is also specified are
133 those from just before clearing the statistics.
134 [-s | --statistics] del-flow [dp] flow
136 Deletes the flow from dp's flow table that matches flow. If -s
137 or --statistics is specified, then mod-flows prints the deleted
138 flow's statistics.
139 del-flows [dp]
141 Deletes all flow entries from datapath dp's flow table.
142
144 -s
145 --statistics
146 Causes the show command to print packet and byte counters for
147 each port within the datapaths that it shows.
148 -m
150 --more Increases the verbosity of dump-flows output.
151 -t
153 --timeout=secs
154 Limits ovs-dpctl runtime to approximately secs seconds. If the
155 timeout expires, ovs-dpctl will exit with a SIGALRM signal.
156 -v[spec]
158 --verbose=[spec]
159 Sets logging levels. Without any spec, sets the log level for
160 every module and facility to dbg. Otherwise, spec is a list of
161 words separated by spaces or commas or colons, up to one from
162 each category below:
163 · A valid module name, as displayed by the vlog/list com‐
165 mand on ovs-appctl(8), limits the log level change to the
166 specified module.
167 · syslog, console, or file, to limit the log level change
169 to only to the system log, to the console, or to a file,
170 respectively.
171 · off, emer, err, warn, info, or dbg, to control the log
173 level. Messages of the given severity or higher will be
174 logged, and messages of lower severity will be filtered
175 out. off filters out all messages. See ovs-appctl(8)
176 for a definition of each log level.
177 Case is not significant within spec.
179 Regardless of the log levels set for file, logging to a file
181 will not take place unless --log-file is also specified (see
182 below).
183 For compatibility with older versions of OVS, any is accepted as
185 a word but has no effect.
186 -v
188 --verbose
189 Sets the maximum logging verbosity level, equivalent to --ver‐
190 bose=dbg.
191 --log-file[=file]
193 Enables logging to a file. If file is specified, then it is
194 used as the exact name for the log file. The default log file
195 name used if file is omitted is /var/log/open‐
196 vswitch/ovs-dpctl.log.
197 -h
199 --help Prints a brief help message to the console.
200 -V
202 --version
203 Prints version information to the console.
204
206 ovs-appctl(8), ovs-vswitchd(8)
207Open vSwitch 2.0.0 ovs-dpctl(8)