'\" t

.\"     Title: nm-openvswitch

.\"    Author: 

.\" Generator: DocBook XSL Stylesheets vsnapshot <http://docbook.sf.net/>

.\"      Date: 07/13/2020

.\"    Manual: Open vSwitch support overview

.\"    Source: NetworkManager 1.26.0

.\"  Language: English

.\"

.TH "NM\-OPENVSWITCH" "7" "" "NetworkManager 1\&.26\&.0" "Open vSwitch support overview"

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.SH "NAME"

nm-openvswitch \- overview of NetworkManager Open vSwitch support

.SH "OVERVIEW"

.PP

NetworkManager includes basic Open vSwitch support, good enough to be capable of setting up simple Open vSwitch configurations\&. It is not extensive and does not expose all functionality of Open vSwitch provides\&. For large or complicated deployments users are advised to use native tools shipped with Open vSwitch\&. This document seeks to provide overview of functionality currently provided by NetworkManager, its capabilities and limitations\&.

.PP

First and foremost: NetworkManager applies the configuration by modifying the OVSDB directly\&. Its configuration model follows the OVSDB database model closely and it does not provide the level of abstraction

\fBovs\-vsctl\fR

provides\&.

.PP

In practical terms it means the following:

.sp

.RS 4

.ie n \{\

\h'-04'\(bu\h'+03'\c

.\}

.el \{\

.sp -1

.IP \(bu 2.3

.\}

NetworkManager only ever talks to a single OVSDB instance via an UNIX domain socket\&.

.RE

.sp

.RS 4

.ie n \{\

\h'-04'\(bu\h'+03'\c

.\}

.el \{\

.sp -1

.IP \(bu 2.3

.\}

The configuration is made up of Bridges, Ports and Interfaces\&. Interfaces are always enslaved to Ports, and Ports are always enslaved to Bridges\&.

.RE

.sp

.RS 4

.ie n \{\

\h'-04'\(bu\h'+03'\c

.\}

.el \{\

.sp -1

.IP \(bu 2.3

.\}

NetworkManager only creates Bridges, Ports and Interfaces you ask it to\&. Unlike

\fBovs\-vsctl\fR, it doesn\*(Aqt create the local interface nor its port automatically\&.

.RE

.sp

.RS 4

.ie n \{\

\h'-04'\(bu\h'+03'\c

.\}

.el \{\

.sp -1

.IP \(bu 2.3

.\}

You can\*(Aqt enslave Interface directly to a Bridge\&. You always need a Port, even if it has just one interface\&.

.RE

.sp

.RS 4

.ie n \{\

\h'-04'\(bu\h'+03'\c

.\}

.el \{\

.sp -1

.IP \(bu 2.3

.\}

There are no VLANs\&. The VLAN tagging is enabled by setting a

ovs\-port\&.tag

property on a Port\&.

.RE

.sp

.RS 4

.ie n \{\

\h'-04'\(bu\h'+03'\c

.\}

.el \{\

.sp -1

.IP \(bu 2.3

.\}

There are no bonds either\&. The bonding is enabled by enslaving multiple Interfaces to a Port and configured by setting properties on a port\&.

.RE

.sp

.SS "Bridges"

.PP

Bridges are represented by connections of ovs\-bridge

type\&. Due to the limitations of OVSDB, "empty" Bridges (with no Ports) can\*(Aqt exist\&. NetworkManager inserts the records for Bridges into OVSDB when a Port is enslaved\&.

.SS "Ports"

.PP

Ports are represented by connections of ovs\-port

type\&. Due to the limitations of OVSDB, "empty" Ports (with no Interfaces) can\*(Aqt exist\&. Ports can also be configured to do VLAN tagging or Bonding\&. NetworkManager inserts the records for Ports into OVSDB when an Interface is enslaved\&. Ports must be enslaved to a Bridge\&.

.SS "Interfaces"

.PP

Interfaces are represented by a connections enslaved to a Port\&. The system interfaces (that have a corresponding Linux link) have a respective

connection\&.type

of the link (e\&.g\&. "wired", "bond", "dummy", etc\&.)\&. Other interfaces ("internal" or "patch" interfaces) are of ovs\-interface type\&. The OVSDB entries are inserted upon enslavement to a Port\&.

.SH "EXAMPLES"

.PP

\fBExample\ \&1.\ \&Creating a Bridge with a single internal Interface\fR

.sp

.if n \{\

.RS 4

.\}

.nf

$ \fBnmcli conn add type ovs\-bridge conn\&.interface bridge0\fR

Connection \*(Aqovs\-bridge\-bridge0\*(Aq (d10fc64d\-1d48\-4394\-a1b8\-e1aea72f27d5) successfully added\&.

$ \fBnmcli conn add type ovs\-port conn\&.interface port0 master bridge0\fR

Connection \*(Aqovs\-port\-port0\*(Aq (5ae22bae\-bba4\-4815\-9ade\-7e635633e1f0) successfully added\&.

$ \fBnmcli conn add type ovs\-interface slave\-type ovs\-port conn\&.interface iface0 \e

  master port0 ipv4\&.method manual ipv4\&.address 192\&.0\&.2\&.1/24\fR

Connection \*(Aqovs\-interface\-iface0\*(Aq (3640d2a1\-a2fd\-4718\-92f1\-cffadb5b6cdc) successfully added\&.

.fi

.if n \{\

.RE

.\}

.PP

As said above, you need to create a Port even for a single interface\&. Also, before you add the Interface, the Bridge and Port devices appear active, but are not configured in OVSDB yet\&. You can inspect the results with

\fBovs\-vsctl show\fR\&.

.PP

\fBExample\ \&2.\ \&Adding a Linux interface to a Bridge\fR

.sp

.if n \{\

.RS 4

.\}

.nf

$ \fBnmcli conn add type ovs\-port conn\&.interface port1 master bridge0\fR

Connection \*(Aqovs\-port\-port1\*(Aq (67d041eb\-8e7b\-4458\-afee\-a1d07c9c4552) successfully added\&.

$ \fBnmcli conn add type ethernet conn\&.interface eth0 master port1\fR

Connection \*(Aqovs\-slave\-eth0\*(Aq (d459c45c\-cf78\-4c1c\-b4b7\-505e71379624) successfully added\&.

.fi

.if n \{\

.RE

.\}

.PP

Again, you need a port\&.

.PP

\fBExample\ \&3.\ \&Creating a VLAN\fR

.sp

.if n \{\

.RS 4

.\}

.nf

$ \fBnmcli conn add type ovs\-port conn\&.interface port2 master bridge0 ovs\-port\&.tag 120\fR

Connection \*(Aqovs\-port\-port2\*(Aq (3994c093\-4ef7\-4549\-a4fd\-627b831c3cb8) successfully added\&.

$ \fBnmcli conn add type ethernet conn\&.interface eth1 master port2\fR

Connection \*(Aqovs\-slave\-eth1\*(Aq (099be06e\-71ad\-484d\-8d5a\-fcadc5f207f5) successfully added\&.

.fi

.if n \{\

.RE

.\}

.PP

It\*(Aqs just a port with a tag\&.

.PP

\fBExample\ \&4.\ \&Creating a Bond\fR

.sp

.if n \{\

.RS 4

.\}

.nf

$ \fBnmcli conn add type ovs\-port conn\&.interface bond0 master bridge0\fR

Connection \*(Aqovs\-port\-bond0\*(Aq (d154ebf9\-e999\-4e1b\-a084\-a3de53d25d8a) successfully added\&.

$ \fBnmcli conn add type ethernet conn\&.interface eth2 master bond0\fR

Connection \*(Aqovs\-slave\-eth2\*(Aq (475ac1bf\-30b2\-4534\-a877\-27f33f58b082) successfully added\&.

$ \fBnmcli conn add type ethernet conn\&.interface eth3 master bond0\fR

Connection \*(Aqovs\-slave\-eth3\*(Aq (8dedeecb\-ed12\-482b\-b77a\-24a4fb835136) successfully added\&.

.fi

.if n \{\

.RE

.\}

.PP

It\*(Aqs just a Port with multiple interfaces\&. See nm\-settings manual for Bonding options you can use with "nmcli c add" or "nmcli c modify"\&. You could even set a VLAN tag on the same Port to do VLAN tagging and bonding at the same time\&.

.SH "BUGS"

.sp

.RS 4

.ie n \{\

\h'-04'\(bu\h'+03'\c

.\}

.el \{\

.sp -1

.IP \(bu 2.3

.\}

Not all Open vSwitch capabilities are supported\&.

.RE

.sp

.RS 4

.ie n \{\

\h'-04'\(bu\h'+03'\c

.\}

.el \{\

.sp -1

.IP \(bu 2.3

.\}

Open vSwitch devices don\*(Aqt expose many useful properties on D\-Bus\&.

.RE

.PP

Probably many more\&.

.SH "SEE ALSO"

.PP

\m[blue]\fBRFC 7047: The Open vSwitch Database Management Protocol\fR\m[]\&\s-2\u[1]\d\s+2,

\fBovs-vsctl\fR(8),

\fBovs-vswitchd.conf.db\fR(5),

\fBnm-settings\fR(5),

\fBnmcli\fR(1)

.SH "NOTES"

.IP " 1." 4

RFC 7047: The Open vSwitch Database Management Protocol

.RS 4

\%https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc7047.txt

.RE