Provided by: ovn-common_2.5.9-0ubuntu0.16.04.3_amd64 
NAME
ovn-sbctl - utility for querying and configuring OVN_Southbound database
SYNOPSIS
ovn-sbctl [options] -- [options] command [args] [-- [options] command [args]]...
DESCRIPTION
The command should only be used for advanced debugging and troubleshooting of the
OVN_Southbound database; and should never be used in normal operation.
The ovn-sbctl program configures the OVN_Southbound database by providing a high-level
interface to its configuration database. See ovn-sb(5) for comprehensive documentation of
the database schema.
ovn-sbctl connects to an ovsdb-server process that maintains an OVN_Southbound
configuration database. Using this connection, it queries and possibly applies changes to
the database, depending on the supplied commands.
ovn-sbctl can perform any number of commands in a single run, implemented as a single
atomic transaction against the database.
The ovn-sbctl command line begins with global options (see OPTIONS below for details).
The global options are followed by one or more commands. Each command should begin with
-- by itself as a command-line argument, to separate it from the following commands. (The
-- before the first command is optional.) The command itself starts with command-specific
options, if any, followed by the command name and any arguments.
OPTIONS
The following options affect the behavior of ovn-sbctl as a whole. Some individual
commands also accept their own options, which are given just before the command name. If
the first command on the command line has options, then those options must be separated
from the global options by --.
--db=server
The OVSDB database remote to contact. If the OVN_SB_DB environment variable is
set, its value is used as the default. Otherwise, the default is
unix:/var/run/openvswitch/db.sock, but this default is unlikely to be useful
outside of single-machine OVN test environments.
server must take one of the following forms:
ssl:ip:port
The specified SSL port on the host at the given ip, which must be expressed
as an IP address (not a DNS name) in IPv4 or IPv6 address format. If ip is
an IPv6 address, then wrap ip with square brackets, e.g.: ssl:[::1]:6640.
The --private-key, --certificate, and --ca-cert options are mandatory when
this form is used.
tcp:ip:port
Connect to the given TCP port on ip, where ip can be IPv4 or IPv6 address.
If ip is an IPv6 address, then wrap ip with square brackets, e.g.:
tcp:[::1]:6640.
unix:file
On POSIX, connect to the Unix domain server socket named file.
On Windows, connect to a localhost TCP port whose value is written in file.
pssl:port[:ip]
Listen on the given SSL port for a connection. By default, connections are
not bound to a particular local IP address and it listens only on IPv4 (but
not IPv6) addresses, but specifying ip limits connections to those from the
given ip, either IPv4 or IPv6 address. If ip is an IPv6 address, then wrap
ip with square brackets, e.g.: pssl:6640:[::1]. The --private-key,
--certificate, and --ca-cert options are mandatory when this form is used.
ptcp:port[:ip]
Listen on the given TCP port for a connection. By default, connections are
not bound to a particular local IP address and it listens only on IPv4 (but
not IPv6) addresses, but ip may be specified to listen only for connections
to the given ip, either IPv4 or IPv6 address. If ip is an IPv6 address,
then wrap ip with square brackets, e.g.: ptcp:6640:[::1].
punix:file
On POSIX, listen on the Unix domain server socket named file for a
connection.
On Windows, listen on a kernel chosen TCP port on the localhost. The kernel
chosen TCP port value is written in file.
--no-syslog
By default, ovn-sbctl logs its arguments and the details of any changes that it
makes to the system log. This option disables this logging.
This option is equivalent to --verbose=sbctl:syslog:warn.
--oneline
Modifies the output format so that the output for each command is printed on a
single line. New-line characters that would otherwise separate lines are printed
as \n, and any instances of \ that would otherwise appear in the output are
doubled. Prints a blank line for each command that has no output. This option
does not affect the formatting of output from the list or find commands; see Table
Formatting Options below.
--dry-run
Prevents ovn-sbctl from actually modifying the database.
-t secs
--timeout=secs
By default, or with a secs of 0, ovn-sbctl waits forever for a response from the
database. This option limits runtime to approximately secs seconds. If the
timeout expires, ovn-sbctl will exit with a SIGALRM signal. (A timeout would
normally happen only if the database cannot be contacted, or if the system is
overloaded.)
Table Formatting Options
These options control the format of output from the list and find commands.
-f format
--format=format
Sets the type of table formatting. The following types of format are available:
table (default)
2-D text tables with aligned columns.
list A list with one column per line and rows separated by a blank line.
html HTML tables.
csv Comma-separated values as defined in RFC 4180.
json JSON format as defined in RFC 4627. The output is a sequence of JSON
objects, each of which corresponds to one table. Each JSON object has the
following members with the noted values:
caption
The table's caption. This member is omitted if the table has no
caption.
headings
An array with one element per table column. Each array element is a
string giving the corresponding column's heading.
data An array with one element per table row. Each element is also an
array with one element per table column. The elements of this
second-level array are the cells that constitute the table. Cells
that represent OVSDB data or data types are expressed in the format
described in the OVSDB specification; other cells are simply
expressed as text strings.
-d format
--data=format
Sets the formatting for cells within output tables. The following types of format
are available:
string (default)
The simple format described in the Database Values section of ovs-vsctl(8).
bare The simple format with punctuation stripped off: [] and {} are omitted
around sets, maps, and empty columns, items within sets and maps are space-
separated, and strings are never quoted. This format may be easier for
scripts to parse.
json JSON.
The json output format always outputs cells in JSON format, ignoring this option.
--no-heading
This option suppresses the heading row that otherwise appears in the first row of
table output.
--pretty
By default, JSON in output is printed as compactly as possible. This option causes
JSON in output to be printed in a more readable fashion. Members of objects and
elements of arrays are printed one per line, with indentation.
This option does not affect JSON in tables, which is always printed compactly.
--bare Equivalent to --format=list --data=bare --no-headings.
COMMANDS
The commands implemented by ovn-sbctl are described in the sections below.
OVN_Southbound Commands
These commands work with an OVN_Southbound database as a whole.
show Prints a brief overview of the database contents.
Chassis Commands
These commands manipulate OVN_Southbound chassis.
[--may-exist] chassis-add chassis encap-type encap-ip
Creates a new chassis named chassis. encap-type is a comma-separated list of
tunnel types. The chassis will have one encap entry for each specified tunnel type
with encap-ip as the destination IP for each.
Without --may-exist, attempting to create a chassis that exists is an error. With
--may-exist, this command does nothing if chassis already exists.
[--if-exists] chassis-del chassis
Deletes chassis and its encaps and gateway_ports.
Without --if-exists, attempting to delete a chassis that does not exist is an
error. With --if-exists, attempting to delete a chassis that does not exist has no
effect.
Port binding Commands
These commands manipulate OVN_Southbound port bindings.
[--may-exist] lport-bind logical-port chassis
Binds the logical port named logical-port to chassis.
Without --may-exist, attempting to bind a logical port that has already been bound
is an error. With --may-exist, this command does nothing if logical-port has
already been bound to a chassis.
[--if-exists] lport-unbind logical-port
Resets the binding of logical-port to NULL.
Without --if-exists, attempting to unbind a logical port that is not bound is an
error. With --if-exists, attempting to unbind logical port that is not bound has
no effect.
Logical Flow Commands
lflow-list [logical-datapath]
List logical flows. If logical-datapath is specified, only list flows for that
logical datapath.
dump-flows [logical-datapath]
Alias for lflow-list.
Database Values
Each column in the database accepts a fixed type of data. The currently defined basic
types, and their representations, are:
integer
A decimal integer in the range -2**63 to 2**63-1, inclusive.
real A floating-point number.
Boolean
True or false, written true or false, respectively.
string An arbitrary Unicode string, except that null bytes are not allowed. Quotes are
optional for most strings that begin with an English letter or underscore and
consist only of letters, underscores, hyphens, and periods. However, true and
false and strings that match the syntax of UUIDs (see below) must be enclosed in
double quotes to distinguish them from other basic types. When double quotes are
used, the syntax is that of strings in JSON, e.g. backslashes may be used to escape
special characters. The empty string must be represented as a pair of double
quotes ("").
UUID Either a universally unique identifier in the style of RFC 4122, e.g.
f81d4fae-7dec-11d0-a765-00a0c91e6bf6, or an @name defined by a get or create
command within the same ovn-sbctl invocation.
Multiple values in a single column may be separated by spaces or a single comma. When
multiple values are present, duplicates are not allowed, and order is not important.
Conversely, some database columns can have an empty set of values, represented as [], and
square brackets may optionally enclose other non-empty sets or single values as well.
A few database columns are ``maps'' of key-value pairs, where the key and the value are
each some fixed database type. These are specified in the form key=value, where key and
value follow the syntax for the column's key type and value type, respectively. When
multiple pairs are present (separated by spaces or a comma), duplicate keys are not
allowed, and again the order is not important. Duplicate values are allowed. An empty
map is represented as {}. Curly braces may optionally enclose non-empty maps as well (but
use quotes to prevent the shell from expanding other-config={0=x,1=y} into other-
config=0=x other-config=1=y, which may not have the desired effect).
Database Command Syntax
[--if-exists] [--columns=column[,column]...] list table [record]...
Lists the data in each specified record. If no records are specified, lists all
the records in table.
If --columns is specified, only the requested columns are listed, in the specified
order. Otherwise, all columns are listed, in alphabetical order by column name.
Without --if-exists, it is an error if any specified record does not exist. With
--if-exists, the command ignores any record that does not exist, without producing
any output.
[--columns=column[,column]...] find table [column[:key]=value]...
Lists the data in each record in table whose column equals value or, if key is
specified, whose column contains a key with the specified value. The following
operators may be used where = is written in the syntax summary:
= != < > <= >=
Selects records in which column[:key] equals, does not equal, is less than,
is greater than, is less than or equal to, or is greater than or equal to
value, respectively.
Consider column[:key] and value as sets of elements. Identical sets are
considered equal. Otherwise, if the sets have different numbers of
elements, then the set with more elements is considered to be larger.
Otherwise, consider a element from each set pairwise, in increasing order
within each set. The first pair that differs determines the result. (For a
column that contains key-value pairs, first all the keys are compared, and
values are considered only if the two sets contain identical keys.)
{=} {!=}
Test for set equality or inequality, respectively.
{<=} Selects records in which column[:key] is a subset of value. For example,
flood-vlans{<=}1,2 selects records in which the flood-vlans column is the
empty set or contains 1 or 2 or both.
{<} Selects records in which column[:key] is a proper subset of value. For
example, flood-vlans{<}1,2 selects records in which the flood-vlans column
is the empty set or contains 1 or 2 but not both.
{>=} {>}
Same as {<=} and {<}, respectively, except that the relationship is
reversed. For example, flood-vlans{>=}1,2 selects records in which the
flood-vlans column contains both 1 and 2.
For arithmetic operators (= != < > <= >=), when key is specified but a particular
record's column does not contain key, the record is always omitted from the
results. Thus, the condition other-config:mtu!=1500 matches records that have a
mtu key whose value is not 1500, but not those that lack an mtu key.
For the set operators, when key is specified but a particular record's column does
not contain key, the comparison is done against an empty set. Thus, the condition
other-config:mtu{!=}1500 matches records that have a mtu key whose value is not
1500 and those that lack an mtu key.
Don't forget to escape < or > from interpretation by the shell.
If --columns is specified, only the requested columns are listed, in the specified
order. Otherwise all columns are listed, in alphabetical order by column name.
The UUIDs shown for rows created in the same ovn-sbctl invocation will be wrong.
[--if-exists] [--id=@name] get table record [column[:key]]...
Prints the value of each specified column in the given record in table. For map
columns, a key may optionally be specified, in which case the value associated with
key in the column is printed, instead of the entire map.
Without --if-exists, it is an error if record does not exist or key is specified,
if key does not exist in record. With --if-exists, a missing record yields no
output and a missing key prints a blank line.
If @name is specified, then the UUID for record may be referred to by that name
later in the same ovn-sbctl invocation in contexts where a UUID is expected.
Both --id and the column arguments are optional, but usually at least one or the
other should be specified. If both are omitted, then get has no effect except to
verify that record exists in table.
--id and --if-exists cannot be used together.
[--if-exists] set table record column[:key]=value...
Sets the value of each specified column in the given record in table to value. For
map columns, a key may optionally be specified, in which case the value associated
with key in that column is changed (or added, if none exists), instead of the
entire map.
Without --if-exists, it is an error if record does not exist. With --if-exists,
this command does nothing if record does not exist.
[--if-exists] add table record column [key=]value...
Adds the specified value or key-value pair to column in record in table. If column
is a map, then key is required, otherwise it is prohibited. If key already exists
in a map column, then the current value is not replaced (use the set command to
replace an existing value).
Without --if-exists, it is an error if record does not exist. With --if-exists,
this command does nothing if record does not exist.
[--if-exists] remove table record column value...
[--if-exists] remove table record column key...
[--if-exists] remove table record column key=value...
Removes the specified values or key-value pairs from column in record in table.
The first form applies to columns that are not maps: each specified value is
removed from the column. The second and third forms apply to map columns: if only
a key is specified, then any key-value pair with the given key is removed,
regardless of its value; if a value is given then a pair is removed only if both
key and value match.
It is not an error if the column does not contain the specified key or value or
pair.
Without --if-exists, it is an error if record does not exist. With --if-exists,
this command does nothing if record does not exist.
[--if-exists] clear table record column...
Sets each column in record in table to the empty set or empty map, as appropriate.
This command applies only to columns that are allowed to be empty.
Without --if-exists, it is an error if record does not exist. With --if-exists,
this command does nothing if record does not exist.
[--id=@name] create table column[:key]=value...
Creates a new record in table and sets the initial values of each column. Columns
not explicitly set will receive their default values. Outputs the UUID of the new
row.
If @name is specified, then the UUID for the new row may be referred to by that
name elsewhere in the same ovn-sbctl invocation in contexts where a UUID is
expected. Such references may precede or follow the create command.
Caution (ovs-vsctl as exmaple)
Records in the Open vSwitch database are significant only when they can be
reached directly or indirectly from the Open_vSwitch table. Except for
records in the QoS or Queue tables, records that are not reachable from the
Open_vSwitch table are automatically deleted from the database. This
deletion happens immediately, without waiting for additional ovs-vsctl
commands or other database activity. Thus, a create command must generally
be accompanied by additional commands within the same ovs-vsctl invocation
to add a chain of references to the newly created record from the top-level
Open_vSwitch record. The EXAMPLES section gives some examples that show how
to do this.
[--if-exists] destroy table record...
Deletes each specified record from table. Unless --if-exists is specified, each
records must exist.
--all destroy table
Deletes all records from the table.
Caution (ovs-vsctl as exmaple)
The destroy command is only useful for records in the QoS or Queue tables.
Records in other tables are automatically deleted from the database when
they become unreachable from the Open_vSwitch table. This means that
deleting the last reference to a record is sufficient for deleting the
record itself. For records in these tables, destroy is silently ignored.
See the EXAMPLES section below for more information.
wait-until table record [column[:key]=value]...
Waits until table contains a record named record whose column equals value or, if
key is specified, whose column contains a key with the specified value. Any of the
operators !=, <, >, <=, or >= may be substituted for = to test for inequality, less
than, greater than, less than or equal to, or greater than or equal to,
respectively. (Don't forget to escape < or > from interpretation by the shell.)
If no column[:key]=value arguments are given, this command waits only until record
exists. If more than one such argument is given, the command waits until all of
them are satisfied.
Caution (ovs-vsctl as exmaple)
Usually wait-until should be placed at the beginning of a set of ovs-vsctl
commands. For example, wait-until bridge br0 -- get bridge br0 datapath_id
waits until a bridge named br0 is created, then prints its datapath_id
column, whereas get bridge br0 datapath_id -- wait-until bridge br0 will
abort if no bridge named br0 exists when ovs-vsctl initially connects to the
database.
Consider specifying --timeout=0 along with --wait-until, to prevent ovn-sbctl from
terminating after waiting only at most 5 seconds.
comment [arg]...
This command has no effect on behavior, but any database log record created by the
command will include the command and its arguments.
EXIT STATUS
0 Successful program execution.
1 Usage, syntax, or configuration file error.
SEE ALSO
ovn-sb(5).