NAME

       ovs-dpctl - administer Open vSwitch datapaths

SYNOPSIS

       ovs-dpctl [options] command [switch] [args...]

DESCRIPTION

       The  ovs-dpctl  program  can  create, modify, and delete Open vSwitch datapaths.  A single
       machine may host any number of datapaths.

       A newly created datapath is associated with only one network  device,  a  virtual  network
       device  sometimes  called the datapath's ``local port''.  A newly created datapath is not,
       however, associated with any of the  host's  other  network  devices.   To  intercept  and
       process  traffic  on a given network device, use the add-if command to explicitly add that
       network device to the datapath.

       If ovs-vswitchd(8) is in use, use ovs-vsctl(8) instead of ovs-dpctl.

       Most ovs-dpctl commands that work with datapaths take an argument that specifies the  name
       of  the  datapath.   Datapath  names  take the form [type@]name, where name is the network
       device associated with the datapath's local port.  If type  is  given,  it  specifies  the
       datapath provider of name, otherwise the default provider system is assumed.

       The following commands manage datapaths.

       add-dp dp [netdev[,option]...]
              Creates  datapath dp, with a local port also named dp.  This will fail if a network
              device dp already exists.

              If netdevs are specified, ovs-dpctl adds them to  the  new  datapath,  just  as  if
              add-if was specified.

       del-dp dp
              Deletes  datapath  dp.   If  dp  is  associated  with any network devices, they are
              automatically removed.

       add-if dp netdev[,option]...
              Adds each netdev to the set of network devices datapath dp monitors,  where  dp  is
              the  name  of  an  existing  datapath,  and netdev is the name of one of the host's
              network devices, e.g. eth0.  Once a network device has been added  to  a  datapath,
              the datapath has complete ownership of the network device's traffic and the network
              device appears silent to the rest of the system.

              A netdev may be followed by a  comma-separated  list  of  options.   The  following
              options are currently supported:

              type=type
                     Specifies the type of port to add.  The default type is system.

              port_no=port
                     Requests  a specific port number within the datapath.  If this option is not
                     specified then one will be automatically assigned.

              key=value
                     Adds an arbitrary key-value option to the port's configuration.

              ovs-vswitchd.conf.db(5) documents the available port types and options.

       set-if dp port[,option]...
              Reconfigures each port in dp as specified.  An option of the  form  key=value  adds
              the  specified  key-value  option to the port or overrides an existing key's value.
              An option of the form key=, that is, without a value, deletes the  key-value  named
              key.  The type and port number of a port cannot be changed, so type and port_no are
              only allowed if they match the existing configuration.

       del-if dp netdev...
              Removes each netdev from the list of network devices datapath dp monitors.

       dump-dps
              Prints the name of each configured datapath on a separate line.

       [-s | --statistics] show [dp...]
              Prints a summary of configured datapaths, including their datapath  numbers  and  a
              list  of  ports  connected to each datapath.  (The local port is identified as port
              0.)  If -s or --statistics is specified, then packet and  byte  counters  are  also
              printed for each port.

              If  one  or  more  datapaths are specified, information on only those datapaths are
              displayed.   Otherwise,  ovs-dpctl  displays  information  about   all   configured
              datapaths.

   DEBUGGING COMMANDS
       The  following  commands  are primarily useful for debugging Open vSwitch.  The flow table
       entries (both matches and actions) that they work with  are  not  OpenFlow  flow  entries.
       Instead,  they are different and considerably simpler flows maintained by the Open vSwitch
       kernel module.  Use ovs-ofctl(8), instead, to work with OpenFlow flow entries.

       The dp argument to each of these commands is optional when exactly one datapath exists, in
       which  case  that datapath is the default.  When multiple datapaths exist, then a datapath
       name is required.

       [-m | --more] dump-flows [dp]
              Prints to the console all flow entries in datapath dp's flow table.  Without -m  or
              --more,  output  omits  match  fields  that  a  flow wildcards entirely; with -m or
              --more, output includes all wildcarded fields.

       add-flow [dp] flow actions
       [--clear] [--may-create] [-s | --statistics] mod-flow [dp] flow actions
              Adds or modifies a flow in dp's flow  table  that,  when  a  packet  matching  flow
              arrives, causes actions to be executed.

              The  add-flow  command  succeeds  only  if  flow  does  not  already  exist  in dp.
              Contrariwise, mod-flow without  --may-create  only  modifies  the  actions  for  an
              existing  flow.   With  --may-create,  mod-flow  will  add  a new flow or modify an
              existing one.

              If -s or --statistics is specified,  then  mod-flows  prints  the  modified  flow's
              statistics.   A  flow's  statistics  are  the number of packets and bytes that have
              passed through the flow, the elapsed time since the flow last  processed  a  packet
              (if  ever),  and  (for  TCP flows) the union of the TCP flags processed through the
              flow.

              With --clear, mod-flows zeros out the flow's statistics.  The statistics printed if
              -s  or  --statistics  is  also  specified  are  those from just before clearing the
              statistics.

       [-s | --statistics] del-flow [dp] flow
              Deletes the flow from dp's flow table that matches flow.  If -s or --statistics  is
              specified, then mod-flows prints the deleted flow's statistics.

       del-flows [dp]
              Deletes all flow entries from datapath dp's flow table.

OPTIONS

       -s
       --statistics
              Causes  the show command to print packet and byte counters for each port within the
              datapaths that it shows.

       -m
       --more Increases the verbosity of dump-flows output.

       -t
       --timeout=secs
              Limits ovs-dpctl runtime to approximately secs seconds.  If  the  timeout  expires,
              ovs-dpctl will exit with a SIGALRM signal.

       -v[spec]
       --verbose=[spec]
              Sets  logging  levels.   Without  any spec, sets the log level for every module and
              facility to dbg.  Otherwise, spec is a list of words separated by spaces or  commas
              or colons, up to one from each category below:

              •      A valid module name, as displayed by the vlog/list command on ovs-appctl(8),
                     limits the log level change to the specified module.

              •      syslog, console, or file, to limit the log  level  change  to  only  to  the
                     system log, to the console, or to a file, respectively.

              •      off,  emer,  err, warn, info, or dbg, to control the log level.  Messages of
                     the given severity or higher will be logged, and messages of lower  severity
                     will  be filtered out.  off filters out all messages.  See ovs-appctl(8) for
                     a definition of each log level.

              Case is not significant within spec.

              Regardless of the log levels set for file, logging to a file will  not  take  place
              unless --log-file is also specified (see below).

              For  compatibility with older versions of OVS, any is accepted as a word but has no
              effect.

       -v
       --verbose
              Sets the maximum logging verbosity level, equivalent to --verbose=dbg.

       --log-file[=file]
              Enables logging to a file.  If file is specified, then it is used as the exact name
              for  the  log  file.   The  default  log  file  name  used  if  file  is omitted is
              /var/log/openvswitch/ovs-dpctl.log.

       -h
       --help Prints a brief help message to the console.

       -V
       --version
              Prints version information to the console.

SEE ALSO

       ovs-appctl(8), ovs-vswitchd(8)