Provided by: openvswitch-switch_2.0.2-0ubuntu0.14.04.3_amd64 
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)
Open vSwitch 2.0.2 ovs-dpctl(8)