'\" t
.\"     Title: nm-openvswitch
.\"    Author: 
.\" Generator: DocBook XSL Stylesheets vsnapshot <http://docbook.sf.net/>
.\"      Date: 02/24/2024
.\"    Manual: Open vSwitch support overview
.\"    Source: NetworkManager 1.46.0
.\"  Language: English
.\"
.TH "NM\-OPENVSWITCH" "7" "" "NetworkManager 1\&.46\&.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\-nmcli 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-nmcli\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