From b1fe1c94b5c7f226554c35bac5fa59a9a166fe2d Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Stephen Finucane Date: Tue, 18 Oct 2016 21:03:35 +0100 Subject: doc: Convert README to rST Signed-off-by: Stephen Finucane Signed-off-by: Russell Bryant --- README.rst | 116 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 116 insertions(+) create mode 100644 README.rst (limited to 'README.rst') diff --git a/README.rst b/README.rst new file mode 100644 index 000000000..944a7c0b0 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.rst @@ -0,0 +1,116 @@ +============ +Open vSwitch +============ + +Build Status +------------ + +.. image:: https://travis-ci.org/openvswitch/ovs.png + :target: https://travis-ci.org/openvswitch/ovs + +What is Open vSwitch? +--------------------- + +Open vSwitch is a multilayer software switch licensed under the open source +Apache 2 license. Our goal is to implement a production quality switch +platform that supports standard management interfaces and opens the forwarding +functions to programmatic extension and control. + +Open vSwitch is well suited to function as a virtual switch in VM environments. +In addition to exposing standard control and visibility interfaces to the +virtual networking layer, it was designed to support distribution across +multiple physical servers. Open vSwitch supports multiple Linux-based +virtualization technologies including Xen/XenServer, KVM, and VirtualBox. + +The bulk of the code is written in platform-independent C and is easily ported +to other environments. The current release of Open vSwitch supports the +following features: + +- Standard 802.1Q VLAN model with trunk and access ports +- NIC bonding with or without LACP on upstream switch +- NetFlow, sFlow(R), and mirroring for increased visibility +- QoS (Quality of Service) configuration, plus policing +- Geneve, GRE, VXLAN, STT, and LISP tunneling +- 802.1ag connectivity fault management +- OpenFlow 1.0 plus numerous extensions +- Transactional configuration database with C and Python bindings +- High-performance forwarding using a Linux kernel module + +The included Linux kernel module supports Linux 3.10 and up. + +Open vSwitch can also operate, at a cost in performance, entirely in userspace, +without assistance from a kernel module. This userspace implementation should +be easier to port than the kernel-based switch. It is considered experimental. + +What's here? +------------ + +The main components of this distribution are: + +- ovs-vswitchd, a daemon that implements the switch, along with a companion + Linux kernel module for flow-based switching. +- ovsdb-server, a lightweight database server that ovs-vswitchd queries to + obtain its configuration. +- ovs-dpctl, a tool for configuring the switch kernel module. +- Scripts and specs for building RPMs for Citrix XenServer and Red Hat + Enterprise Linux. The XenServer RPMs allow Open vSwitch to be installed on a + Citrix XenServer host as a drop-in replacement for its switch, with + additional functionality. +- ovs-vsctl, a utility for querying and updating the configuration of + ovs-vswitchd. +- ovs-appctl, a utility that sends commands to running Open vSwitch daemons. + +Open vSwitch also provides some tools: + +- ovs-ofctl, a utility for querying and controlling OpenFlow switches and + controllers. +- ovs-pki, a utility for creating and managing the public-key infrastructure + for OpenFlow switches. +- ovs-testcontroller, a simple OpenFlow controller that may be useful for + testing (though not for production). +- A patch to tcpdump that enables it to parse OpenFlow messages. + +What other documentation is available? +-------------------------------------- + +To install Open vSwitch on a regular Linux or FreeBSD host, please read the +`installation guide `__. For specifics around installation on a +specific platform, please see one of the below installation guides: + +- `Debian `__ +- `Fedora `__ +- `RHEL `__ +- `XenServer `__ +- `Windows `__ + +To use Open vSwitch... + +- ...with Docker on Linux, see `here `__. + +- ...with KVM on Linux, see `here `__ and `here + `__. + +- ...with Libvirt, see `here `__. + +- ...without using a kernel module, see `here `__. + +- ...with DPDK, see `here `__. + +- ...with SELinux, see `here `__. + +For answers to common questions, refer to the `FAQ `__. + +To learn how to set up SSL support for Open vSwitch, see `here +`__. + +To learn about some advanced features of the Open vSwitch software switch, read +the `tutorial `__. + +Each Open vSwitch userspace program is accompanied by a manpage. Many of the +manpages are customized to your configuration as part of the build process, so +we recommend building Open vSwitch before reading the manpages. + +Contact +------- + +bugs@openvswitch.org -- cgit v1.2.1