INSTALL.Linux

   1                  How to Install Open vSwitch on Linux
   2                  ====================================
   3
   4 This document describes how to build and install Open vSwitch on a
   5 generic Linux host.  If you want to install Open vSwitch on a Citrix
   6 XenServer version 5.5.0, see INSTALL.XenServer instead.
   7
   8 This version of Open vSwitch may be built manually with "configure"
   9 and "make", as described below.  You may also build Debian packages by
  10 running "dpkg-buildpackage".
  11
  12 Build Requirements
  13 ------------------
  14
  15 To compile the userspace programs in the Open vSwitch distribution,
  16 you will need the following software:
  17
  18     - A make program, e.g. GNU make.  BSD make should also work.
  19
  20     - The GNU C compiler.  We generally test with version 4.1, 4.2, or
  21       4.3.
  22
  23     - libssl, from OpenSSL, is optional but recommended if you plan to
  24       connect the Open vSwitch to an OpenFlow controller.  libssl is
  25       required to establish confidentiality and authenticity in the
  26       connections from an Open vSwitch to an OpenFlow controller.  If
  27       libssl is installed, then Open vSwitch will automatically build
  28       with support for it.
  29
  30 To compile the kernel module, you must also install the following.  If
  31 you cannot build or install the kernel module, you may use the
  32 userspace-only implementation, at a cost in performance.  The
  33 userspace implementation may also lack some features.  Refer to
  34 INSTALL.userspace for more information.
  35
  36     - A supported Linux kernel version.  Please refer to README for a
  37       list of supported versions.
  38
  39       The Open vSwitch datapath requires bridging support
  40       (CONFIG_BRIDGE) to be built as a kernel module.  (This is common
  41       in kernels provided by Linux distributions.)  The bridge module
  42       must not be loaded or in use.  If the bridge module is running
  43       (check with "lsmod | grep bridge"), you must remove it ("rmmod
  44       bridge") before starting the datapath.
  45
  46       For optional support of ingress policing, you must enable kernel
  47       configuration options NET_CLS_ACT, NET_CLS_U32, NET_SCH_INGRESS,
  48       and NET_ACT_POLICE, either built-in or as modules.
  49       (NET_CLS_POLICE is obsolete and not needed.)
  50
  51       If GRE tunneling is being used it is recommended that the kernel
  52       be compiled with IPv6 support (CONFIG_IPV6).  This allows for
  53       special handling (such as path MTU discovery) of IPv6 packets.
  54
  55       To use Open vSwitch support for TAP devices, you must enable
  56       CONFIG_TUN.
  57
  58     - To build a kernel module, you need the same version of GCC that
  59       was used to build that kernel.
  60
  61     - A kernel build directory corresponding to the Linux kernel image
  62       the module is to run on.  Under Debian and Ubuntu, for example,
  63       each linux-image package containing a kernel binary has a
  64       corresponding linux-headers package with the required build
  65       infrastructure.
  66
  67 If you are working from a Git tree or snapshot (instead of from a
  68 distribution tarball), or if you modify the Open vSwitch build system,
  69 you will also need the following software:
  70
  71     - Autoconf version 2.64 or later.
  72
  73     - Automake version 1.10 or later.
  74
  75     - pkg-config.  We test with version 0.22.
  76
  77     - Python 2.x, for x >= 4.
  78
  79 If you modify the ovsdbmonitor tool, then you will also need the
  80 following:
  81
  82     - pyuic4 from PyQt4 (http://www.riverbankcomputing.co.uk).
  83
  84 If you modify the vswitchd database schema, then the E-R diagram in
  85 the ovs-vswitchd.conf.db(5) manpage will be updated properly only if
  86 you have the following:
  87
  88     - "dot" from graphviz (http://www.graphviz.org/).
  89
  90 Installation Requirements
  91 -------------------------
  92
  93 The machine on which Open vSwitch is to be installed must have the
  94 following software:
  95
  96     - libc compatible with the libc used for build.
  97
  98     - libssl compatible with the libssl used for build, if OpenSSL was
  99       used for the build.
 100
 101     - The Linux kernel version configured as part of the build.
 102
 103     - For optional support of ingress policing, the "tc" program from
 104       iproute2 (part of all major distributions and available at
 105       http://www.linux-foundation.org/en/Net:Iproute2).
 106
 107     - For debugging purposes, Open vSwitch expects that "tcpdump" is
 108       installed as /usr/sbin/tcpdump.  If tcpdump is not installed, or
 109       if it is installed in a different location, then some Open
 110       vSwitch log messages will not be as detailed.
 111
 112 You should ensure that /dev/urandom exists.  To support TAP devices,
 113 you must also ensure that /dev/net/tun exists.
 114
 115 To run the ovsdmonitor tool, the machine must also have the following
 116 software:
 117
 118     - Python 2.x, for x >= 4.
 119
 120     - Python Twisted Conch.
 121
 122     - Python JSON.
 123
 124     - PySide or PyQt4.
 125
 126     - Python Zope interface module.
 127
 128 (On Debian "lenny" the above can be installed with "apt-get install
 129 python-json python-qt4 python-zopeinterface python-twisted-conch".)
 130
 131 Building and Installing Open vSwitch for Linux
 132 ==============================================
 133
 134 Once you have installed all the prerequisites listed above in the Base
 135 Prerequisites section, follow the procedure below to build.
 136
 137 1. If you pulled the sources directly from an Open vSwitch Git tree,
 138    run boot.sh in the top source directory:
 139
 140       % ./boot.sh
 141
 142 2. In the top source directory, configure the package by running the
 143    configure script.  You can usually invoke configure without any
 144    arguments:
 145
 146       % ./configure
 147
 148    By default all files are installed under /usr/local.  If you want
 149    to install into, e.g., /usr and /var instead of /usr/local and
 150    /usr/local/var, add options as shown here:
 151
 152       % ./configure --prefix=/usr --localstatedir=/var
 153
 154    To use a specific C compiler for compiling Open vSwitch user
 155    programs, also specify it on the configure command line, like so:
 156
 157       % ./configure CC=gcc-4.2
 158
 159    To build the Linux kernel module, so that you can run the
 160    kernel-based switch, pass the location of the kernel build
 161    directory on --with-l26.  For example, to build for a running
 162    instance of Linux 2.6:
 163
 164       % ./configure --with-l26=/lib/modules/`uname -r`/build
 165
 166    If you wish to build the kernel module for an architecture other
 167    than the architecture of the machine used for the build, you may
 168    specify the kernel architecture string using the KARCH variable
 169    when invoking the configure script.  For example, to build for MIPS
 170    with Linux 2.6:
 171
 172       % ./configure --with-l26=/path/to/linux-2.6 KARCH=mips
 173
 174    The configure script accepts a number of other options and honors
 175    additional environment variables.  For a full list, invoke
 176    configure with the --help option.
 177
 178 3. Run make in the top source directory:
 179
 180       % make
 181
 182 4. Become root by running "su" or another program.
 183
 184 5. Run "make install" to install the executables and manpages into the
 185    running system, by default under /usr/local.
 186
 187 6. If you built kernel modules, you may load them with "insmod", e.g.:
 188
 189       % insmod datapath/linux-2.6/openvswitch_mod.ko
 190
 191    You may need to specify a full path to insmod, e.g. /sbin/insmod.
 192    To verify that the modules have been loaded, run "/sbin/lsmod" and
 193    check that openvswitch_mod is listed.
 194
 195    If the "insmod" operation fails, look at the last few kernel log
 196    messages (e.g. with "dmesg | tail"):
 197
 198       - The message "openvswitch_mod: exports duplicate symbol
 199         br_should_route_hook (owned by bridge)" means that the bridge
 200         module is loaded.  Run "/sbin/rmmod bridge" to remove it.
 201
 202         If "/sbin/rmmod bridge" fails with "ERROR: Module bridge does
 203         not exist in /proc/modules", then the bridge is compiled into
 204         the kernel, rather than as a module.  Open vSwitch does not
 205         support this configuration (see "Build Requirements", above).
 206
 207       - The message "openvswitch_mod: exports duplicate symbol
 208         dp_ioctl_hook (owned by ofdatapath)" means that the ofdatapath
 209         module from the OpenFlow reference implementation is loaded.
 210         Run "/sbin/rmmod ofdatapath" to remove it.  (You might have to
 211         delete any existing datapaths beforehand, using the "dpctl"
 212         program included with the OpenFlow reference implementation.
 213         "ovs-dpctl" will not work.)
 214
 215       - Otherwise, the most likely problem is that Open vSwitch was
 216         built for a kernel different from the one into which you are
 217         trying to load it.  Run "modinfo" on openvswitch_mod.ko and on
 218         a module built for the running kernel, e.g.:
 219
 220            % /sbin/modinfo openvswitch_mod.ko
 221            % /sbin/modinfo /lib/modules/`uname -r`/kernel/net/bridge/bridge.ko
 222
 223         Compare the "vermagic" lines output by the two commands.  If
 224         they differ, then Open vSwitch was built for the wrong kernel.
 225
 226       - If you decide to report a bug or ask a question related to
 227         module loading, please include the output from the "dmesg" and
 228         "modinfo" commands mentioned above.
 229
 230 7. Initialize the configuration database using ovsdb-tool, e.g.:
 231
 232       % ovsdb-tool create /usr/local/etc/ovs-vswitchd.conf.db vswitchd/vswitch.ovsschema
 233
 234 Startup
 235 =======
 236
 237 Before starting ovs-vswitchd itself, you need to start its
 238 configuration database, ovsdb-server.  Each machine on which Open
 239 vSwitch is installed should run its own copy of ovsdb-server.
 240 Configure it to use the database you created during step 7 of
 241 installation, above, to listen on a Unix domain socket, to connect to
 242 any managers specified in the database itself, and to use the SSL
 243 configuration in the database:
 244
 245       % ovsdb-server /usr/local/etc/ovs-vswitchd.conf.db \
 246                       --remote=punix:/usr/local/var/run/openvswitch/db.sock \
 247                       --remote=db:Open_vSwitch,managers \
 248                       --private-key=db:SSL,private_key \
 249                       --certificate=db:SSL,certificate \
 250                       --bootstrap-ca-cert=db:SSL,ca_cert \
 251                       --pidfile --detach
 252
 253 Then initialize the database using ovs-vsctl.  This is only
 254 necessary the first time after you create the database with
 255 ovsdb-tool (but running it at any time is harmless):
 256
 257       % ovs-vsctl --no-wait init
 258
 259 Then start the main Open vSwitch daemon, telling it to connect to the
 260 same Unix domain socket:
 261
 262       % ovs-vswitchd unix:/usr/local/var/run/openvswitch/db.sock \
 263             --pidfile --detach
 264
 265 Now you may use ovs-vsctl to set up bridges and other Open vSwitch
 266 features.  For example, to create a bridge named br0 and add ports
 267 eth0 and vif1.0 to it:
 268
 269       % ovs-vsctl add-br br0
 270       % ovs-vsctl add-port br0 eth0
 271       % ovs-vsctl add-port br0 vif1.0
 272
 273 Please refer to ovs-vsctl(8) for more details.
 274
 275 Upgrading
 276 =========
 277
 278 When you upgrade Open vSwitch from one version to another, you should
 279 also upgrade the database schema:
 280
 281 1. Stop the Open vSwitch daemons, e.g.:
 282
 283       % ovs-kill ovsdb-server.pid ovs-vswitchd.pid
 284
 285 2. Install the new Open vSwitch release.
 286
 287 3. Upgrade the database, in one of the following two ways:
 288
 289       - If there is no important data in your database, then you may
 290         delete the database file and recreate it with ovsdb-tool,
 291         following the instructions under "Building and Installing Open
 292         vSwitch for Linux".
 293
 294       - If you want to preserve the contents of your database, back it
 295         up first, then use "ovsdb-tool convert" to upgrade it, e.g.:
 296
 297         % ovsdb-tool convert /usr/local/etc/ovs-vswitchd.conf.db vswitchd/vswitch.ovsschema
 298
 299 4. Start the Open vSwitch daemons as described under "Building and
 300    Installing Open vSwitch for Linux" above.
 301
 302 Bug Reporting
 303 -------------
 304
 305 Please report problems to bugs@openvswitch.org.