Provided by: ovn-common_25.03.0-1_amd64 
NAME
ovn-ctl - Open Virtual Network northbound daemon lifecycle utility
SYNOPSIS
ovn-ctl [options] command [-- extra_args]
DESCRIPTION
This program is intended to be invoked internally by Open Virtual Network startup scripts. System
administrators should not normally invoke it directly.
COMMANDS
start_northd
start_controller
start_controller_vtep
start_ic
stop_northd
stop_controller
stop_controller_vtep
stop_ic
restart_northd
restart_controller
restart_controller_vtep
restart_ic
promote_ovnnb
promote_ovnsb
demote_ovnnb
demote_ovnsb
status_ovnnb
status_ovnsb
start_ovsdb
start_nb_ovsdb
start_sb_ovsdb
stop_ovsdb
stop_nb_ovsdb
stop_sb_ovsdb
restart_ovsdb
run_nb_ovsdb
run_sb_ovsdb
promote_ic_nb
promote_ic_sb
demote_ic_nb
demote_ic_sb
status_ic_nb
status_ic_sb
start_ic_ovsdb
start_ic_nb_ovsdb
start_ic_sb_ovsdb
stop_ic_ovsdb
stop_ic_nb_ovsdb
stop_ic_sb_ovsdb
restart_ic_ovsdb
run_ic_nb_ovsdb
run_ic_sb_ovsdb
OPTIONS
--ovn-northd-priority=NICE
--ovn-northd-wrapper=WRAPPER
--ovn-controller-priority=NICE
--ovn-controller-wrapper=WRAPPER
--ovn-ic-priority=NICE
--ovn-ic-wrapper=WRAPPER
--ovsdb-nb-wrapper=WRAPPER
--ovsdb-sb-wrapper=WRAPPER
--ovn-user=USER:GROUP
-h | --help
FILE LOCATION OPTIONS
--db-sock=SOCKET
--db-nb-file=FILE
--db-sb-file=FILE
--db-nb-schema=FILE
--db-sb-schema=FILE
--db-sb-create-insecure-remote=yes|no
--db-nb-create-insecure-remote=yes|no
--db-ic-nb-file=FILE
--db-ic-sb-file=FILE
--db-ic-nb-schema=FILE
--db-ic-sb-schema=FILE
--db-ic-sb-create-insecure-remote=yes|no
--db-ic-nb-create-insecure-remote=yes|no
--db-nb-config-file=FILE
--db-sb-config-file=FILE
--db-ic-nb-config-file=FILE
--db-ic-sb-config-file=FILE
--db-sb-relay-config-file=FILE
--ovn-controller-ssl-key=KEY
--ovn-controller-ssl-cert=CERT
--ovn-controller-ssl-ca-cert=CERT
--ovn-controller-ssl-bootstrap-ca-cert=CERT
PROTOCOL, CIPHER AND CIPHERSUITE OPTIONS
--ovn-controller-ssl-protocols=PROTOCOLS
--ovn-ic-ssl-protocols=PROTOCOLS
--ovn-northd-ssl-protocols=PROTOCOLS
--ovn-nb-db-ssl-protocols=PROTOCOLS
--ovn-sb-db-ssl-protocols=PROTOCOLS
--ovn-ic-nb-db-ssl-protocols=PROTOCOLS
--ovn-ic-sb-db-ssl-protocols=PROTOCOLS
--ovn-controller-ssl-ciphers=CIPHERS
--ovn-ic-ssl-ciphers=CIPHERS
--ovn-northd-ssl-ciphers=CIPHERS
--ovn-nb-db-ssl-ciphers=CIPHERS
--ovn-sb-db-ssl-ciphers=CIPHERS
--ovn-ic-nb-db-ssl-ciphers=CIPHERS
--ovn-ic-sb-db-ssl-ciphers=CIPHERS
--ovn-controller-ssl-ciphersuites=CIPHERSUITES
--ovn-ic-ssl-ciphersuites=CIPHERSUITES
--ovn-northd-ssl-ciphersuites=CIPHERSUITES
--ovn-nb-db-ssl-ciphersuites=CIPHERSUITES
--ovn-sb-db-ssl-ciphersuites=CIPHERSUITES
--ovn-ic-nb-db-ssl-ciphersuites=CIPHERSUITES
--ovn-ic-sb-db-ssl-ciphersuites=CIPHERSUITES
ADDRESS AND PORT OPTIONS
--db-nb-sync-from-addr=IP ADDRESS
--db-nb-sync-from-port=PORT NUMBER
--db-nb-sync-from-proto=PROTO
--db-sb-sync-from-addr=IP ADDRESS
--db-sb-sync-from-port=PORT NUMBER
--db-sb-sync-from-proto=PROTO
--db-ic-nb-sync-from-addr=IP ADDRESS
--db-ic-nb-sync-from-port=PORT NUMBER
--db-ic-nb-sync-from-proto=PROTO
--db-ic-sb-sync-from-addr=IP ADDRESS
--db-ic-sb-sync-from-port=PORT NUMBER
--db-ic-sb-sync-from-proto=PROTO
--ovn-northd-nb-db=PROTO:IP ADDRESS: PORT..
--ovn-northd-sb-db=PROTO:IP ADDRESS: PORT..
--ovn-ic-nb-db=PROTO:IP ADDRESS: PORT..
--ovn-ic-sb-db=PROTO:IP ADDRESS: PORT..
CLUSTERING OPTIONS
--db-nb-cluster-local-addr=IP ADDRESS
--db-nb-cluster-local-port=PORT NUMBER
--db-nb-cluster-local-proto=PROTO (tcp/ssl)
--db-nb-cluster-remote-addr=IP ADDRESS
--db-nb-cluster-remote-port=PORT NUMBER
--db-nb-cluster-remote-proto=PROTO (tcp/ssl)
--db-nb-election-timer=Timeout in milliseconds
--db-sb-cluster-local-addr=IP ADDRESS
--db-sb-cluster-local-port=PORT NUMBER
--db-sb-cluster-local-proto=PROTO (tcp/ssl)
--db-sb-cluster-remote-addr=IP ADDRESS
--db-sb-cluster-remote-port=PORT NUMBER
--db-sb-cluster-remote-proto=PROTO (tcp/ssl)
--db-sb-election-timer=Timeout in milliseconds
--db-ic-nb-cluster-local-addr=IP ADDRESS
--db-ic-nb-cluster-local-port=PORT NUMBER
--db-ic-nb-cluster-local-proto=PROTO (tcp/ssl)
--db-ic-nb-cluster-remote-addr=IP ADDRESS
--db-ic-nb-cluster-remote-port=PORT NUMBER
--db-ic-nb-cluster-remote-proto=PROTO (tcp/ssl)
--db-ic-sb-cluster-local-addr=IP ADDRESS
--db-ic-sb-cluster-local-port=PORT NUMBER
--db-ic-sb-cluster-local-proto=PROTO (tcp/ssl)
--db-ic-sb-cluster-remote-addr=IP ADDRESS
--db-ic-sb-cluster-remote-port=PORT NUMBER
--db-ic-sb-cluster-remote-proto=PROTO (tcp/ssl)
--db-cluster-schema-upgrade=yes|no
PROBE INTERVAL OPTIONS
--db-nb-probe-interval-to-active=Time in milliseconds
--db-sb-probe-interval-to-active=Time in milliseconds
EXTRA OPTIONS
Any options after ’-’ will be passed on to the binary run by command with the exception of start_northd,
which can have options specified in ovn-northd-db-params.conf. Any extra_args passed to start_northd will
be passed to the ovsdb-servers if --ovn-manage-ovsdb=yes
CONFIGURATION FILES
Following are the optional configuration files. If present, it should be located in the etc dir
ovnnb-active.conf
If present, this file should hold the url to connect to the active Northbound DB server
tcp:x.x.x.x:6641
ovnsb-active.conf
If present, this file should hold the url to connect to the active Southbound DB server
tcp:x.x.x.x:6642
ovn-northd-db-params.conf
If present, start_northd will not start the DB server even if --ovn-manage-ovsdb=yes. This file should
hold the database url parameters to be passed to ovn-northd.
--ovnnb-db=tcp:x.x.x.x:6641 --ovnsb-db=tcp:x.x.x.x:6642
ic-nb-active.conf
If present, this file should hold the url to connect to the active Interconnection Northbound DB server
tcp:x.x.x.x:6645
ic-sb-active.conf
If present, this file should hold the url to connect to the active Interconnection Southbound DB server
tcp:x.x.x.x:6646
ovn-ic-db-params.conf
If present, this file should hold the database url parameters to be passed to ovn-ic.
--ic-nb-db=tcp:x.x.x.x:6645 --ic-sb-db=tcp:x.x.x.x:6646
RUNNING OVN DB SERVERS WITHOUT DETACHING
# ovn-ctl run_nb_ovsdb
This command runs the OVN nb ovsdb-server without passing the detach option, making it to block until
ovsdb-server exits. This command will be useful for starting the OVN nb ovsdb-server in a container.
# ovn-ctl run_sb_ovsdb
This command runs the OVN sb ovsdb-server without passing the detach option, making it to block until
ovsdb-server exits. This command will be useful for starting the OVN sb ovsdb-server in a container.
# ovn-ctl run_ic_nb_ovsdb
This command runs the OVN IC-NB ovsdb-server without passing the detach option, making it to block until
ovsdb-server exits. This command will be useful for starting the OVN IC-NB ovsdb-server in a container.
# ovn-ctl run_ic_sb_ovsdb
This command runs the OVN IC-SB ovsdb-server without passing the detach option, making it to block until
ovsdb-server exits. This command will be useful for starting the OVN IC-SB ovsdb-server in a container.
EXAMPLE USAGE
Run ovn-controller on a host already running OVS
# ovn-ctl start_controller
Run ovn-northd on a host already running OVS
# ovn-ctl start_northd
All-in-one OVS+OVN for testing
# ovs-ctl start --system-id="random"
# ovn-ctl start_northd
# ovn-ctl start_controller
Promote and demote ovsdb servers
# ovn-ctl promote_ovnnb
# ovn-ctl promote_ovnsb
# ovn-ctl --db-nb-sync-from-addr=x.x.x.x --db-nb-sync-from-port=6641
--db-nb-probe-interval-to-active=60000 demote_ovnnb
# ovn-ctl --db-sb-sync-from-addr=x.x.x.x --db-sb-sync-from-port=6642
--db-sb-probe-interval-to-active=60000 demote_ovnsb
Creating a clustered db on 3 nodes with IPs x.x.x.x, y.y.y.y and z.z.z.z
Starting OVN ovsdb servers and ovn-northd on the node with IP x.x.x.x
# ovn-ctl --db-nb-addr=x.x.x.x --db-nb-create-insecure-remote=yes --db-sb-addr=x.x.x.x
--db-sb-create-insecure-remote=yes --db-nb-cluster-local-addr=x.x.x.x --db-sb-cluster-local-addr=x.x.x.x
--ovn-northd-nb-db=tcp:x.x.x.x:6641,tcp:y.y.y.y:6641,tcp:z.z.z.z:6641
--ovn-northd-sb-db=tcp:x.x.x.x:6642,tcp:y.y.y.y:6642,tcp:z.z.z.z:6642 start_northd
Starting OVN ovsdb-servers and ovn-northd on the node with IP y.y.y.y and joining the cluster started at
x.x.x.x
# ovn-ctl --db-nb-addr=y.y.y.y --db-nb-create-insecure-remote=yes --db-sb-addr=y.y.y.y
--db-sb-create-insecure-remote=yes --db-nb-cluster-local-addr=y.y.y.y --db-sb-cluster-local-addr=y.y.y.y
--db-nb-cluster-remote-addr=x.x.x.x --db-sb-cluster-remote-addr=x.x.x.x
--ovn-northd-nb-db=tcp:x.x.x.x:6641,tcp:y.y.y.y:6641,tcp:z.z.z.z:6641
--ovn-northd-sb-db=tcp:x.x.x.x:6642,tcp:y.y.y.y:6642,tcp:z.z.z.z:6642 start_northd
Starting OVN ovsdb-servers and ovn-northd on the node with IP z.z.z.z and joining the cluster started at
x.x.x.x
# ovn-ctl --db-nb-addr=z.z.z.z --db-nb-create-insecure-remote=yes --db-nb-cluster-local-addr=z.z.z.z
--db-sb-addr=z.z.z.z --db-sb-create-insecure-remote=yes --db-sb-cluster-local-addr=z.z.z.z
--db-nb-cluster-remote-addr=x.x.x.x --db-sb-cluster-remote-addr=x.x.x.x
--ovn-northd-nb-db=tcp:x.x.x.x:6641,tcp:y.y.y.y:6641,tcp:z.z.z.z:6641
--ovn-northd-sb-db=tcp:x.x.x.x:6642,tcp:y.y.y.y:6642,tcp:z.z.z.z:6642 start_northd
Passing ssl keys when starting OVN dbs will supersede the default ssl values in db
Starting standalone ovn db server passing SSL/TLS certificates
# ovn-ctl --ovn-nb-db-ssl-key=/etc/ovn/ovnnb-privkey.pem --ovn-nb-db-ssl-cert=/etc/ovn/ovnnb-cert.pem
--ovn-nb-db-ssl-ca-cert=/etc/ovn/cacert.pem --ovn-sb-db-ssl-key=/etc/ovn/ovnsb-privkey.pem
--ovn-sb-db-ssl-cert=/etc/ovn/ovnsb-cert.pem --ovn-sb-db-ssl-ca-cert=/etc/ovn/cacert.pem start_northd
Avoiding automatic clustered OVN database schema upgrade
If you desire more control over clustered DB schema upgrade, you can opt-out of automatic on-start
upgrade attempts with --no-db-cluster-schema-upgrade.
Start OVN NB and SB clustered databases on host with IP x.x.x.x without schema upgrade
# ovn-ctl start_nb_ovsdb --db-nb-cluster-local-addr=x.x.x.x --no-db-cluster-schema-upgrade # ovn-ctl
start_sb_ovsdb --db-sb-cluster-local-addr=x.x.x.x --no-db-cluster-schema-upgrade
Trigger clustered DB schema upgrade manually
# ovsdb-client convert unix:/var/run/ovn/ovnnb_db.sock /usr/local/share/ovn/ovn-nb.ovsschema #
ovsdb-client convert unix:/var/run/ovn/ovnsb_db.sock /usr/local/share/ovn/ovn-sb.ovsschema
OVN 25.03.0 ovn-ctl ovn-ctl(8)