Open VSwitch in ProxMox

[jon.langemak]

Has anyone played around with this yet? I was excited to see that OVS was integrated into ProxMox and had hoped to use ProxMox as a test bed for some OVS testing. I installed the ProxMox OVS package on the host and I can add a OVS bridge through the GUI as well as add an interface to the bridge. But the OVS command line tools (ovs-vsctl add-br br0 for instance) don't seem to work. Any changes I make in the GUI (adding a bridge, adding an interface to the bridge, etc) require the physical ProxMox host to be rebooted but they do appear to work and then show up in the OVS command line tool output (ovs-ofctl show vmbr1 for instance). Any changes I make in the CLI show in the show command output but don't appear to work and are lost on a reboot.

Is there a reason that OVS command line tools dont work for creating the bridges? If I create the bridge in the command line and then reboot the host the bridge disappears. If I create it in the GUI and reboot it works.

Thoughts? Seems like only the GUI configuration works but I can use the CLI for show-like commands.

 

[dietmar]

Please use debian /etc/network/interfaces to configure network devices.

 

[jon.langemak]

Please use debian /etc/network/interfaces to configure network devices.

I guess Im a little confused. Its OVS but I can't use the OVS config tools to configure it?

Sorry - Im a OVS newbie but I thought I'd be able to configure the OVS directly rather than through the ProxMox GUI.

 

[dietmar]

I guess Im a little confused. Its OVS but I can't use the OVS config tools to configure it?

Yes. Debian systems use /etc/network/interfaces to configure the network. ovs tools alo works, but we delete the OVS database on reboot.

 

[jon.langemak]

Yes. Debian systems use /etc/network/interfaces to configure the network. ovs tools alo works, but we delete the OVS database on reboot.

Ok, that makes sense in regards to what Im seeing. The thing is, if I use OVS tools to provision a bridge, it doesnt show up in the GUI so a VM cant consume the bridge. Seems like you have to reboot for those to show up. So am I correct in saying that I cant really create a bridge using OVS tools and use it on a VM? I need to create the bridge in the GUI, reboot, and then use it? And any rules that I create in the flow tables will be gone on each reboot?

Thanks for your help in clarifying!

 

[dietmar]

Ok, that makes sense in regards to what Im seeing. The thing is, if I use OVS tools to provision a bridge, it doesnt show up in the GUI so a VM cant consume the bridge. Seems like you have to reboot for those to show up.

Well, advanced users can "mv /etc/network/interface.new /etc/network/interface" and then manually activate the devices with "ifup" ...

So am I correct in saying that I cant really create a bridge using OVS tools and use it on a VM?

yes (need to be in /etc/network/interfaces).

I need to create the bridge in the GUI, reboot, and then use it? And any rules that I create in the flow tables will be gone on each reboot?

yes

 

[jon.langemak]

Well, advanced users can "mv /etc/network/interface.new /etc/network/interface" and then manually activate the devices with "ifup" ...



yes (need to be in /etc/network/interfaces).



yes

Thanks for all the clarification. Sounds like the creation of OVS bridges and the association of interfaces them needs to be done in the GUI. Is that a fair statement? However, once created I can use normal OVS tools and command to configure the bridge (flows, mode, etc) they just wont persist on reboot.

Thanks again

 

[dietmar]

However, once created I can use normal OVS tools and command to configure the bridge (flows, mode, etc) they just wont persist on reboot.

yes