ovncontroller

The ovncontroller is a crucial component of Open Virtual Network (OVN), an open-source virtual networking solution. It functions as the control plane agent for OVN, running on each hypervisor host. Its primary role is to translate the high-level network configuration defined in the OVN database into low-level datapath rules that are enforced by the OVN datapath, typically implemented using Open vSwitch (OVS).

The ovncontroller communicates with the OVN central management service, known as the OVN Northbound Database and OVN Southbound Database, to receive network state information and configuration updates. It then translates these abstract definitions into concrete actions for the local OVS bridge. This includes setting up logical flows, configuring ports, and managing network policies.

Key responsibilities of the ovncontroller include maintaining the state of network devices on its host, processing events from the OVN databases, and ensuring that the local datapath conforms to the desired network topology and security policies. It acts as the bridge between the logical network described by OVN and the physical network infrastructure managed by OVS. Without the ovncontroller, hypervisor hosts would not be able to participate in the OVN-managed network.