ovsdbserver

ovsdbserver is the Open vSwitch Database server, a daemon that implements the OVSDB protocol and stores the configuration and state used by an Open vSwitch deployment. It runs alongside the ovs-vswitchd kernel datapath component and other Open vSwitch utilities. Clients such as ovs-vsctl and ovsdbtool connect to ovsdbserver to read, modify, or manage the Open vSwitch database.

The server hosts a database defined by the OVSDB schema, typically described in ovsdb.schema. The schema defines tables such as Open_vSwitch, Bridge, Port, and Interface, which together model the configuration and runtime state of the switch. Data is persisted to a database file on disk, with the server also capable of operating in scenarios that emphasize different persistence options. Access to ovsdbserver is provided over a UNIX domain socket by default and can be configured to listen on TCP sockets for remote management.

OVSDB uses a transactional, bidirectional protocol with monitoring capabilities. Clients perform atomic transactions and can monitor changes to receive updates in real time. This transactional model enables consistent configuration changes across the Open vSwitch components, and ovsdbserver notifies dependent processes like ovs-vswitchd so the kernel datapath can be updated accordingly.

Security and deployment considerations include restricting access to the local UNIX socket and configuring remote access controls when TCP connections are enabled. TLS support and authentication options are available in newer versions to protect remote management.

Related tools include ovsdbtool, which manages the schema and database files, and the OVSDB client interfaces used to issue operations. OVSDB and ovsdbserver form the central configuration management layer for Open vSwitch, coordinating with the kernel datapath to realize network configurations.