How to install Open Virtual Switch

Question

I want to install the Open Virtual Switch. How can I do so? I read the openvswitch.org page but that was not well explained and I did not understand it, perhaps because I am new to Linux. Can any one introduce me some to a good and simple tutorial about installing Open Virtual Switch directly via the Linux kernel?

Answer 1

Do not download the tar file (link downloads v2.3.0) (other releases) because there are some important pointers AND at the end of writing this (made it on the fly) I found out it was easier than you would think (though the installation is so obvious I wasted time making this ;) ). Skip to below the image if you do not want to install the source version (ie. the download on their website).

openvSwitch has a release for specific kernels.

Version Linux kernel
1.4.x   2.6.18 to 3.2
1.5.x   2.6.18 to 3.2
1.6.x   2.6.18 to 3.2
1.7.x   2.6.18 to 3.3
1.8.x   2.6.18 to 3.4
1.9.x   2.6.18 to 3.8
1.10.x  2.6.18 to 3.8
1.11.x  2.6.18 to 3.8
2.0.x   2.6.32 to 3.10
2.1.x   2.6.32 to 3.11
2.3.x   2.6.32 to 3.14

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Ubuntu 14.10 has 3.16 ...

$uname -a
Linux schijfwereld 3.16.0-24-generic #32-Ubuntu SMP 
Tue Oct 28 13:07:32 UTC 2014 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux

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Here is a list of Ubuntu versions with their kernel versions:

• List of Ubuntu Versions with Corresponding Linux Kernel Version

  Current supported Ubuntu releases:

  12.04   Precise Pangolin 3.2+
  14.04   Trusty Tahr      3.13
  

  If you want to be sure to get a working installation from the tar.gz (at the moment) 14.04 is adviced. In general I would not make a remark about this but this software clearly has a direct relation to the kernel version. So installing it on not supported kernel releases is not advised.

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After downloading you will have a tar.gz file in your ~/Downloads. Open the file with fileroler and check the installation file. "INSTALL: is a generic Linux installation guide but there are PLATFORM specific installation files in it (wow, that's a first!). You need "INSTALL.Debian" for Ubuntu.

The installation starts with a comment:

Before You Begin

Before you begin, consider whether you really need to build packages yourself. Debian "wheezy" and "sid", as well as recent versions of Ubuntu, contain pre-built Debian packages for Open vSwitch. It is easier to install these than to build your own. To use packages from your distribution, skip ahead to "Installing .deb Packages", below.

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Installing .deb Packages

These instructions apply to installing from Debian packages that you built yourself, as described in the previous section, or from packages provided by Debian or a Debian derivative distribution such as Ubuntu. In the former case, use a command such as "dpkg -i" to install the .deb files that you build, and in the latter case use a program such as "apt-get" or "aptitude" to download and install the provided packages.

You must be superuser to install Debian packages.

1. Start by installing an Open vSwitch kernel module. See debian/openvswitch-switch.README.Debian for the available options.

2. Install the "openvswitch-switch" and "openvswitch-common" packages. These packages include the core userspace components of the switch.

Open vSwitch .deb packages not mentioned above are rarely useful. Please refer to their individual package descriptions to find out whether any of them are useful to you.

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So the manual suggests that there are debian packages (of course... I should have started checking Ubuntu Software Center). So let's open up Ubuntu Softeware Center and search for it.

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So to answer your question:

Can any one introduce me to a good and simple tutorial about installing Open Virtual Switch directly via the Linux kernel?

It seems the answer would be yes (it consists on 2 packages available in your software center) so you can do it from our software center or from command line:

Installation made easy

Depending on your needs you may need more components but the base installation will be:

sudo apt-get install openvswitch-switch openvswitch-common

Refer to the install guidelines in the tar.gz or the descriptions in our software center or the website your linked for more information about packages related to this installation.