Open vSwitch Installation, Configuration, and Testing on Pica8

Open vSwitch is the virtual connection between your physical switch and the ENT network. Below is the recommended installation and configuration process. The full documentation is located at:

http://www.pica8.com/support/documentation

This walkthrough will describe the necessary steps towards installing, configuring, and testing Open vSwitch. In addition, it provides an introduction to setting up your network controller.

Installation (Optional)

Open vSwitch is already installed into your Pica8 switch and only needs to be configured.

If you are going to be using a network controller, you can install that before you begin. The recommended controller is RYU. Download it via the following shell commands

git clone git://github.com/osrg/ryu.git
cd ryu; python ./setup.py install 

#Configuration To configure your switch into OVS mode, you must first SSH into the switch. We recommend also changing the default password. Once you can SSH into your switch, you can create the default bridge 0 and set switch to OVS mode.

Additional connection requirements for the PRAGMA ENT are

• Changing failsafe mode
• Setting OpenFlow 1.0 as default
• Create additional ports

The walkthrough below will guide you through these steps.

##Change the root password The first step is to connect to your switch via SSH. Type the following within a terminal and change xx.xx.xx.xx for the port number you are connected through

ssh xx.xx.xx.xx

The default ID is

admin

The default password is

pica8

You can now set a new password. Type the following commands to change the default

$ sudo su -
$ passwd

##Change the booting mode to OVS mode Your switch is first set up as a simple L2/L3 switch and must be set into OVS mode. SSH into the switch and type the following commands to set OVS mode as default

picos_boot

The output should look as follows

Please configure the default system start-up options:
(Press other key if no change)
[1] PicOS L2/L3 * default
[2] PicOS Open vSwitch/OpenFlow
[3] No start-up options
Enter your choice (1,2,3):

Type 2 and press enter to set Open vSwitch as the default mode.

You should now reset your switch to check that the configuration to OVS mode is correct. Type the following command

run request system reboot

##Add bridges Your switch is now set to run in OVS mode by default. To be compatable with the ENT, you must create bridge 0, change the failsafe mode and set OpenFlow 1.0 as default. Type the following commands once you SSH into the switch.

Create bridge 0 with the following command

ovs-vsctl add-br br0 -- set bridge br0 datapath_type=pica8

Change the failsafe mode by typing the following

ovs-vsctl set-fail-mode br0 secure

Set OpenFlow 1.0 as default with

ovs-vsctl set bridge br0 protocol=OpenFlow10

Finally, create 3 ports for connections

ovs-vsctl add-port br0 ge-1/1/1-- set Interface ge-1/1/1type=pica8
ovs-vsctl add-port br0 ge-1/1/2 -- set Interface ge-1/1/2 type=pica8
ovs-vsctl add-port br0 ge-1/1/3 -- set Interface ge-1/1/3 type=pica8 

Congratulations, your virtual switch is now ready for connection and testing with the ENT.

##Controller Setup (optional) If you are creating your own network controller or developing Software Defined Networking (SDN) tools, you may want to set up your own controller.

Your physical switch must first be configured to receive commands from a remote controller. Define the location of the remote controller via this command. Substitute the xx.xx.xx.xx:xxx with the IP and TCP port number of your remote controller.

ovs-vsctl set-controller br0 tcp:xx.xx.xx.xx:xxxx

Your physical switch is now configured to receive commands from your controller.

#Testing Once Open vSwitch is configured, you can use the online user interface to see the status of your switch. In a web browser, type the IP address of the port you are connected to the switch on. The interface should look as follows

This user interface allows you to see what ports are open on your switch, if a controller is set and running, and even create and view flow tables. Explore the interface to see if some options will be helpful to you.