Managing Open vSwitch using the OpenDaylight SDN controller

Till now we have seen how Open vSwitch works in normal mode. In normal mode, Open vSwitch works just like a typical L2 learning switch with an option to manipulate the flow using the ofctl command. While this approach offers features such as tunneling, QoS, Overlay, and SPAN natively, the real value comes from being able to directly influence flow tables, creating a powerful L2-L4 service insertion in the Open vSwitch data plane to bring programmability to otherwise inflexible networks.

By connecting an Open vSwitch to an SDN controller, we get the level of abstraction and automation required to revolutionize networking. It essentially turns OVS into an access layer to the virtual environment, taking instructions from the centralized controller that pushes flows down to the vSwitch. The following diagram represents the high-level architecture of Open vSwitch integration with a SDN controller:

This diagram can be broken down into three...