nmcli-examples

package: NetworkManager-daemon

title: nmcli-examples(7)

summary: usage examples of nmcli

text:
# nmcli-examples(7)

## NAME
nmcli-examples - usage examples of nmcli

## SYNOPSIS
nmcli [OPTIONS...]

## DESCRIPTION
nmcli is a command-line client for NetworkManager. It allows controlling NetworkManager and reporting its status. For more information please refer to nmcli(1) manual page.

The purpose of this manual page is to provide you with various examples and usage scenarios of nmcli.

## EXAMPLES
Example 1. Listing available Wi-Fi APs

```
$ nmcli device wifi list
*  SSID               MODE    CHAN  RATE       SIGNAL  BARS  SECURITY

   netdatacomm_local  Infra   6     54 Mbit/s  37      ▂▄__  WEP
*  F1                 Infra   11    54 Mbit/s  98      ▂▄▆█  WPA1

   LoremCorp          Infra   1     54 Mbit/s  62      ▂▄▆_  WPA2 802.1X

   Internet           Infra   6     54 Mbit/s  29      ▂___  WPA1

   HPB110a.F2672A     Ad-Hoc  6     54 Mbit/s  22      ▂___  --

   Jozinet            Infra   1     54 Mbit/s  19      ▂___  WEP

   VOIP               Infra   1     54 Mbit/s  20      ▂___  WEP

   MARTINA            Infra   4     54 Mbit/s  32      ▂▄__  WPA2

   N24PU1             Infra   7     11 Mbit/s  22      ▂___  --

   alfa               Infra   1     54 Mbit/s  67      ▂▄▆_  WPA2

   bertnet            Infra   5     54 Mbit/s  20      ▂___  WPA1 WPA2
```

This command shows how to list available Wi-Fi networks (APs). You can also use --fields option for displaying different columns. nmcli -f all dev wifi list will show all of them.

Example 2. Connect to a password-protected wifi network

```
$ nmcli device wifi connect "$SSID" password "$PASSWORD"
```

```
$ nmcli --ask device wifi connect "$SSID"
```

Example 3. Showing general information and properties for a Wi-Fi interface

```
$ nmcli -p -f general,wifi-properties device show wlan0
===========================================================================

                        Device details (wlan0)
===========================================================================
GENERAL.DEVICE:           wlan0
GENERAL.TYPE:             wifi
GENERAL.VENDOR:           Intel Corporation
GENERAL.PRODUCT:          PRO/Wireless 5100 AGN [Shiloh] Network Connection
GENERAL.DRIVER:           iwlwifi
GENERAL.DRIVER-VERSION:   3.8.13-100.fc17.x86_64
GENERAL.FIRMWARE-VERSION: 8.83.5.1 build 33692
GENERAL.HWADDR:           00:1E:65:37:A1:D3
GENERAL.MTU:              1500
GENERAL.STATE:            100 (connected)
GENERAL.REASON:           0 (No reason given)
GENERAL.UDI:              /sys/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1c.1/net/wlan0
GENERAL.IP-IFACE:         wlan0
GENERAL.IS-SOFTWARE:      no
GENERAL.NM-MANAGED:       yes
GENERAL.AUTOCONNECT:      yes
GENERAL.FIRMWARE-MISSING: no
GENERAL.CONNECTION:       My Alfa WiFi
GENERAL.CON-UUID:         85194f4c-d496-4eec-bae0-d880b4cbcf26
GENERAL.CON-PATH:         /org/freedesktop/NetworkManager/ActiveConnection/
10
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
WIFI-PROPERTIES.WEP:      yes
WIFI-PROPERTIES.WPA:      yes
WIFI-PROPERTIES.WPA2:     yes
WIFI-PROPERTIES.TKIP:     yes
WIFI-PROPERTIES.CCMP:     yes
WIFI-PROPERTIES.AP:       no
WIFI-PROPERTIES.ADHOC:    yes
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
```

This command shows information about a Wi-Fi device.

Example 4. Listing NetworkManager polkit permissions

```
$ nmcli general permissions
PERMISSION                                                VALUE
org.freedesktop.NetworkManager.enable-disable-network     yes
org.freedesktop.NetworkManager.enable-disable-wifi        yes
org.freedesktop.NetworkManager.enable-disable-wwan        yes
org.freedesktop.NetworkManager.enable-disable-wimax       yes
org.freedesktop.NetworkManager.sleep-wake                 no
org.freedesktop.NetworkManager.network-control            yes
org.freedesktop.NetworkManager.wifi.share.protected       yes
org.freedesktop.NetworkManager.wifi.share.open            yes
org.freedesktop.NetworkManager.settings.modify.system     yes
org.freedesktop.NetworkManager.settings.modify.own        yes
org.freedesktop.NetworkManager.settings.modify.hostname   auth
org.freedesktop.NetworkManager.settings.modify.global-dns auth
org.freedesktop.NetworkManager.reload                     auth
```

This command shows configured polkit permissions for various NetworkManager operations. These permissions or actions (using polkit language) are configured by a system administrator and are not meant to be changed by users. The usual place for the polkit configuration is /usr/share/polkit-1/actions/org.freedesktop.NetworkManager.policy. pkaction command can display description for polkit actions.

```
  pkaction --action-id org.freedesktop.NetworkManager.network-control --verbose

```

More information about polkit can be found at http://www.freedesktop.org/wiki/Software/polkit.

Example 5. Listing NetworkManager log level and domains

```
$ nmcli general logging
LEVEL  DOMAINS
INFO   PLATFORM,RFKILL,ETHER,WIFI,BT,MB,DHCP4,DHCP6,PPP,WIFI_SCAN,IP4,IP6,A
UTOIP4,DNS,VPN,SHARING,SUPPLICANT,AGENTS,SETTINGS,SUSPEND,CORE,DEVICE,OLPC,
WIMAX,INFINIBAND,FIREWALL,ADSL,BOND,VLAN,BRIDGE,DBUS_PROPS,TEAM,CONCHECK,DC
B,DISPATCH
```

This command shows current NetworkManager logging status.

Example 6. Changing NetworkManager logging

```
$ nmcli g log level DEBUG domains CORE,ETHER,IP
$ nmcli g log level INFO domains DEFAULT
```

The first command makes NetworkManager log in DEBUG level, and only for CORE, ETHER and IP domains. The second command restores the default logging state. Please refer to the NetworkManager.conf(5) manual page for available logging levels and domains.

Example 7. Activating a VPN connection profile requiring interactive password input

```
$ nmcli --ask con up my-vpn-con
```

This command activates a VPN connection profile enabling nmcli to interact with the user ('--ask'): this will allow nmcli to prompt for the VPN password on the command line when the password-flags are set to '0x02' ('always ask', see nm-settings-nmcli(5) ). This is particularly useful for OTP based VPNs, as the user needs to be prompted for the password each time the connection is activated.

Example 8. Adding a bonding controller and two port connection profiles

```
$ nmcli con add type bond ifname mybond0 mode active-backup
$ nmcli con add type ethernet ifname eth1 controller mybond0
$ nmcli con add type ethernet ifname eth2 controller mybond0
```

This example demonstrates adding a bond controller connection and two ports. The first command adds a controller bond connection, naming the bonding interface mybond0 and using active-backup mode. The next two commands add port connections, both attached as port to mybond0. The first port will be bound to eth1 interface, the second to eth2.

Example 9. Adding a team controller and two port connection profiles

```
$ nmcli con add type team con-name Team1 ifname Team1 config team1-controller-json.conf
$ nmcli con add type ethernet con-name Team1-port1 ifname em1 controller Team1
$ nmcli con add type ethernet con-name Team1-port2 ifname em2 controller Team1
```

This example demonstrates adding a team controller connection profile and two ports. It is very similar to the bonding example. The first command adds a controller team profile, naming the team interface and the profile Team1. The team configuration for the controller is read from team1-controller-json.conf file. Later, you can change the configuration with modify command (nmcli con modify Team1 team.config team1-controller-another-json.conf). The last two commands add port profiles, both attached as port to Team1. The first port will be bound to the em1 interface, the second to em2. The ports don't specify config and thus teamd will use its default configuration. You will activate the whole setup by activating both ports:

```
  $ nmcli con up Team1-port1

  $ nmcli con up Team1-port2
```

By default, the created profiles are marked for auto-activation. But if another connection has been activated on the device, the new profile won't activate automatically and you need to activate it manually.

Example 10. Adding a bridge and two port profiles

```
$ nmcli con add type bridge con-name TowerBridge ifname TowerBridge
$ nmcli con add type ethernet con-name br-port-1 ifname ens3 controller TowerBridge
$ nmcli con add type ethernet con-name br-port-2 ifname ens4 controller TowerBridge
$ nmcli con modify TowerBridge bridge.stp no
```

This example demonstrates adding a bridge controller connection and two ports. The first command adds a controller bridge connection, naming the bridge interface and the profile as TowerBridge. The next two commands add ports profiles, both will be attached as port to TowerBridge. The first port will be tied to ens3 interface, the second to ens4. The last command will disable 802.1D STP for the TowerBridge profile.

Example 11. Adding an ethernet connection profile with manual IP configuration

```
$ nmcli con add con-name my-con-em1 ifname em1 type ethernet \

  ip4 192.168.100.100/24 gw4 192.168.100.1 ip4 1.2.3.4 ip6 abbe::cafe
$ nmcli con mod my-con-em1 ipv4.dns "8.8.8.8 8.8.4.4"
$ nmcli con mod my-con-em1 +ipv4.dns 1.2.3.4
$ nmcli con mod my-con-em1 ipv6.dns "2001:4860:4860::8888 2001:4860:4860::8844"
$ nmcli -p con show my-con-em1
```

The first command adds an Ethernet connection profile named my-con-em1 that is bound to interface name em1. The profile is configured with static IP addresses. Three addresses are added, two IPv4 addresses and one IPv6. The first IP 192.168.100.100 has a prefix of 24 (netmask equivalent of 255.255.255.0). Gateway entry will become the default route if this profile is activated on em1 interface (and there is no connection with higher priority). The next two addresses do not specify a prefix, so a default prefix will be used, i.e. 32 for IPv4 and 128 for IPv6. The second, third and fourth commands modify DNS parameters of the new connection profile. The last con show command displays the profile so that all parameters can be reviewed.

Example 12. Convenient field values retrieval for scripting

```
$ nmcli -g ip4.address connection show my-con-eth0
192.168.1.12/24
```

```
$ nmcli -g ip4.address,ip4.dns connection show my-con-eth0
192.168.1.12/24
192.168.1.1
```

```
$ nmcli -g ip4 connection show my-con-eth0
IP4:192.168.1.12/24:192.168.1.1::192.168.1.1::
```

This example shows retrieval of ip4 connection field values via the --get-values option. Multiple comma separated fields can be provided: they will be printed one per line. If a whole section is provided instead of a single field, the name of the section will be printed followed by all the related field values on the same line. See also --terse, --mode, --fields and --escape options in nmcli(1) manual page for more customized output.

Example 13. Adding an Ethernet connection and configuring SR-IOV VFs

```
$ nmcli con add type ethernet con-name EthernetPF ifname em1
$ nmcli con modify EthernetPF sriov.total-vfs 3 sriov.autoprobe-drivers false
$ nmcli con modify EthernetPF sriov.vfs '0 mac=00:11:22:33:44:55 vlans=10, 1 trust=true spoof-check=false'
$ nmcli con modify EthernetPF +sriov.vfs '2 max-tx-rate=20'
```

This example demonstrates adding an Ethernet connection for physical function (PF) ens4 and configuring 3 SR-IOV virtual functions (VFs) on it. The first VF is configured with MAC address 00:11:22:33:44:55 and VLAN 10, the second one has the trust and spoof-check features respectively enabled and disabled. VF number 2 has a maximum transmission rate of 20Mbps. The kernel is instructed to not automatically instantiate a network interface for the VFs.

Example 14. Escaping colon characters in tabular mode

```
$ nmcli -t -f general -e yes -m tab dev show eth0
GENERAL:eth0:ethernet:Intel Corporation:82567LM Gigabit Network Connection:
e1000e:2.1.4-k:1.8-3:00\:22\:68\:15\:29\:21:1500:100 (connected):0 (No reas
on given):/sys/devices/pci0000\:00/0000\:00\:19.0/net/eth0:eth0:yes:yes:no:
ethernet-13:89cbcbc6-dc85-456c-9c8b-bd828fee3917:/org/freedesktop/NetworkMa
nager/ActiveConnection/9
```

This example shows escaping colon characters in tabular mode. It may be useful for script processing, because ':' is used as a field separator.

Example 15. nmcli usage in a NetworkManager dispatcher script to make Ethernet and Wi-Fi mutually exclusive

```
#!/bin/bash
export LC_ALL=C
enable_disable_wifi ()
{

    result=$(nmcli dev | grep "ethernet" | grep -w "connected")

    if [ -n "$result" ]; then

        nmcli radio wifi off

    else

        nmcli radio wifi on

    fi
}
if [ "$2" = "up" ]; then

    enable_disable_wifi
fi
if [ "$2" = "down" ]; then

    enable_disable_wifi
fi

```

This dispatcher script makes Wi-Fi mutually exclusive with wired networking. When a wired interface is connected, Wi-Fi will be set to airplane mode (rfkilled). When the wired interface is disconnected, Wi-Fi will be turned back on. Name this script e.g. 70-wifi-wired-exclusive.sh and put it into /etc/NetworkManager/dispatcher.d/ directory. See NetworkManager(8) manual page for more information about NetworkManager dispatcher scripts.

Example sessions of interactive connection editor

Example 16. Adding an ethernet connection profile in interactive editor (a)

```
$ nmcli connection edit type ethernet
===| nmcli interactive connection editor |===
Adding a new '802-3-ethernet' connection
Type 'help' or '?' for available commands.
Type 'describe [<setting>.<prop>]' for detailed property description.
You may edit the following settings: connection, 802-3-ethernet (ethernet),
802-1x, ipv4, ipv6, dcb
nmcli> print
===========================================================================

                          Connection details
===========================================================================
connection.id:                      ethernet-4
connection.uuid:                    de89cdeb-a3e1-4d53-8fa0-c22546c775f4
connection.interface-name:          --
connection.type:                    802-3-ethernet
connection.autoconnect:             yes
connection.autoconnect-priority:    0
connection.timestamp:               0
connection.read-only:               no
connection.permissions:
connection.zone:                    --
connection.controller:              --
connection.port-type:               --
connection.secondaries:
connection.gateway-ping-timeout:    0
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
802-3-ethernet.port:                --
802-3-ethernet.speed:               0
802-3-ethernet.duplex:              --
802-3-ethernet.auto-negotiate:      yes
802-3-ethernet.mac-address:         --
802-3-ethernet.cloned-mac-address:  --
802-3-ethernet.mac-address-blacklist:
802-3-ethernet.mtu:                 auto
802-3-ethernet.s390-subchannels:
802-3-ethernet.s390-nettype:        --
802-3-ethernet.s390-options:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
ipv4.method:                        auto
ipv4.dns:
ipv4.dns-search:
ipv4.addresses:
ipv4.gateway:                       --
ipv4.routes:
ipv4.route-metric:                  -1
ipv4.ignore-auto-routes:            no
ipv4.ignore-auto-dns:               no
ipv4.dhcp-client-id:                --
ipv4.dhcp-send-hostname:            yes
ipv4.dhcp-hostname:                 --
ipv4.never-default:                 no
ipv4.may-fail:                      yes
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
ipv6.method:                        auto
ipv6.dns:
ipv6.dns-search:
ipv6.addresses:
ipv6.gateway:                       --
ipv6.routes:
ipv6.route-metric:                  -1
ipv6.ignore-auto-routes:            no
ipv6.ignore-auto-dns:               no
ipv6.never-default:                 no
ipv6.may-fail:                      yes
ipv6.ip6-privacy:                   -1 (unknown)
ipv6.dhcp-hostname:                 --
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
nmcli> goto ethernet
You may edit the following properties: port, speed, duplex, auto-negotiate,

 mac-address, cloned-mac-address, mac-address-blacklist, mtu, s390-subchann
els, s390-nettype, s390-options
nmcli 802-3-ethernet> set mtu 1492
nmcli 802-3-ethernet> b
nmcli> goto ipv4.addresses
nmcli ipv4.addresses> desc
=== [addresses] ===
[NM property description]
Array of IP addresses.
[nmcli specific description]
Enter a list of IPv4 addresses formatted as:

  ip[/prefix], ip[/prefix],...
Missing prefix is regarded as prefix of 32.
Example: 192.168.1.5/24, 10.0.0.11/24
nmcli ipv4.addresses> set 192.168.1.100/24
Do you also want to set 'ipv4.method' to 'manual'? [yes]: yes
nmcli ipv4.addresses>
nmcli ipv4.addresses> print
addresses: 192.168.1.100/24
nmcli ipv4.addresses> back
nmcli ipv4> b
nmcli> set ipv4.gateway 192.168.1.1
nmcli> verify
Verify connection: OK
nmcli> print
===========================================================================

                          Connection details
===========================================================================
connection.id:                      ethernet-4
connection.uuid:                    de89cdeb-a3e1-4d53-8fa0-c22546c775f4
connection.interface-name:          --
connection.type:                    802-3-ethernet
connection.autoconnect:             yes
connection.autoconnect-priority:    0
connection.timestamp:               0
connection.read-only:               no
connection.permissions:
connection.zone:                    --
connection.controller:              --
connection.port-type:               --
connection.secondaries:
connection.gateway-ping-timeout:    0
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
802-3-ethernet.port:                --
802-3-ethernet.speed:               0
802-3-ethernet.duplex:              --
802-3-ethernet.auto-negotiate:      yes
802-3-ethernet.mac-address:         --
802-3-ethernet.cloned-mac-address:  --
802-3-ethernet.mac-address-blacklist:
802-3-ethernet.mtu:                 1492
802-3-ethernet.s390-subchannels:
802-3-ethernet.s390-nettype:        --
802-3-ethernet.s390-options:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
ipv4.method:                        manual
ipv4.dns:
ipv4.dns-search:
ipv4.addresses:                     192.168.1.100/24
ipv4.gateway:                       192.168.1.1
ipv4.routes:
ipv4.route-metric:                  -1
ipv4.ignore-auto-routes:            no
ipv4.ignore-auto-dns:               no
ipv4.dhcp-client-id:                --
ipv4.dhcp-send-hostname:            yes
ipv4.dhcp-hostname:                 --
ipv4.never-default:                 no
ipv4.may-fail:                      yes
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
ipv6.method:                        auto
ipv6.dns:
ipv6.dns-search:
ipv6.addresses:
ipv6.routes:
ipv6.route-metric:                  -1
ipv6.ignore-auto-routes:            no
ipv6.ignore-auto-dns:               no
ipv6.never-default:                 no
ipv6.may-fail:                      yes
ipv6.ip6-privacy:                   -1 (unknown)
ipv6.dhcp-hostname:                 --
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
nmcli> set ipv4.dns 8.8.8.8 8.8.4.4
nmcli> print
===========================================================================

                          Connection details
===========================================================================
connection.id:                      ethernet-4
connection.uuid:                    de89cdeb-a3e1-4d53-8fa0-c22546c775f4
connection.interface-name:          --
connection.type:                    802-3-ethernet
connection.autoconnect:             yes
connection.autoconnect-priority:    0
connection.timestamp:               0
connection.read-only:               no
connection.permissions:
connection.zone:                    --
connection.controller:              --
connection.port-type:               --
connection.secondaries:
connection.gateway-ping-timeout:    0
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
802-3-ethernet.port:                --
802-3-ethernet.speed:               0
802-3-ethernet.duplex:              --
802-3-ethernet.auto-negotiate:      yes
802-3-ethernet.mac-address:         --
802-3-ethernet.cloned-mac-address:  --
802-3-ethernet.mac-address-blacklist:
802-3-ethernet.mtu:                 1492
802-3-ethernet.s390-subchannels:
802-3-ethernet.s390-nettype:        --
802-3-ethernet.s390-options:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
ipv4.method:                        manual
ipv4.dns:                           8.8.8.8,8.8.4.4
ipv4.dns-search:
ipv4.addresses:                     192.168.1.100/24
ipv4.gateway:                       192.168.1.1
ipv4.routes:
ipv4.route-metric:                  -1
ipv4.ignore-auto-routes:            no
ipv4.ignore-auto-dns:               no
ipv4.dhcp-client-id:                --
ipv4.dhcp-send-hostname:            yes
ipv4.dhcp-hostname:                 --
ipv4.never-default:                 no
ipv4.may-fail:                      yes
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
ipv6.method:                        auto
ipv6.dns:
ipv6.dns-search:
ipv6.addresses:
ipv6.gateway:                       --
ipv6.routes:
ipv6.route-metric:                  -1
ipv6.ignore-auto-routes:            no
ipv6.ignore-auto-dns:               no
ipv6.never-default:                 no
ipv6.may-fail:                      yes
ipv6.ip6-privacy:                   -1 (unknown)
ipv6.dhcp-hostname:                 --
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
nmcli> verify
Verify connection: OK
nmcli> save
Connection 'ethernet-4' (de89cdeb-a3e1-4d53-8fa0-c22546c775f4) successfully

 saved.
nmcli> quit
```

Example session in the nmcli interactive connection editor. The scenario creates an Ethernet connection profile with static addressing (IPs and DNS).

Example 17. Bluetooth connection profiles

NetworkManger supports both connecting to NAP and DUN devices as a client. It also supports sharing the network via a NAP server.

For NAP client connections, NetworkManager automatically creates a suitable in-memory profile for paired devices if none is available. You may use that generated profile directly, but you may also modify and persist it, which will prevent to automatically re-create it. You may also create a profile from scratch. For example, the following uses DHCP and IPv6 autoconf for address configuration:

```
$ nmcli connection add type bluetooth con-name "Profile for My Bluetooth Device (NAP)" autoconnect no bluetooth.type panu bluetooth.bdaddr "$BDADDR"
```

For DUN connections, the user needs to configure modem settings and hence no profile gets created automatically. The modem settings depend on your device and you either need a "gsm" or a "csma" section. For example,

```
$ nmcli connection add type bluetooth con-name "Profile for My Bluetooth Device (DUN)" autoconnect no bluetooth.type dun bluetooth.bdaddr "$BDADDR" gsm.apn apn.com
```

Finally, you can create a bluetooth hotspot. BlueZ implements those as a bridge device, so such profiles also have a bridge section. Also, you probably want to set IP methods as "shared", so that clients get automatic IP addressing. Note that the "shared" IPv4 method requires dnsmasq to be available.

```
$ nmcli connection add type bluetooth con-name "My Bluetooth Hotspot" autoconnect no ifname btnap0 bluetooth.type nap ipv4.method shared ipv6.method shared
```

Example 18. Offline use

```
$ nmcli --offline con add type ethernet '

  conn.id eth0 \

  conn.interface-name eth0 \

  >/sysroot/etc/NetworkManager/system-connections/eth0.nmconnection
```

Creates a connection file in keyfile format without using the NetworkManager service. This allows for use of familiar nmcli syntax in situations where the service is not running, such as during system installation of image provisioning and ensures the resulting file is correctly formatted.

```
$ nmcli --offline con modify type ethernet '

  conn.id eth0-ipv6 \

  ipv4.method disabled \

  </sysroot/etc/NetworkManager/system-connections/eth0.nmconnection \

  >/sysroot/etc/NetworkManager/system-connections/eth0-ipv6.nmconnection
```

Read and write a connection file without using the NetworkManager service, modifying some properties along the way.

This allows templating of the connection profiles using familiar nmcli syntax in situations where the service is not running.

Example 19. Device Checkpoint and Restore

```
$ nmcli dev checkpoint eth0 -- nmcli dev dis eth0
Device 'eth0' successfully disconnected.
Type "Yes" to commit the changes: No
Checkpoint was removed.
```

In this example the device eth0 was disconnected with the eth0 checkpoint taken. The user didn't confirm that the change is good, so the eth0 was brought back to the state it was when the checkpoint was taken.

If the command being run unintentionaly brings down the remote connection (such as a ssh(1) session) to the very machine it's being run on, the user wouldn't be able to confirm the success and the connectivity would end up being restored after a timeout.

If, on the other hand, the command results in a success, the user could just confirm, causing the checkpoint to be abandoned without a rollback:

```
$ nmcli dev checkpoint -- ip link del br0
Type "Yes" to commit the changes: Yes
```

## SEE ALSO
nmcli(1), NetworkManager(8), NetworkManager.conf(5), nm-settings-nmcli(5), nm-online(1), nm-applet(1), nm-connection-editor(1)


nm-openvswitch

package: NetworkManager-ovs

title: nm-openvswitch(7)

text:
# nm-openvswitch(7)

## NAME
nm-openvswitch - overview of NetworkManager Open vSwitch support

## OVERVIEW
NetworkManager includes basic Open vSwitch support, good enough to be capable of setting up simple Open vSwitch configurations. It is not extensive and does not expose all functionality of Open vSwitch provides. For large or complicated deployments users are advised to use native tools shipped with Open vSwitch. This document seeks to provide overview of functionality currently provided by NetworkManager, its capabilities and limitations.

First and foremost: NetworkManager applies the configuration by modifying the OVSDB directly. Its configuration model follows the OVSDB database model closely and it does not provide the level of abstraction ovs-vsctl provides.

In practical terms it means the following:

•NetworkManager only ever talks to a single OVSDB instance via an UNIX domain socket.

•The configuration is made up of Bridges, Ports and Interfaces. Interfaces are always attached to Ports, and Ports are always attached to Bridges.

•NetworkManager only creates Bridges, Ports and Interfaces you ask it to. Unlike ovs-vsctl, it doesn't create the local interface nor its port automatically.

•You can't attach Interface directly to a Bridge. You always need a Port, even if it has just one interface.

•There are no VLANs. The VLAN tagging is enabled by setting a ovs-port.tag property on a Port.

•There are no bonds either. The bonding is enabled by enslaving multiple Interfaces to a Port and configured by setting properties on a port.

### Bridges
Bridges are represented by connections of ovs-bridge type. Due to the limitations of OVSDB, "empty" Bridges (with no Ports) can't exist. NetworkManager inserts the records for Bridges into OVSDB when a Port is attached.

Known limitation: when the last NetworkManager's owned port is removed, the bridge is removed too, even if there are other externally attached ports.

### Ports
Ports are represented by connections of ovs-port type. Due to the limitations of OVSDB, "empty" Ports (with no Interfaces) can't exist. Ports can also be configured to do VLAN tagging or Bonding. NetworkManager inserts the records for Ports into OVSDB when an Interface is attached. Ports must be attached to a Bridge.

Known limitation: when the last NetworkManager's owned interface is removed, the port is removed too, even if there are other externally attached interfaces.

### Interfaces
Interfaces are represented by a connections attached to a Port. The system interfaces (that have a corresponding Linux link) have a respective connection.type of the link (e.g. "wired", "bond", "dummy", etc.). Other interfaces ("internal" or "patch" interfaces) are of ovs-interface type. The OVSDB entries are inserted upon attachment to a Port.

## EXAMPLES
Example 1. Creating a Bridge with a single internal Interface

```
$ nmcli conn add type ovs-bridge conn.interface bridge0
Connection 'ovs-bridge-bridge0' (d10fc64d-1d48-4394-a1b8-e1aea72f27d5) successfully added.
$ nmcli conn add type ovs-port conn.interface port0 controller bridge0
Connection 'ovs-port-port0' (5ae22bae-bba4-4815-9ade-7e635633e1f0) successfully added.
$ nmcli conn add type ovs-interface port-type ovs-port conn.interface iface0 \

  controller port0 ipv4.method manual ipv4.address 192.0.2.1/24
Connection 'ovs-interface-iface0' (3640d2a1-a2fd-4718-92f1-cffadb5b6cdc) successfully added.
```

As said above, you need to create a Port even for a single interface. Also, before you add the Interface, the Bridge and Port devices appear active, but are not configured in OVSDB yet. You can inspect the results with ovs-vsctl show.

Example 2. Adding a Linux interface to a Bridge

```
$ nmcli conn add type ovs-port conn.interface port1 controller bridge0
Connection 'ovs-port-port1' (67d041eb-8e7b-4458-afee-a1d07c9c4552) successfully added.
$ nmcli conn add type ethernet conn.interface eth0 controller port1
Connection 'ovs-slave-eth0' (d459c45c-cf78-4c1c-b4b7-505e71379624) successfully added.
```

Again, you need a port.

Example 3. Creating a VLAN

```
$ nmcli conn add type ovs-port conn.interface port2 controller bridge0 ovs-port.tag 120
Connection 'ovs-port-port2' (3994c093-4ef7-4549-a4fd-627b831c3cb8) successfully added.
$ nmcli conn add type ethernet conn.interface eth1 controller port2
Connection 'ovs-slave-eth1' (099be06e-71ad-484d-8d5a-fcadc5f207f5) successfully added.
```

It's just a port with a tag.

Example 4. Creating a Bond

```
$ nmcli conn add type ovs-port conn.interface bond0 controller bridge0
Connection 'ovs-port-bond0' (d154ebf9-e999-4e1b-a084-a3de53d25d8a) successfully added.
$ nmcli conn add type ethernet conn.interface eth2 controller bond0
Connection 'ovs-slave-eth2' (475ac1bf-30b2-4534-a877-27f33f58b082) successfully added.
$ nmcli conn add type ethernet conn.interface eth3 controller bond0
Connection 'ovs-slave-eth3' (8dedeecb-ed12-482b-b77a-24a4fb835136) successfully added.
```

It's just a Port with multiple interfaces. See nm-settings-nmcli manual for Bonding options you can use with "nmcli c add" or "nmcli c modify". You could even set a VLAN tag on the same Port to do VLAN tagging and bonding at the same time.

## BUGS
•Not all Open vSwitch capabilities are supported.

•Open vSwitch devices don't expose many useful properties on D-Bus.

Probably many more.

## SEE ALSO
RFC 7047: The Open vSwitch Database Management Protocol[1], ovs-vsctl(8), ovs-vswitchd.conf.db(5), nm-settings-nmcli(5), nmcli(1)

## NOTES
1.

RFC 7047: The Open vSwitch Database Management Protocol

https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc7047.txt