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OVSDB Schema for Physical Devices

An Open vSwitch Database (OVSDB) server runs on a Juniper Networks device that supports the OVSDB management protocol. When this device is connected to one or more VMware NSX controllers, the connections provide a means through which the Juniper Networks device and the controllers can communicate.

In an NSX for vSphere environment, Juniper Networks devices that support OVSDB and NSX controllers exchange control and statistical data. This data is stored in the OVSDB database schema defined for physical devices. The schema resides in the OVSDB server. The schema includes several tables. Juniper Networks devices and NSX controllers, both of which have OVSDB clients, can add rows to the tables as well as monitor the tables for the addition, deletion, and modification of rows.

For example, the OVSDB client on a Juniper Networks device or on an NSX controller can collect MAC routes learned by entities in the physical or virtual networks, respectively, and publish the routes to the appropriate table in the schema. By using the MAC routes and other information provided in the table, Juniper Networks devices in the physical network and entities in the virtual network can determine where to forward virtual machine (VM) traffic.

Some of the OVSDB table names include the words local or remote—for example, the unicast MACs local table and the unicast MACs remote table. Information in local tables is learned by a Juniper Networks device that functions as a hardware virtual tunnel endpoint (VTEP), whereas information in remote tables is learned by other software or hardware VTEPs.

Table 1 describes the tables in the schema, the physical or virtual entity that is the source of the data provided in the table, and the command that you can enter in the CLI of the Juniper Networks device to get similar information.

Table 1: OVSDB Schema Tables

Table Name

Description

Source of Information

Command

Global table

Includes the top-level configuration for the Juniper Networks device.

Juniper Networks device

Manager table

Includes information for each NSX controller that is connected to the Juniper Networks device.

  • Juniper Networks device

  • NSX controller

show ovsdb controller

Physical switch table

Includes information about the Juniper Networks device on which a hardware VTEP is implemented. This table includes information only for the device on which the table resides.

Juniper Networks device

Physical port table

Includes information about OVSDB-managed interfaces.

Juniper Networks device

show ovsdb interface

Logical switch table

Includes information about logical switches, which you configure in NSX Manager or in the NSX API, and the corresponding Virtual Extensible LANs (VXLANs), which are configured on the Juniper Networks device.

Juniper Networks device

show ovsdb logical-switch

Logical binding statistics table

Includes statistics for OVSDB-managed interfaces.

Juniper Networks device

show ovsdb statistics interface

Physical locator table

Includes information about Juniper Networks devices configured as hardware VTEPs, software VTEPs, and service nodes.

Juniper Networks device

show ovsdb virtual-tunnel-end-point

Physical locator set table

Lists service nodes for a logical switch.

Juniper Networks device

Unicast MACs remote table

Contains reachability information, including unicast MAC addresses, for entities in the virtual network.

NSX controller

show ovsdb mac

Unicast MACs local table

Contains reachability information, including unicast MAC addresses, for entities in the physical network.

Juniper Networks device that is configured as a hardware VTEP.

show ovsdb mac

Multicast MACs remote table

Includes only one row. In this row, the MAC column includes the keyword unknown dst along with a list of software VTEPs that host a cluster of service nodes, which handle multicast traffic.

NSX controller

show ovsdb mac

Multicast MACs local table

Includes one row for each logical switch. In this row, the MAC column includes the keyword unknown dst and a list of hardware VTEPs, which are identified by the IP address assigned to the hardware VTEP loopback interface (lo0). These hardware VTEPs can terminate or originate a VXLAN tunnel.

Juniper Networks device

show ovsdb mac