DragonFly On-Line Manual Pages

VDE_PLUG(1)            DragonFly General Commands Manual           VDE_PLUG(1)

NAME
       vde_plug - Virtual Distributed Ethernet plug (two plugs creates a vde
       cable)

SYNOPSIS
       vde_plug [ -p portnum ] [ -g group ] [ -m octal-mode ] [ socketdir ]

DESCRIPTION
       A vde_plug is a plug to be connected into a VDE switch.  All the data
       that is catched by the plug is written in its stdout and everything
       from stdin is injected in the switch.

       This tool has been designed to be used together with dpipe (1) to
       interconnect a second vde_plug to another switch, working as a virtual
       ethernet crossed cable between the two switches.

       The command
              dpipe vde_plug = vde_plug /tmp/vde2.ctl
       connects two local switches: the former is using the standard control
       socket /tmp/vde.ctl while the latter is using /tmp/vde2.ctl.

       The command
              dpipe vde_plug = ssh remote.machine.org vde_plug
       connects two remote switches.  If the two vde_switches run as daemon
       and they are connected to tap interfaces a level 2 encrypted tunnel is
       established.

       vde_plug can also be established as a login shell for users.  The
       following command works as in the previous example
              dpipe vde_plug = ssh vdeuser@remote.machine.org vde_plug
       where vdeuser is the user with vde_plug as standard shell.  All the
       remote accesses are logged by syslog at the beginning and at the end of
       each session.  Attempt to login without the command vde_plug at the end
       or trying to execute something else are blocked and the attempt is
       logged into syslog.

OPTIONS
       -p portnum
              It is possible to decide which port of the switch to use.  When
              this option is not specified the switch assigns the first
              available unused port (if any).  It is possible to connect
              several cables in the same switch port: in this way all this
              cables work concurrently.  It means that packet can result as
              duplicate but no ARP table loops are generated.  Is useful when
              vde is used for mobility. Several physical interfaces can be
              used at a time during handoffs to prevent hichups in
              connectivity.

       -g group
              group ownership of the communication socket. For security when
              more want to share a switch it is better to use a unix group to
              own the comm sockets so that the network traffic cannot be
              sniffed.

       -m octal-mode
              octal chmod like permissions for the comm sockets

       socketdir
              (This option can be also set as: -sock socketdir ) specify the
              directory which contains the UNIX socket to be used by local
              programs for joining the VDE.  The default value is
              "/tmp/vde.ctl", which corresponds to the socket
              "/tmp/vde.ctl/ctl" (or /var/run/vde.ctl when the vde_switch runs
              as a shared daemon).  It is possible for users to redefine their
              default switch as ".vde-2/stdsock" in their home directory. If
              exist, this directory (or symbolic link to the actual directory)
              is used as the default value for the user.

NOTICE
       Virtual Distributed Ethernet is not related in any way with www.vde.com
       ("Verband der Elektrotechnik, Elektronik und Informationstechnik" i.e.
       the German "Association for Electrical, Electronic & Information
       Technologies").

SEE ALSO
       vde_switch(1), vde_plug2tap(1), vdeq(1), dpipe(1).

AUTHOR
       VDE is a project by Renzo Davoli <renzo@cs.unibo.it>

Virtual Distributed Ethernet   December 6, 2006                    VDE_PLUG(1)