I heard that it has been ported to multiple virtualization platforms and switching chipsets? what does the virtualization platforms and switching chipsets mean here? what is the difference between them? another question is :can we install the openvswitch on the bare metal switch or router?I mean can we install it on just hardware without any operating system?
From OVS FAQ, which is readily available with a Google search:
A: Open vSwitch can currently run on any Linux-based virtualization platform (kernel 2.6.32 and newer), including: KVM, VirtualBox, Xen, Xen Cloud Platform, XenServer. As of Linux 3.3 it is part of the mainline kernel. The bulk of the code is written in platform- independent C and is easily ported to other environments. We welcome inquires about integrating Open vSwitch with other virtualization platforms.
A: The Open vSwitch source code can be built on a Linux system. You can build and experiment with Open vSwitch on any Linux machine. Packages for various Linux distributions are available on many platforms, including: Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora.
You may also download and run a virtualization platform that already has Open vSwitch integrated. For example, download a recent ISO for XenServer or Xen Cloud Platform. Be aware that the version integrated with a particular platform may not be the most recent Open vSwitch release.
A: No, Open vSwitch has been ported to a number of different operating systems and hardware platforms. Most of the development work occurs on Linux, but the code should be portable to any POSIX system. We've seen Open vSwitch ported to a number of different platforms, including FreeBSD, Windows, and even non-POSIX embedded systems.
By definition, the Open vSwitch Linux kernel module only works on Linux and will provide the highest performance. However, a userspace datapath is available that should be very portable.
A: The PORTING document describes how one would go about porting Open vSwitch to a new operating system or hardware platform.