1 .. _config_getting_started:
3 =======================================
4 Getting started with the configuration
5 =======================================
7 After a successful installation, VPP installs a startup config file named
8 *startup.conf* in the */etc/vpp/* directory. This file can be tailored to
9 make VPP run as desired, but contains default values for typical installations.
11 Below are more details about this file and some of the the parameters and values
14 Command-line Arguments
15 ----------------------
17 Before we describe details of the startup configuration file (startup.conf) it
18 should be mentioned that VPP can be started without a startup configuration
21 Parameters are grouped by a section name. When providing more than one
22 parameter to a section, all parameters for that section must be wrapped in
23 curly braces. For example, to start VPP with configuration data via the
24 command line with the section name *'unix'*:
26 .. code-block:: console
28 $ sudo /usr/bin/vpp unix { interactive cli-listen 127.0.0.1:5002 }
30 The command line can be presented as a single string or as several; anything
31 given on the command line is concatenated with spaces into a single string
32 before parsing. VPP applications must be able to locate their own executable
33 images. The simplest way to ensure this will work is to invoke a VPP
34 application by giving its absolute path. For example:
35 *'/usr/bin/vpp <options>'* At startup, VPP applications parse through their
36 own ELF-sections [primarily] to make lists of init, configuration, and exit
39 When developing with VPP, in gdb it's often sufficient to start an application
42 .. code-block:: console
44 (gdb) run unix interactive
47 Configuration File (startup.conf)
48 -----------------------------------------
50 The more typical way to specify the startup configuration to VPP is with the
51 startup configuration file (startup.conf).
53 The path of the file is provided to the VPP application on the command line.
54 This is typically at /etc/vpp/startup.conf. If VPP is installed as a package
55 a default startup.conf file is provided at this location.
57 The format of the configuration file is a simple text file with the same content
60 **A very simple startup.conf file:**
62 .. code-block:: console
64 $ cat /etc/vpp/startup.conf
67 log /var/log/vpp/vpp.log
69 cli-listen localhost:5002
80 VPP is instructed to load this file with the -c option. For example:
82 .. code-block:: console
84 $ sudo /usr/bin/vpp -c /etc/vpp/startup.conf