diff --git a/gnu/packages/networking.scm b/gnu/packages/networking.scm
index c2df3013c3..a10fbfed92 100644
--- a/gnu/packages/networking.scm
+++ b/gnu/packages/networking.scm
@@ -1060,3 +1060,62 @@ (define-public nethogs
 which PID is causing this.  This makes it easy to identify programs that have
 gone wild and are suddenly taking up your bandwidth.")
     (license license:gpl2+)))
+
+(define-public openvswitch
+  (package
+    (name "openvswitch")
+    (version "2.6.1")
+    (source (origin
+              (method url-fetch)
+              (uri (string-append
+                    "http://openvswitch.org/releases/openvswitch-"
+                    version ".tar.gz"))
+              (sha256
+               (base32
+                "036gq741j9kqsjlp693nff838c9wjd1c56nswl9vyyd1lsmj0yrh"))))
+    (build-system gnu-build-system)
+    (arguments
+     '(;; FIXME: many tests fail with:
+       ;;    […]
+       ;;    test -e $OVS_RUNDIR/ovs-vswitchd.pid
+       ;;    ovs-appctl -t ovs-vswitchd exit
+       ;;    hard failure
+       #:tests? #f
+       #:configure-flags
+       '("--enable-shared"
+         "--localstatedir=/var"
+         "--with-dbdir=/var/lib/openvswitch")
+       #:phases
+       (modify-phases %standard-phases
+         (replace 'install
+           (lambda _
+             (zero? (system* "make"
+                             ;; Don't try to create directories under /var.
+                             "RUNDIR=/tmp"
+                             "PKIDIR=/tmp"
+                             "LOGDIR=/tmp"
+                             "DBDIR=/tmp"
+                             "install")))))))
+    (native-inputs
+     `(("perl" ,perl)
+       ("pkg-config" ,pkg-config)
+       ("python" ,python-2)
+       ;; for testing
+       ("util-linux" ,util-linux)))
+    (propagated-inputs
+     `(("python-six" ,python2-six)))
+    (inputs
+     `(("libcap-ng" ,libcap-ng)
+       ("openssl" ,openssl)))
+    (synopsis "Virtual network switch")
+    (home-page "http://www.openvswitch.org/")
+    (description
+     "Open vSwitch is a multilayer virtual switch.  It is designed to enable
+massive network automation through programmatic extension, while still
+supporting standard management interfaces and protocols (e.g. NetFlow, sFlow,
+IPFIX, RSPAN, CLI, LACP, 802.1ag).")
+    (license                            ; see debian/copyright for detail
+     (list license:lgpl2.1              ; xenserver and utilities/bugtool
+           license:gpl2                 ; datapath
+           license:bsd-2 license:bsd-3
+           license:asl2.0))))           ; all other