diff --git a/protocols/ovsdb/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/ovsdb/controller/OvsdbConstant.java b/protocols/ovsdb/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/ovsdb/controller/OvsdbConstant.java
index f74186e..6919461 100644
--- a/protocols/ovsdb/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/ovsdb/controller/OvsdbConstant.java
+++ b/protocols/ovsdb/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/ovsdb/controller/OvsdbConstant.java
@@ -110,4 +110,6 @@
 
     /** Openflow port Error. */
     public static final int OFPORT_ERROR = -1;
+
+    public static final boolean SERVER_MODE = true;
 }
diff --git a/protocols/ovsdb/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/ovsdb/controller/OvsdbController.java b/protocols/ovsdb/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/ovsdb/controller/OvsdbController.java
index c271c7b..096166c 100644
--- a/protocols/ovsdb/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/ovsdb/controller/OvsdbController.java
+++ b/protocols/ovsdb/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/ovsdb/controller/OvsdbController.java
@@ -86,4 +86,13 @@
      * @param failhandler connection failure handler
      */
     void connect(IpAddress ip, TpPort port, Consumer<Exception> failhandler);
+
+    /**
+     * Configure the OVSDB instance to run as a server mode.
+     * If this mode is configured as true, then OVSDB will run as both OVSDB client and server.
+     * If this mode is configured as false, then OVSDB will run as OVS client only.
+     *
+     * @param serverMode server mode flag
+     */
+    void setServerMode(boolean serverMode);
 }
diff --git a/protocols/ovsdb/api/src/test/java/org/onosproject/ovsdb/controller/driver/OvsdbControllerAdapter.java b/protocols/ovsdb/api/src/test/java/org/onosproject/ovsdb/controller/driver/OvsdbControllerAdapter.java
index 021bf39..2f2b1fd 100644
--- a/protocols/ovsdb/api/src/test/java/org/onosproject/ovsdb/controller/driver/OvsdbControllerAdapter.java
+++ b/protocols/ovsdb/api/src/test/java/org/onosproject/ovsdb/controller/driver/OvsdbControllerAdapter.java
@@ -78,4 +78,9 @@
     public void connect(IpAddress ip, TpPort port, Consumer<Exception> failhandler) {
 
     }
+
+    @Override
+    public void setServerMode(boolean serverMode) {
+
+    }
 }
diff --git a/protocols/ovsdb/ctl/src/main/java/org/onosproject/ovsdb/controller/impl/Controller.java b/protocols/ovsdb/ctl/src/main/java/org/onosproject/ovsdb/controller/impl/Controller.java
index d49710d..aedccf6 100644
--- a/protocols/ovsdb/ctl/src/main/java/org/onosproject/ovsdb/controller/impl/Controller.java
+++ b/protocols/ovsdb/ctl/src/main/java/org/onosproject/ovsdb/controller/impl/Controller.java
@@ -199,15 +199,20 @@
      *
      * @param agent OvsdbAgent
      * @param monitorCallback Callback
+     * @param mode OVSDB server mode flag
      */
-    public void start(OvsdbAgent agent, Callback monitorCallback) {
+    public void start(OvsdbAgent agent, Callback monitorCallback, boolean mode) {
         this.agent = agent;
         this.monitorCallback = monitorCallback;
-        try {
-            this.run();
-        } catch (InterruptedException e) {
-            log.warn("Interrupted while waiting to start");
-            Thread.currentThread().interrupt();
+        // if the OVSDB server flag is configured as false, we do NOT listen on 6640 port
+        // therefore, ONOS only runs as an OVSDB client
+        if (mode) {
+            try {
+                this.run();
+            } catch (InterruptedException e) {
+                log.warn("Interrupted while waiting to start");
+                Thread.currentThread().interrupt();
+            }
         }
     }
 
diff --git a/protocols/ovsdb/ctl/src/main/java/org/onosproject/ovsdb/controller/impl/OvsdbControllerImpl.java b/protocols/ovsdb/ctl/src/main/java/org/onosproject/ovsdb/controller/impl/OvsdbControllerImpl.java
index 0bd3cee..e4e96f5 100644
--- a/protocols/ovsdb/ctl/src/main/java/org/onosproject/ovsdb/controller/impl/OvsdbControllerImpl.java
+++ b/protocols/ovsdb/ctl/src/main/java/org/onosproject/ovsdb/controller/impl/OvsdbControllerImpl.java
@@ -20,10 +20,16 @@
 import org.apache.felix.scr.annotations.Activate;
 import org.apache.felix.scr.annotations.Component;
 import org.apache.felix.scr.annotations.Deactivate;
+import org.apache.felix.scr.annotations.Modified;
+import org.apache.felix.scr.annotations.Property;
+import org.apache.felix.scr.annotations.Reference;
+import org.apache.felix.scr.annotations.ReferenceCardinality;
 import org.apache.felix.scr.annotations.Service;
 import org.onlab.packet.IpAddress;
 import org.onlab.packet.MacAddress;
 import org.onlab.packet.TpPort;
+import org.onlab.util.Tools;
+import org.onosproject.cfg.ComponentConfigService;
 import org.onosproject.ovsdb.controller.DefaultEventSubject;
 import org.onosproject.ovsdb.controller.EventSubject;
 import org.onosproject.ovsdb.controller.OvsdbClientService;
@@ -59,6 +65,7 @@
 import org.slf4j.LoggerFactory;
 
 import java.math.BigInteger;
+import java.util.Dictionary;
 import java.util.HashSet;
 import java.util.Iterator;
 import java.util.List;
@@ -72,6 +79,7 @@
 import java.util.function.Consumer;
 
 import static com.google.common.base.Preconditions.checkNotNull;
+import static org.onosproject.ovsdb.controller.OvsdbConstant.SERVER_MODE;
 
 /**
  * The implementation of OvsdbController.
@@ -94,18 +102,49 @@
             new ConcurrentHashMap<String, OvsdbClientService>();
     protected ConcurrentHashMap<String, String> requestDbName = new ConcurrentHashMap<String, String>();
 
+    @Reference(cardinality = ReferenceCardinality.MANDATORY_UNARY)
+    protected ComponentConfigService configService;
+
+    @Property(name = "serverMode", boolValue = SERVER_MODE,
+            label = "Run as server mode, listen on 6640 port")
+    private boolean serverMode = SERVER_MODE;
+
     @Activate
     public void activate(ComponentContext context) {
-        controller.start(agent, updateCallback);
+        controller.start(agent, updateCallback, serverMode);
+
+        configService.registerProperties(getClass());
+
         log.info("Started");
     }
 
     @Deactivate
     public void deactivate() {
         controller.stop();
+
+        configService.unregisterProperties(getClass(), false);
+
         log.info("Stoped");
     }
 
+    @Modified
+    protected void modified(ComponentContext context) {
+        Dictionary<?, ?> properties = context.getProperties();
+        Boolean flag;
+
+        flag = Tools.isPropertyEnabled(properties, "serverMode");
+        if (flag == null) {
+            log.info("OVSDB server mode is not configured, " +
+                    "using current value of {}", serverMode);
+        } else {
+            serverMode = flag;
+            log.info("Configured. OVSDB server mode was {}",
+                    serverMode ? "enabled" : "disabled");
+        }
+
+        restartController();
+    }
+
     @Override
     public void addNodeListener(OvsdbNodeListener listener) {
         if (!ovsdbNodeListener.contains(listener)) {
@@ -150,6 +189,12 @@
         controller.connect(ip, port, failhandler);
     }
 
+    @Override
+    public void setServerMode(boolean serverMode) {
+        this.serverMode = serverMode;
+        restartController();
+    }
+
     /**
      * Processes table updates.
      *
@@ -324,6 +369,11 @@
         return value;
     }
 
+    private void restartController() {
+        controller.stop();
+        controller.start(agent, updateCallback, serverMode);
+    }
+
     /**
      * Implementation of an Ovsdb Agent which is responsible for keeping track
      * of connected node and the state in which they are.
diff --git a/providers/ovsdb/device/src/test/java/org/onosproject/ovsdb/providers/device/OvsdbDeviceProviderTest.java b/providers/ovsdb/device/src/test/java/org/onosproject/ovsdb/providers/device/OvsdbDeviceProviderTest.java
index ec0bba6..eff79bf 100644
--- a/providers/ovsdb/device/src/test/java/org/onosproject/ovsdb/providers/device/OvsdbDeviceProviderTest.java
+++ b/providers/ovsdb/device/src/test/java/org/onosproject/ovsdb/providers/device/OvsdbDeviceProviderTest.java
@@ -258,6 +258,11 @@
 
         }
 
+        @Override
+        public void setServerMode(boolean serverMode) {
+
+        }
+
     }
 
     private class TestDeviceService extends DeviceServiceAdapter {
diff --git a/providers/ovsdb/host/src/test/java/org/onosproject/ovsdb/provider/host/OvsdbHostProviderTest.java b/providers/ovsdb/host/src/test/java/org/onosproject/ovsdb/provider/host/OvsdbHostProviderTest.java
index ea15ad2..ae58c20 100644
--- a/providers/ovsdb/host/src/test/java/org/onosproject/ovsdb/provider/host/OvsdbHostProviderTest.java
+++ b/providers/ovsdb/host/src/test/java/org/onosproject/ovsdb/provider/host/OvsdbHostProviderTest.java
@@ -218,5 +218,10 @@
         public void connect(IpAddress ip, TpPort port, Consumer<Exception> failhandler) {
 
         }
+
+        @Override
+        public void setServerMode(boolean serverMode) {
+
+        }
     }
 }