Jul 07 11:22:23 rhel-9-2-microshift-source-backup-restore-host1 ovs-ctl[953]: /etc/openvswitch/conf.db does not exist ... (warning).
Jul 07 11:22:23 rhel-9-2-microshift-source-backup-restore-host1 ovs-ctl[953]: Creating empty database /etc/openvswitch/conf.db.
Jul 07 11:22:23 rhel-9-2-microshift-source-backup-restore-host1 ovsdb-server[1009]: ovs|00001|daemon_unix|EMER|(null): Invalid --user option openvswitch:hugetlbfs (user openvswitch is not in group hugetlbfs), aborting.
Jul 07 11:22:23 rhel-9-2-microshift-source-backup-restore-host1 ovs-ctl[1009]: ovsdb-server: (null): Invalid --user option openvswitch:hugetlbfs (user openvswitch is not in group hugetlbfs), aborting.
Jul 07 11:22:23 rhel-9-2-microshift-source-backup-restore-host1 ovs-ctl[953]: Starting ovsdb-server ... failed!
Jul 07 11:22:23 rhel-9-2-microshift-source-backup-restore-host1 systemd[1]: ovsdb-server.service: Control process exited, code=exited, status=1/FAILURE
Jul 07 11:22:23 rhel-9-2-microshift-source-backup-restore-host1 systemd[1]: ovsdb-server.service: Failed with result 'exit-code'.
Jul 07 11:22:23 rhel-9-2-microshift-source-backup-restore-host1 systemd[1]: Failed to start Open vSwitch Database Unit.
Jul 07 11:22:23 rhel-9-2-microshift-source-backup-restore-host1 systemd[1]: Dependency failed for Open vSwitch.
Jul 07 11:22:23 rhel-9-2-microshift-source-backup-restore-host1 systemd[1]: Dependency failed for Configures Open vSwitch for OVN (MicroShift).
Jul 07 11:22:23 rhel-9-2-microshift-source-backup-restore-host1 systemd[1]: microshift-ovs-init.service: Job microshift-ovs-init.service/start failed with result 'dependency'.

The key error seems to be:

ovsdb-server: (null): Invalid --user option openvswitch:hugetlbfs (user openvswitch is not in group hugetlbfs), aborting

MicroShift 4.14.0 and openvswitch 3.1.2

The problem is not present with openvswitch 3.1.1, but always occurs with 3.1.2.

1. Build MicroShift from HEAD of the main branch
2. Install the RPM
3.

MicroShift fails to start and the message above appears in the journal logs.

MicroShift starts.

It looks like the package version 3.1.0-33.el9fdp works, at least some of the time. See comments for more details.