diff --git a/mininet/cli.py b/mininet/cli.py
index ed605500272cb7792ab5924c2952fc651eb130a2..aae0a6f27311229b459e0ba308c7bdf510f9491d 100644
--- a/mininet/cli.py
+++ b/mininet/cli.py
@@ -351,6 +351,26 @@ def do_links( self, line ):
         for link in self.mn.links:
             print link, link.status()
 
+    def do_switch( self, line ):
+        "Starts or stops a switch"
+        args = line.split()
+        if len(args) != 2:
+            error( 'invalid number of args: switch <switch name> {start, stop}\n' )
+            return
+        sw = args[ 0 ]
+        command = args[ 1 ]
+        if sw not in self.mn or self.mn.get( sw ) not in self.mn.switches :
+            error( 'invalid switch: %s\n' % args[ 1 ] )
+        else:
+            sw = args[ 0 ]
+            command = args[ 1 ]
+            if command == 'start':
+                self.mn.get( sw ).start( self.mn.controllers )
+            elif command == 'stop':
+                self.mn.get( sw ).stop( False )
+            else:
+                error( 'invalid command: switch <switch name> {start, stop}\n' )
+
     def default( self, line ):
         """Called on an input line when the command prefix is not recognized.
         Overridden to run shell commands when a node is the first CLI argument.
diff --git a/mininet/node.py b/mininet/node.py
index e87f8e29bda4d48b506efeb7d21049a2bcb816a9..9ba1fdccd013a9c6531d4292a2926f648120fb25 100644
--- a/mininet/node.py
+++ b/mininet/node.py
@@ -981,11 +981,12 @@ def start( self, controllers ):
                 if not intf.IP():
                     self.TCReapply( intf )
 
-    def stop( self ):
+    def stop( self, deleteIntfs=True ):
         "Stop OpenFlow reference user datapath."
         self.cmd( 'kill %ofdatapath' )
         self.cmd( 'kill %ofprotocol' )
-        self.deleteIntfs()
+        if deleteIntfs:
+            self.deleteIntfs()
 
 
 class OVSLegacyKernelSwitch( Switch ):
@@ -1031,11 +1032,12 @@ def start( self, controllers ):
                   ' 1>' + ofplog + ' 2>' + ofplog + '&' )
         self.execed = False
 
-    def stop( self ):
+    def stop( self, deleteIntfs=True ):
         "Terminate kernel datapath."
         quietRun( 'ovs-dpctl del-dp ' + self.dp )
         self.cmd( 'kill %ovs-openflowd' )
-        self.deleteIntfs()
+        if deleteIntfs:
+            self.deleteIntfs()
 
 
 class OVSSwitch( Switch ):
@@ -1183,12 +1185,13 @@ def start( self, controllers ):
             self.TCReapply( intf )
 
 
-    def stop( self ):
+    def stop( self, deleteIntfs=True ):
         "Terminate OVS switch."
         self.cmd( 'ovs-vsctl del-br', self )
         if self.datapath == 'user':
             self.cmd( 'ip link del', self )
-        self.deleteIntfs()
+        if deleteIntfs:
+            self.deleteIntfs()
 
 
 OVSKernelSwitch = OVSSwitch
@@ -1205,7 +1208,7 @@ def start( self, controllers ):
         OVSSwitch.start( self, controllers=[] )
 
 
-class IVSSwitch(Switch):
+class IVSSwitch( Switch ):
     """IVS virtual switch"""
 
     def __init__( self, name, verbose=True, **kwargs ):
@@ -1251,11 +1254,12 @@ def start( self, controllers ):
 
         self.cmd( ' '.join(args) + ' >' + logfile + ' 2>&1 </dev/null &' )
 
-    def stop( self ):
+    def stop( self, deleteIntfs=True ):
         "Terminate IVS switch."
         self.cmd( 'kill %ivs' )
         self.cmd( 'wait' )
-        self.deleteIntfs()
+        if deleteIntfs:
+            self.deleteIntfs()
 
     def attach( self, intf ):
         "Connect a data port"