Quick Start Guide for Vmware Version 2.5 Vmware vsphere Instance
CONTENTS 1. Introduction 1.1 Running Gemini appliance on Vmware vsphere 1.1.1 Supported Versions 1.1.2 System Requirement 1.1.3 Note on Storage 1.1.4 Note on Network Access Control 1.1.5 Note on Splunk 1.2 Capacity Planning 1.2.1 Splunk 1.2.2 Cloudera 1.2.3 Investigate Data Connector 2. Getting Started with VMware 2.1 Prerequisites 2.2 Deploy the OVA template 2.3 Appliance Log In 2.4 Network Configuration 2.4.1 DHCP Setup 2.4.2 Manual Network Setup a) Network information screen b) Hostname screen c) Timezone Setup 3. Gemini Enterprise: Manage 3.1 Activation 3.1.1 EULA 3.1.2 Localization 3.1.3 Select License Option 3.1.3.1 Activate Enterprise Edition License 3.1.3.1.1 License Request and Application 3.1.3.1.2 License Server Validation 3.1.4 Provisioning 3.1.4.1 Bulk Provisioning 3.1.4.1.1 Appliance Discovery 3.1.4.1.2 Network Settings 3.1.4.1.3 Hostname 1
3.1.4.1.4 Change Admin Password 3.1.4.1.5 Connect to LDAP 3.1.4.1.6 SSH Authentication 3.1.4.1.7 Summary 3.1.4.2 Stand-Alone Provisioning - Join Cluster 3.1.4.3 Stand-Alone Provisioning - Change Admin Password 3.1.4.4 Stand-Alone Provisioning - Success 3.1.5 Welcome to Gemini Enterprise: Manage 3.1.6 Install Featured Platforms 4. Additional Support 2
1. Introduction 1.1 Running Gemini appliance on Vmware vsphere 1.1.1 Supported Versions Vmware has various virtualization product lines. Only Vmware vsphere is officially supported and tested by Gemini appliance, which are the following: vsphere/esxi 5.0 and above The virtual machine image is delivered with OVA format and built with vmware hardware version 8. If you want to use this virtual machine in other vmware product lines, consult with Gemini support. 1.1.2 System Requirement The following are the minimum system requirements: CPU: 2 cores MEM: 4 GB RAM DISK: 10 GB NIC: 1 ethernet If the installed VM is configured lower than these, it may cause system failed to upgrade, difficult to maintain, and unstable with unexpected problems. 1.1.3 Note on Storage If running disk I/O intensive applications like Splunk on Gemini appliance, NFS and iscsi disks are not recommended due to higher latency and file locking issues. This is due to wide variances in protocol implementations, network architecture, and disk subsystems. Gemini appliance supports disk volume management feature that allows to expand disk spaces with mounting and merging new disks. To achieve this, create a new virtual disk, mount and merge it into the existing volume from GUI. Read the Node -> Storage section in administration guide for more details. 1.1.4 Note on Network Access Control To administrate and run the Gemini Appliance and services, certain communication channels between clients and nodes are required. As a minimum, ports tcp/443 (HTTPS) and tcp/22 (SSH) are required for basic system configuration and operations. As the Web Interface and SSH console offer low-level system access, make sure to not 3
expose these ports towards public access (Anywhere, 0.0.0.0/0). Depending on the Deployment, add inbound/outbound rules as needed. For a complete list of used network ports, see the respective article on our Support Portal ( https://support.geminidata.com/learn/article/ports-used-by-gemini-enterprise/ ). 1.1.5 Note on Splunk As mentioned by Splunk installation guide, if you run Splunk Enterprise in a virtual machine (VM) on any platform, performance decreases. If you run Splunk Enterprise in a VM or alongside other VMs, indexing and search performance can degrade. Splunk Enterprise is CPU and disk I/O intensive for indexing operation. Reserve more and dedicated resources and not configured with overcommit to ensure good performance. 1.2 Capacity Planning 1.2.1 Splunk In general, Gemini recommends to follow the Splunk Sizing principles when deploying Gemini appliance on vmware hypervisor. Please refer to the DEPLOYING SPLUNK ENTERPRISE INSIDE VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENTS document, to be found here: https://www.splunk.com/web_assets/pdfs/secure/splunk_and_vmware_vms_tech_brie f.pdf For specific Data Ingestion Rates and Retention Periods, make your selection based on the recommendations below: 4
1.2.2 Cloudera The table below lists requirements for resources used with Cloudera. Cloudera Manager and CDH CPU 4 RAM Disk 64 GB 500 GB 1.2.3 Investigate Data Connector Gemini Enterprise: Investigate Data Connector usually consumes at least 5GB RAM. To make sure Data Connector service is working properly, 6GB RAM at minimum on the instance is recommended. 2 CPU cores at minimum is recommended to the Data Connector service. Depends on the source data volume, complexity and types, consider to increase CPU cores if you observed high CPU usage. 5
2. Getting Started with VMware 2.1 Prerequisites a) Make sure you already have the OVA file acquired. b) Download the latest OVF tool from Vmware site if the current vsphere version is prior to 6.5. c) A client PC which is able to access to the Gemini appliance IP address defined above. d) Google Chrome browser is recommended. e) (optional) Access to the Splunk Enterprise installation tarball (splunk-*.*.*-*-linux-x86_64.tgz). f) (optional) Internet access and FQDN of this appliance are required for Cloudera CDH installation. 2.2 Deploy the OVA template a) (Optional) If your vsphere is not the latest 6.5, you might experience the Invalid SHA algorithm issue when trying to import the OVA. Download the OVF tool from Vmware site and execute the following command to convert it with appropriate SHA algorithm: $ovftool --shaalgorithm=sha1 <downloaded.ova> <targeted.ova> b) Create the new virtual machine by importing from OVA template. You may refer to vmware document to complete it. (Ref: https://docs.vmware.com/en/vmware-vsphere/6.5/com.vmware.vsphere.vm_admi n.doc/guid-afedc48b-c96f-4088-9c1f-4f0a30e965de.html ) c) Configure the hardware settings to meet your requirements. Please refer to 1.2 Capacity planning to configure your CPU and RAM settings for better performances. d) (Optional) Update the hardware version if needed. Latest hardware version would support higher hardware specs. e) Create a new virtual disk for disk space expansions. Create a new virtual disk with sufficient disk spaces which meets your storage requirement. You can mount and merge it in Node -> Storage -> Undefined Storage in the Manage web console to expand the disk space after the setup wizard is completed. f) Save changes and launch this VM. 2.3 Appliance Log In Connect to the appliance console screen. If the login prompt is not visible on the connected monitor, press enter on the keyboard a few times. The login prompt should appear. 6
For initial setup, log into the appliance as user sbox with the default password facing jet function drive. The setup flow will require the user to choose a new secure password before configuration can continue. The password can always be changed once the appliance is configured. 2.4 Network Configuration 2.4.1 DHCP Setup The use of DHCP for IP assignment is not recommended. If you choose to utilize a DHCP assigned address, simply let the appliance boot up and an address will be assigned. To verify the address, log onto the appliance and run the ip addr command. [sbox@sboxnode1 ~]$ ip addr 1: lo: <LOOPBACK,UP,LOWER_UP> mtu 65536 qdisc noqueue state UNKNOWN link/loopback 00:00:00:00:00:00 brd 00:00:00:00:00:00 inet 127.0.0.1/8 scope host lo valid_lft forever preferred_lft forever inet6 ::1/128 scope host valid_lft forever preferred_lft forever 2: nic0 : <BROADCAST,MULTICAST,UP,LOWER_UP> mtu 1500 qdisc pfifo_fast state UP qlen 1000 link/ether 08:00:27:9e:96:c0 brd ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff inet 192.168.1.100 /24 brd 192.168.1.255 scope global dynamic nic0 valid_lft 68091sec preferred_lft 68091sec After running ip addr, locate the output stanza for nic0. Locate the assigned IP address in the string following the inet tag. This is the ethernet address assigned to to the primary ethernet port. Additional network ports can be assigned using the Gemini Enterprise: Manage. 2.4.2 Manual Network Setup The first ethernet port must be configured before the appliance can be managed. To do so, log onto the appliance as detailed in step 2.3 and type the command sbox setup. This initiates a series of configuration screens. While all settings can be changed later within Manage, it is important to configure network settings correctly so the appliance can be accessed. A few notes on navigation in the setup screen: Use TAB to switch between screen areas Use the ARROW keys to switch between selection elements Use SPACE or ENTER to select an element (ie DHCP or STATIC) 7
TAB to the NEXT element and hit SPACE or ENTER to go to the next screen a) Network information screen ARROW to Static and press SPACE TAB to IPADDR and enter the address assigned to this appliance TAB to NETMASK and enter the appropriate netmask TAB to GATEWAY and enter the network gateway to be used (Required for Static networks) TAB to NEXT and press SPACE or ENTER b) Hostname screen Enter the name of this host. TAB to NEXT and press SPACE or ENTER You may skip this step and configure it later in the setup wizard. 8
c) Timezone Setup (Please note that this screen may take a few seconds to load) ARROW up or down to choose the city that most closely represents the timezone of this appliance SPACE to select the Region/City TAB to DONE and press SPACE or ENTER You may skip this step and configure it later in the setup wizard. After a few seconds, the setup screen is followed by a success message along with an IP ADDRESS. This IP address will be used for the remainder of the configuration. 9
3. Gemini Enterprise: Manage Final configuration of the appliance is completed using the Manage web console. Using a supported web browser, navigate to: https:// <IP address from prior step> A security warning or message may be displayed. This is expected and does not indicate a problem. Depending on your browser you may have to choose proceed anyway or continue for the page to load. 3.1 Activation 3.1.1 EULA Upon the first visit to Manage, the End User Software License Agreement is shown. After reading the terms, choose Accept to advance to the next screen. 10
3.1.2 Localization Manage supports multiple languages and setting a preferred language adjusts the entire user experience accordingly.. If the hostname and timezone settings were skipped in previous basic configurations, this step provides an opportunity to configure them. 11
3.1.3 Select License Option Manage supports 3 types of licenses: Activate Enterprise Edition using Purchased License : Select this if there s a purchased license was provided or there is a license server configured. Activate Free Edition : With this option several features are restricted. Ignore this option if you already had a purchased license or you want to have a trial. Activate Enterprise Edition Free Trial : Select this if you want to start a 30 days free trial. Purchased user may also considered to select this and attach purchased license later. Only when you selected any one of the options, the Next button will reveal. 12
3.1.3.1 Activate Enterprise Edition License Select Use a License File if you have a purchased license. Select Connect to a License Server if you have a license server to manage all the licenses and can be activated from this license server. Only when you selected any one of the options, the Next button will reveal. 3.1.3.1.1 License Request and Application Follow the steps to generate a license request file, send it to Gemini support and apply the received license. Only when you applied the license file, the Next button will reveal. 13
3.1.3.1.2 License Server Validation Input the License server IP address and token string for validation. 14
3.1.4 Provisioning If you have multiple appliances to be configured, select Bulk Provisioning (provision several appliances with this node as the master) would help you to apply configurations and complete the initial setup on the appliances at one time. To operate as a standalone appliance, select Stand-Alone (single) provisioning. 3.1.4.1 Bulk Provisioning This is a step-by-step wizard to guide you complete the initial setup configurations. 15
3.1.4.1.1 Appliance Discovery If you have a known appliances IP list, e.g. acquired from DHCP server or reported by AWS, you can create a text file and make an IP list, one IP address per line, and then upload this text file to locate the appliances. Another way is to perform a IP subnet scan to discover the appliances. Use CIDR notation to specify the subnet, e.g. 192.168.156.0/24. Please note if you specify a large subnet, it might take long time on scanning. 16
3.1.4.1.2 Network Settings If the IP address of all the appliances are assigned by DHCP server and you want to keep them as static IP configurations, select Network settings - Static assigned. This is useful when building a DHCP server for deployment temporarily. User may assign IP addresses by using DHCP server and use this option to turn the configurations permanently. In the end DHCP server can be removed after deployment. Keep the default settings to assign IP address by DHCP, select Network settings - DHCP assigned. 17
3.1.4.1.3 Hostname When you have assigned DNS records for each appliance, select Use Reverse DNS Loopkup to acquire it s own hostname. If you want to name the appliances with a custom pattern, select Specify Custom Pattern and specify the custom pattern with valid tokens. 18
3.1.4.1.4 Change Admin Password Update the password for the account admin in Manage here. It is recommended that you use a strong password or if applicable, follow appropriate password security policy as required for your enterprise. Please note all the appliance will be updated with the same admin password. 3.1.4.1.5 Connect to LDAP You may configure LDAP resources here to support LDAP authentication. When LDAP resources are configured successfully and correctly, a user will be able to login to Manage with their LDAP account. Read LDAP Authentication in Settings chapter for more details. Please note this is optional and you can skip it. 19
3.1.4.1.6 SSH Authentication For SSH login, you may specify the password for SSH authentication. You may also upload SSH key to complete the key exchange and it allows you to login Manage via SSH without password required. Please note this is optional and you can skip it. 20
3.1.4.1.7 Summary Here you can see the summary of provision appliances. Click Start to start provisioning. You can see the live status during provisioning and download the CSV result for further use. Click FINISHED to complete this wizard. 3.1.4.2 Stand-Alone Provisioning - Join Cluster If this node is going to join into an existing Gemini Cluster, select Join an existing appliance cluster and provide the IP Address and the Token String that were assigned on the Master Node. If this is an standalone appliance, or you wish to configure a cluster at a later time, select Operate as a standalone appliance. Only when you selected any one of them, the Next button will reveal. 21
22 Gemini Appliance Quick Start Guide for Vmware 2018 Gemini
3.1.4.3 Stand-Alone Provisioning - Change Admin Password Update the password for the account admin in Manage here. It is recommended that you use a strong password or if applicable, follow your password security policy in your enterprise. 23
3.1.4.4 Stand-Alone Provisioning - Success Congratulations! The Completed screen lets you know that this appliance has been configured. Click Get Started to launch Manage. 24
3.1.5 Welcome to Gemini Enterprise: Manage Log in to Manage with username admin and password configured in the setup process. 25
3.1.6 Install Featured Platforms Follow the on screen directions to install featured platforms like Splunk Enterprise and Cloudera CDH. Note that this process involves accessing the application website and downloading binaries. Ensure that you have access to the public internet (from the browser used, not the appliance) before proceeding further. 4. Additional Support To access the Gemini Support documentation and knowledge base, or to open a support ticket, please visit http://support.geminidata.com. Also refer to the support site frequently for updates, patches and other information related to your appliance. 26