Installing a Kafka-centric cluster

A Kafka-centric cluster has Kafka and Ranger deployed on it, but does not have HDFS. You can install a Kafka-centric cluster by provisioning the correct services and by disabling long-term audit logging in Ranger.

Starting with Cloudera Runtime 7.1.6, long-term auditing in Ranger can be enabled or disabled. If you do not need to store audit logs for more than 90 days, long term audit logging can be disabled. If this feature is disabled, Ranger does not require HDFS as a dependency. As a result, you can install and deploy a Kafka-centric cluster, which has Kafka and Ranger, but not HDFS.

The following list of steps walk you through how you can set up a Kafka centric cluster. These instructions act as an extension to the CDP Private Cloud Base Installation Guide. These steps provide a use case-specific walkthrough of the Add Cluster - Configuration wizard. They are intended as an alternative to the instructions provided in Product Installation - Step 7: Set Up a Cluster Using the Wizard.

Ensure that Cloudera Manager is installed and running on your cluster.
Kerberos must be set up and configured for your cluster.
You must have logged into the Cloudera Manager Admin Console and completed the configuration and setup steps provided by the Add Cluster - Installation wizard.
You must be ready to install and configure services with the Add Cluster - Configuration wizard.

If not started, start the Add Cluster - Configuration wizard.
To start the wizard, click Clusters > Add Services.

The Select Services page is displayed.
Select the services you want to install and configure.
1. Select the Custom Services option.
2. Scroll through the list and select the following services:
  - Core Configuration
  - Zookeeper
  - Kafka
  - Solr
  - Ranger
3. Click Continue.
  The Assign Roles page is displayed.
Configure role assignments for the hosts in your cluster.
The Assign Roles page appears with suggested role assignments for some services. However, the Kafka Broker role and certain other optional roles must be configured manually.
1. Click the Select hosts field below Kafka Broker.
2. Select one or more hosts from the list.
  The Kafka Broker role is assigned to the hosts that you select.
3. Click Ok.
4. Optional: Select hosts for other optional roles available on this page.
  Select hosts the same way as you did for the Kafka Broker role.
  note
  Other optional roles displayed on this page are not required. Assign hosts to these roles only if you want to access the features that they provide. If selected, these roles might require additional configuration either during or after installation. Configuration of these roles is not covered in these instructions.
5. Click Continue.
  The Setup Database page is displayed.
Set up the database.
On the Setup Database page, you can enter the database hosts, names, usernames, and passwords you created when you installed and configured the databases on your hosts. Database setup is required for the Ranger service and the Reports Manager role.
note
If the Cloudera Management Service was set up previously and is running, database setup for the Reports Manager role might not be needed. If configuration is not needed, the wizard only displays the configuration fields for Ranger.
1. Select the database type and enter the database name, username, and password for Ranger.
  Ensure that No is selected from the Use JDBC URL Override drop-down list.
2. Select the database type and enter the database name, username, and password for Reports Manager.
  Skip this step if the configuration fields for Reports Manager are not displayed.
3. Click Test Connection to validate the settings.
4. After verifying that connection is successful, click Continue.
  The Enter Required Parameters page is displayed.
Enter the required parameters.
Ranger requires that you set initial passwords for a number of its users.
1. Set a password for each user by configuring the properties displayed on this page.
2. Click Continue.
  The Review Changes page is displayed.
Review the settings.
The Review Changes page lists default and suggested settings for several configuration parameters. In addition, this page enables you to configure your services before starting them for the first time.
1. Find and configure the following properties:
  - Ranger Plugin DFS Audit Enabled: Clear the checkbox to disable the feature.
  - Solr Secure Authentication: Select the kerberos option.
  - Enable Kerberos Authentication: Select the checkbox to enable Kerberos authentication.
2. Review and configure other properties available on this page.
3. Click Continue.
Wait for the First Run Command to complete and click Continue.
The Summary page is displayed with a success or failure report.
Click Finish to complete the cluster setup.

Complete additional installation steps required for Ranger available in Additional Steps for Apache Ranger.
Review and complete post-installation actions available in After You Install.