Restrictions for upgrading R and Python packages

Some R and Python packages shall not be upgraded because doing so will break the Workbench UI.

For R Runtimes

Do not upgrade the Cairo or RServe packages in your projects using R Runtimes. If you do, you may be unable to launch sessions, jobs, experiments, or applications.

If these packages are upgraded, you will need to start a new project or to delete the directory .local/lib using the CDSW/Cloudera AI Files UI ("show hidden").

For Python Runtimes

Do not upgrade the ipykernel package or its dependencies (ipython, traitlets, jupyter_client, and tornado) in your project using Python Runtimes. If you do, you may be unable to launch sessions, jobs, experiments, or applications.

If these packages are upgraded, you will need to start a new project or to delete the directory .local/lib using the CDSW/Cloudera AI Files UI ("show hidden").

Python Runtimes in Cloudera AI fail to import the setuptools Python library and can fail installing some Python packages

Python Runtimes in Cloudera AI fail to import the setuptools Python library and therefore can fail installing some Python packages when the library setuptools is present on the Runtime or is installed into the Cloudera AI project with version 60.0.0 or higher.

Python 3.10 Runtimes from the 2023.05 Runtime release ship with a newer version of setuptools, so customers can run into this issue when they are using that Runtime. Also they can run into this issue when they are using Custom Runtimes that has a newer setuptools library version or when they install a new setuptools version into their project (regardless of what Runtime they use).

Workaround: Set the environmental variable SETUPTOOLS_USE_DISTUTILS=stdlib either on a project level under Project Settings -> Advanced or on a workbench level under Site Administration -> Runtime -> Environment variables.