SOLUTION BRIEF

HADOOP CLUSTER MANAGEMENT & AUTOMATIONAn intelligent enterprise infrastructure solution for Big Data platforms that scale

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THE CHALLENGEOrganizations of all types are moving to deploy Apache™ Hadoop® solutions for processing large datasets to gain a competitive edge. And the market has responded, offering a range of Hadoop-based Big Data solutions to choose from. Unfortunately, at the time of this writing, none include a comprehensive cluster management suite. That’s where StackIQ comes in.

StackIQ Cluster Manager for Big Data provides an integrated solution that comes with everything you need to automate the deployment and management of Hadoop clusters and overcome cluster management challenges.

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AUTOMATION AND MANAGEMENTToday’s enterprise data centers require more than a partial solution to operate effectively. StackIQ Cluster Manager for Big Data brings enterprise-class management to Hadoop. Designed from the ground up to deploy and manage large-scale clusters, it combines StackIQ Cluster Manager and StackIQ Hadoop Manager to provide everything you need to install, configure, deploy, and manage your Hadoop cluster — from bare metal to the applications layer. StackIQ Cluster Manager for Big Data makes it easier than ever to build a robust, production-grade, Big Data cluster using commodity hardware that can reside in any enterprise data center.

STACKIQ CLUSTER MANAGER FEATURES

StackIQ Cluster Manager manages all of the software that sits between bare metal and a cluster application, such as Hadoop. A dynamic database contains all of the configuration parameters for an entire cluster. A cluster-aware management framework leverages this database to define server configuration, deploy software, manage cluster services, and monitor the environment.

Key features include:

• Integrated lifecycle management of the entire cluster — not just the Hadoop layer

• Flexible, automated system configuration for all commodity hardware

• Script-free configuration and deployment

• Peer-to-peer Avalanche installer

• Disk and network management

• Extensibility via “Rolls” framework

• Integration of Ganglia and Hadoop metrics

StackIQ Features in blue. Managed by StackIQ in grey.

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ACTIONABLE DIAGNOSTICS

StackIQ Cluster Manager’s next generation interface for software-defined infrastructure includes powerful visual diagnostics and predictive analysis of the Hadoop cluster. Administrators can quickly see how a job is affecting a number of physical resources and take single-click corrective actions right from the interface.

BENEFITS

In addition to managing the underlying cluster infrastructure, StackIQ Cluster Manager provides capabilities to handle the day-to-day operation of cluster services. Other competing products fail to integrate the management of the cluster stack with the application stack. By contrast, StackIQ leverages its knowledge and control of the underlying cluster infrastructure to manage cluster services such as HDFS, MapReduce, ZooKeeper, Hive, and HBase. Some benefits of this integration include:

• Reduced times to production — Set key parameters, then sit back and let the parallel Avalanche installer build your Hadoop cluster right from bare metal. There is no faster way to go from pallet to production.

• Ease of operation — StackIQ Cluster Manager provides all the tools you need to keep the cluster healthy and operating efficiently.

• Best of breed — The integration between StackIQ Cluster Manager and leading Hadoop distributions allows users to leverage best-of-breed tools at each layer of the stack, providing greater uptime, efficiency, and performance.

Diagnostics Screenshot

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• Extensibility — A modular architecture lets you customize your cluster to suit your business needs. StackIQ allows for the management of any application in your Big Data environment through the Open Source Rocks framework. A wide variety of software components are readily available, or you can build your own.

• Reduced time to scale — When it is time to scale out your cluster, StackIQ Cluster Manager makes it easy. Since the deployment and management engines were designed for scalability, expanding your cluster or creating new ones at other locations is straightforward, with no scripts to edit and no configuration guesswork.

COMPONENTS

With StackIQ Cluster Manager for Big Data, you won’t be left on your own to deal with any aspect of your Hadoop cluster. Everything is included “in the box” to support the Hadoop or NoSQL distribution of your choice.

• StackIQ Cluster Manager

• Apache Hadoop*

• StackIQ Hadoop Manager

• CentOS Linux or Red Hat Enterprise Linux**

* Apache Hadoop software is included. Other distributions can be licensed independently from their respective providers. ** RHEL is available separately from Red Hat, Inc.

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SUPPORT

An enterprise-grade solution needs enterprise-grade support. That’s why StackIQ Cluster Manager for Big Data features full support for the management platform.

• Standard Support Subscription — Standard support assists organizations during the proof-of-concept, staging, and deployment phases. Included are configuration and installation questions, explanation of routine maintenance, diagnosis of system issues, and any bug fixes or patches that may be necessary. Standard support subscriptions are intended for environments that are not mission-critical.

• Enterprise Support Subscription — Enterprise support includes all of the support coverage mentioned above plus the ability to contact StackIQ support via email or phone, 24x7 with up to one-hour response times for mission-critical production issues.

StackIQ Reference Architecture

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COMPETITIVE SOLUTIONSThere are a number of solutions available in the market for cluster management and operations. The Trace3 BDI team has performed extensive testing in our labs and determined the capabilities of some of these tools. The following matrix summarizes some of our findings.

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Create the first-mover advantage and transformational clarity that ensures a competitive edge in today’s marketplace. For more information, visit www.trace3.com

ABOUT TRACE3’S BIG DATA INTELLIGENCE TECHNICAL BRIEFSThe Trace3 Big Data Intelligence (BDI) team finds and vets innovative solutions that apply to common, real-world use cases. Once a solution has been identified and gone through our technical vetting, it is installed in our BDI Innovation Labs for extensive integration testing with other complementary technologies. A Technical Brief document is developed with the participation of the solution providers involved.

FOR MORE DETAILED TECHNICAL INFORMATION OR TO RECEIVE A DEMO OF THIS SOLUTION, CONTACT THE TRACE3 BIG DATA INTELLIGENCE TEAM.

BDI@TRACE3.COM | WWW.TRACE3.COM/BIGDATA