Configuring the VAST Cluster for Database Access

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Complete the following steps:

  • (Recommended) Create a VIP pool dedicated to VAST Database.

  • Set up a database owner user.

  • Create at least one database and a schema.

Creating a Dedicated VIP Pool

It is recommended to create a dedicated VIP pool containing only the CNodes which you want to dedicate for servicing VAST Database workloads. This prevents any performance implications for other VAST Cluster services.

  • In VAST Web UI, choose Network Access -> Virtual IP Pools and click the + Create VIP Pool button. In the dialog that opens, complete the fields and click Create. For a complete VIP pool creation procedure, see Managing Virtual IP Pools. Managing Virtual IP Pools

  • If using VAST CLI, run the vippool create command.

Setting Up a Database Owner User

  1. Choose an existing VAST Cluster user or create a new one. For instructions on how to create a VAST Cluster user, see Managing Local Users.

  2. Ensure that the user is allowed to create S3 buckets:

    • In VAST Web UI, open the Update User dialog (User Management -> Users -> edit a user) and verify that the Allow Create Bucket option is enabled.

    • If using VAST CLI, run the user query --context local --uid UID command and verify that the allow_create_bucket property is set to True.

  3. Ensure that the user has an S3 access key pair defined and enabled.

    • To check if S3 access keys exist for a user, log in to VAST CLI and run the user query --context local --uid UID command.

      Note

      Existing S3 access keys cannot be viewed via VAST Web UI.

    • To generate a new S3 access key pair for a user via  VAST Web UI, open the Update User dialog (User Management -> Users -> edit a user) and click the Create new key button.

    • To generate a new S3 access key pair via VAST CLI, run the user generate-key command.

Creating a Database and a Schema

By creating a VAST database, you create an Element Store view where database tables will be stored. A database view must have a policy and the Database protocol type. You can manage database views in the same way as other views.

Caution

A VAST database table created on an Element Store view looks like a file on a filesystem. Ensure that you have proper access policies in place to prevent non-authorized access to or manipulation of database tables.

A database can have one or more schemas. A schema contains one or more tables which store data.

Creating a Database and Schema using the VAST Web UI

To create a database and a schema via VAST Web UI:

  1. Choose DataBase -> VAST DB.

  2. In the VAST DB page that opens, click + New Database.

  3. In the New Database dialog, enter the following required settings:

    • Database Name: Enter the name for your database. Database naming requirements are the same as for S3 bucket names.

    • Policy name: Select a policy. This policy should match the policy chosen for the database view.

    • Path: Specify a path for the database.

    • Database owner: Specify the name of the database owner user.

  4. Click Create.

    The new database is displayed in the database tree.

  5. Select the newly created database in the database tree and click + Add Schema.

  6. In the Add Schema dialog that opens, enter a name for the schema. Schema naming requirements are the same as for S3 object names.

  7. Click Create.

    The new schema is displayed under the database in the database tree.

Creating a Database and Schema using the VAST CLI

Follow these steps to create a database and schema using the VAST CLI

  1. Select a view policy for the database. Run this command to show a list of all policies.

    vcli: admin> viewpolicy list
    +----+-------------------+---------------------------+-----------+-------------+
    | ID | Name              | Cluster                   | Flavor    | Auth-source |
    +----+-------------------+---------------------------+-----------+-------------+
    | 1  | default           | sales-devvm               | NFS       | RPC         |
    | 3  | s3_default_policy | sales-devvm               | S3_NATIVE | RPC         |
    +----+-------------------+---------------------------+-----------+-------------+

    Select from the list an S3 policy to be associated with the new database.

  2. To create a database, run this command:

    vcli: admin> view create --path /vast-db --protocols S3,DATABASE --create-dir --bucket vast-db --bucket-owner <owner> --policy-id <id>

    Where <id> is the policy ID for the policy selected in the previous step (in the example in the previous step, this is 3).

  3. To create a schema, run this command:

    vcli: admin> schema create --name <schema-name> --database-name <db-name>