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ScyllaDB Docs ScyllaDB Open Source Scylla for Administrators Procedures Scylla Best Practices Production Readiness Guidelines

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Production Readiness Guidelines¶

The goal of this document is to have a checklist that production customers can use to make sure their deployment adheres to ScyllaDB’s recommendations. Before deploying to production you should follow up on each of the main bullets described below to verify they comply with the recommendations provided. Click the links for more information on each topic.

Before You Begin¶

Pre-Deployment Requirements¶

  • Scylla System Requirements - verify your instances, system, OS, etc are supported by Scylla for production machines.

  • Scylla Getting Started

Choose a Compaction Strategy¶

Each workload may require a specific strategy. Refer to Choose a Compaction Strategy for details. If you are using Scylla Enterprise, in all cases ICS is preferred over STCS.

Incremental Compaction Strategy (ICS)¶

If you are using Scylla Enterprise, we highly recommend using ICS (the default setting) for any table that you have, or considering to have STCS as a compaction strategy. You will have much less Space Amplification with ICS as it only requires 25% additional storage, as opposed to STCS which requires 50% more.

Note

ICS is the default compaction strategy setting for Scylla Enterprise versions 2020.1 and higher.

  • Refer to Incremental Compaction Strategy for an overview of the benefits.

  • Refer to Incremental Compaction Strategy Overview for a description of how it works.

Resiliency¶

When rolling out to production it is important to make sure your data is recoverable and your database can function anytime there is a power or equipment failure.

Replication Factors¶

Verify the Replication Factor is set properly for each keyspace.

We recommend using an RF of at least three.

If you have a multi-datacenter architecture we recommend to have RF=3 on each DC.

For additional information:

  • Read more about Scylla Fault Tolerance

  • Take a course at Scylla University on RF.

Consistency Levels¶

Verify the Consistency Level (CL) is set properly for each table.

We recommend using LOCAL_QUORUM across the cluster and DCs

For additional information:

  • Refer to Scylla Fault Tolerance

  • Watch a Demo

  • Take a course at Scylla University on CL

Gossip Configuration¶

  1. Choose the correct Snitch.

    Always use GossipingPropertyFileSnitch or Ec2MultiRegionSnitch Do Not use SimpleStrategy on any production machine, even if you only have a single DC.

    For additional information:

    • Refer to Gossip in Scylla

    • Follow the How to Switch Snitches procedure if required.

    • Take a course at Scylla University on Gossip

  2. Use the correct Data Replication strategy.

    Use NetworkTopologyStrategy replication-strategy as it supports multi-DC for your keyspaces.

Seed Node Redundancy¶

Scylla Open Source 4.3 and later and Scylla Enterprise 2021.1 and later are seedless. See Seedless NoSQL: Getting Rid of Seed Nodes in ScyllaDB.

If you are using an earlier Scylla version:

  • Each DC needs to have multiple seed nodes.

  • We recommend having 2-3 seed nodes per DC.

See Scylla Seed Nodes for details.

Performance¶

Verify you have run scylla_setup in order to tune ScyllaDB to your hardware.

If you are running on a physical hardware please take a look into the following configuration files:

  • perftune.yaml

  • cpuset.conf

perftune.yaml¶

If you have more than 8 cores or 16 vcpu always use mode: sq_split

cpuset.conf¶

Make sure that the configuration in /etc/scylla.d/cpuset.conf corresponds to sq_split and that the hyperthreads of physical core 0 are excluded from the CPU list.

Compression¶

Inter-node Compression¶

Enable Inter-node Compression by editing the Scylla Configuration file (/etc/scylla.yaml).

internode_compression: all

For additional information, see the Admin Guide Inter-node Compression section.

Driver Compression¶

This refers to compressing traffic between the client and Scylla. Verify your client driver is using compressed traffic when connected to Scylla. As compression is driver settings dependent, please check your client driver manual or Scylla Drivers.

Connectivity¶

Drivers Settings¶

  • Use shard aware drivers wherever possible. Scylla Drivers (not third-party drivers) are shard aware.

  • Configure connection pool - open more connections (>3 per shard) and/Or more clients. See this blog.

Management¶

You must use both Scylla Manager and Scylla Monitor.

Scylla Manager¶

Scylla Manager enables centralized cluster administration and database automation such as repair, backup, and health-check.

Repair¶

Run repairs preferably once a week and run them exclusively from Scylla Manager. Refer to Repair a Cluster

Backup and Restore¶

We recommend the following:

  • Run a full weekly backup from Scylla Manager

  • Run a daily backup from Scylla Manager

  • Check the bucket used for restore. This can be done by performing a restore and making sure the data is valid. This action should be done once a month, or more frequently if needed. Ask our Support team to help you with this.

  • Save backup to a bucket supported by Scylla Manager.

For additional information:

  • Backup

  • Restore a Backup

ScyllaDB Monitoring Stack¶

ScyllaDB Monitoring Stack helps you monitor everything about your ScyllaDB cluster. ScyllaDB Support team usually asks for your monitoring metrics when you open a ticket.

See ScyllaDB Monitoring Stack for details.

Configuration Management¶

Caution

All configuration settings for all nodes in the same cluster should be identical or coherent.

Using tools such as Ansible, Chef, Puppet, Salt, or Juju are recommended.

See this article for more information.

Security¶

Use the following guidelines to keep your data and database secure.

  • Enable Authentication

  • Create Roles for all users and use RBAC with or without LDAP (coming soon).

  • Use Encryption in Transit between nodes and client to node.

  • Refer to the Security Checklist for more information.

HA Testing¶

HA testing in single DC - for example:

  1. Shutdown one node from the cluster (Or scylla service if on the cloud) for 30 min.

  2. Turn it back on.

HA testing in multi DC - for example:

  1. Disconnect one DC from the other by stopping scylla service on all of these DC nodes.

  2. Reconnect the DC.

Additional Topics¶

  • Add a Node

  • Repair

  • Cleanup

  • Tech Talk: How to be successful with Scylla

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On this page

  • Production Readiness Guidelines
    • Before You Begin
      • Pre-Deployment Requirements
      • Choose a Compaction Strategy
        • Incremental Compaction Strategy (ICS)
    • Resiliency
      • Replication Factors
      • Consistency Levels
      • Gossip Configuration
      • Seed Node Redundancy
    • Performance
      • perftune.yaml
      • cpuset.conf
    • Compression
      • Inter-node Compression
      • Driver Compression
    • Connectivity
      • Drivers Settings
    • Management
      • Scylla Manager
        • Repair
        • Backup and Restore
      • ScyllaDB Monitoring Stack
      • Configuration Management
    • Security
    • HA Testing
    • Additional Topics
ScyllaDB Open Source
  • 5.1
    • master
    • 6.2
    • 6.1
    • 6.0
    • 5.4
    • 5.2
    • 5.1
  • Getting Started
    • Install Scylla
      • ScyllaDB Web Installer for Linux
      • Scylla Unified Installer (relocatable executable)
      • Air-gapped Server Installation
      • What is in each RPM
      • Scylla Housekeeping and how to disable it
      • Scylla Developer Mode
      • Scylla Configuration Reference
    • Configure Scylla
    • ScyllaDB Requirements
      • System Requirements
      • OS Support by Platform and Version
      • Scylla in a Shared Environment
    • Migrate to ScyllaDB
      • Migration Process from Cassandra to Scylla
      • Scylla and Apache Cassandra Compatibility
      • Migration Tools Overview
    • Integration Solutions
      • Integrate Scylla with Spark
      • Integrate Scylla with KairosDB
      • Integrate Scylla with Presto
      • Integrate Scylla with Elasticsearch
      • Integrate Scylla with Kubernetes
      • Integrate Scylla with the JanusGraph Graph Data System
      • Integrate Scylla with DataDog
      • Integrate Scylla with Kafka
      • Integrate Scylla with IOTA Chronicle
      • Integrate Scylla with Spring
      • Shard-Aware Kafka Connector for Scylla
      • Install Scylla with Ansible
      • Integrate Scylla with Databricks
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    • Administration Guide
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      • Backup & Restore
      • Change Configuration
      • Maintenance
      • Best Practices
      • Benchmarking Scylla
      • Migrate from Cassandra to Scylla
      • Disable Housekeeping
    • Security
      • Scylla Security Checklist
      • Enable Authentication
      • Enable and Disable Authentication Without Downtime
      • Generate a cqlshrc File
      • Reset Authenticator Password
      • Enable Authorization
      • Grant Authorization CQL Reference
      • Role Based Access Control (RBAC)
      • Scylla Auditing Guide
      • Encryption: Data in Transit Client to Node
      • Encryption: Data in Transit Node to Node
      • Generating a self-signed Certificate Chain Using openssl
      • Encryption at Rest
      • LDAP Authentication
      • LDAP Authorization (Role Management)
    • Admin Tools
      • Nodetool Reference
      • CQLSh
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    • Upgrade Procedures
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      • Scylla AMI
    • System Configuration
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    • Benchmarking Scylla
  • Scylla for Developers
    • Learn To Use Scylla
      • Scylla University
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      • MMS - Learn by Example
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    • Scylla Drivers
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      • Scylla DynamoDB Drivers
  • CQL Reference
    • CQLSh: the CQL shell
    • Appendices
    • Compaction
    • Consistency Levels
    • Consistency Level Calculator
    • Data Definition
    • Data Manipulation
    • Data Types
    • Definitions
    • Global Secondary Indexes
    • Additional Information
    • Expiring Data with Time to Live (TTL)
    • Additional Information
    • Functions
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    • Non-Reserved CQL Keywords
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  • Scylla Architecture
    • Scylla Ring Architecture
    • Scylla Fault Tolerance
    • Consistency Level Console Demo
    • Scylla Anti-Entropy
      • Scylla Hinted Handoff
      • Scylla Read Repair
      • Scylla Repair
    • SSTable
      • Scylla SSTable - 2.x
      • ScyllaDB SSTable - 3.x
    • Compaction Strategies
    • Raft Consensus Algorithm in ScyllaDB
  • Troubleshooting Scylla
    • Errors and Support
      • Report a Scylla problem
      • Error Messages
      • Change Log Level
    • Scylla Startup
      • Ownership Problems
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    • Cluster and Node
      • Failed Decommission Problem
      • Cluster Timeouts
      • Node Joined With No Data
      • SocketTimeoutException
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    • Data Modeling
      • Scylla Large Partitions Table
      • Scylla Large Rows and Cells Table
      • Large Partitions Hunting
    • Data Storage and SSTables
      • Space Utilization Increasing
      • Disk Space is not Reclaimed
      • SSTable Corruption Problem
      • Pointless Compactions
      • Limiting Compaction
    • CQL
      • Time Range Query Fails
      • COPY FROM Fails
      • CQL Connection Table
      • Reverse queries fail
    • Scylla Monitor and Manager
      • Manager and Monitoring integration
      • Manager lists healthy nodes as down
  • Knowledge Base
    • Upgrading from experimental CDC
    • Compaction
    • Counting all rows in a table is slow
    • CQL Query Does Not Display Entire Result Set
    • When CQLSh query returns partial results with followed by “More”
    • Run Scylla and supporting services as a custom user:group
    • Decoding Stack Traces
    • Snapshots and Disk Utilization
    • DPDK mode
    • Debug your database with Flame Graphs
    • How to Change gc_grace_seconds for a Table
    • Gossip in Scylla
    • Increase Permission Cache to Avoid Non-paged Queries
    • How does Scylla LWT Differ from Apache Cassandra ?
    • Map CPUs to Scylla Shards
    • Scylla Memory Usage
    • NTP Configuration for Scylla
    • Updating the Mode in perftune.yaml After a ScyllaDB Upgrade
    • POSIX networking for Scylla
    • Scylla consistency quiz for administrators
    • Recreate RAID devices
    • How to Safely Increase the Replication Factor
    • Scylla and Spark integration
    • Increase Scylla resource limits over systemd
    • Scylla Seed Nodes
    • How to Set up a Swap Space
    • Scylla Snapshots
    • Scylla payload sent duplicated static columns
    • Stopping a local repair
    • System Limits
    • How to flush old tombstones from a table
    • Time to Live (TTL) and Compaction
    • Scylla Nodes are Unresponsive
    • Update a Primary Key
    • Using the perf utility with Scylla
    • Configure Scylla Networking with Multiple NIC/IP Combinations
  • ScyllaDB University
  • Scylla FAQ
  • Contribute to ScyllaDB
  • Glossary
  • Alternator: DynamoDB API in Scylla
    • Getting Started With ScyllaDB Alternator
    • Scylla Alternator for DynamoDB users
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