Cassandra Operator release notes

The Cass Operator release notes provide information about the product's features, prerequisites, and limitations.

The Cass Operator release notes provide information about the product's features, prerequisites, and limitations.

Cass Operator features

Cass Operator 1.2.0 simplifies the process of deploying and managing Apache Cassandra® or DataStax Enterprise (DSE) in a Kubernetes cluster. Key features include:
  • Support for Cassandra 3.11.6.
  • Support for DSE 6.8.0 and later.
  • Hosted operator YAML manifests and CassandraDatacenter examples. The YAML files help you get up and running quickly with Cassandra or DSE in Kubernetes. For the CassandraDatacenter property details, see the full examples: Also see the topics in this guide:
  • The benefit of self orchestration for your Cassandra or DSE resources as a result of operating in Kubernetes.
  • Proper token ring initialization, with only one node bootstrapping at a time
  • Seed node management - one per rack, or three per datacenter, whichever is more
  • Server configuration integrated into the CassandraDatacenter CustomResourceDefinition (CRD)
  • Rolling reboot nodes by changing the CRD
  • Store data in a rack-safe way - one replica per cloud AZ
  • Scale up racks evenly with new nodes
  • Replace dead/unrecoverable nodes
  • Multi DC clusters (limited to one Kubernetes namespace)
  • DSE Backup and Restore Service (beta) enables cluster-wide backup and restore operations in Kubernetes. The features let you:
    • Create flexible local or cloud-based backup stores
    • Create backup configurations that enable you to schedule automatic keyspace backups at any frequency you require
    • Configure detailed backup retention policies depending on your needs
    • Handle all backup tasks from a single node using a simple set of CQL commands
    • Flexibly restore backups to a current cluster as well as new clusters, at the keyspace or table level
    For details about using the features in Kubernetes, start in the topic About the DSE Backup and Restore Service (beta).

Cass Operator prerequisites

  • The kubectl CLI tool.
  • A Kubernetes cluster. Kubernetes v1.17.0 is recommended. You may use prior Kubernetes manifests (minimum v1.13) that support removing the following properties on the CassandraDatacenter CRD:
    • x-kubernetes-preserve-unknown-fields
    • matchPolicy
    For supported pre-1.15 manifests, refer to the example YAML files in this GitHub folder.
  • The ability to download images from Docker Hub from within the Kubernetes cluster.
  • At least one Kubernetes worker node per Cassandra or DSE instance.

Cass Operator limitations

Keep the following current limitations in mind.
  • As noted above, Cass Operator release 1.2.0 is compatible with Apache Cassandra 3.11.6 and DSE 6.8.0+. Cass Operator is not supported and will not function with prior releases of Cassandra or DSE. Furthermore, this release of Cass Operator is compatible only with specific Cassandra and DSE docker images that are hosted in the DataStax Docker Hub repository. Prior (pre-release) DataStax Labs releases of DSE 6.8.0 will not function with the current Cass Operator.
  • The use of Cass Operator with Cassandra 3.11.6 is intended as a Technology Preview only. Using Cass Operator with Cassandra is not recommended at this time for production environments.
  • Cass Operator is compatible only with cassandra workloads of Apache Cassandra and DSE. Cass Operator does not support DDAC or DSE Advanced Workloads such as analytics, graph, and search.
  • There is no facility for multi-region Cassandra or DSE clusters. Cass Operator functions within the context of a single Kubernetes cluster, which typically also implies a single geographic region.
  • Cass Operator does not automate the repair or decommission/bootstrap of nodes that lose access to their data volume. With NodeSync enabled, the DSE instance should recover over time. Cass Operator is not aware when the Cassandra or DSE instance is unable to serve traffic, and might make incorrect podDisruptionBudget decisions. Due to this limitation, it's not recommended to use local volumes.
  • Cass Operator does not automate the creation of key stores and trust stores for client-to-node and internode encryption.