Install the CQL shell
The CQL shell (cqlsh) is a Python-based command-line shell you can use to issue Cassandra Query Language (CQL) statements to your Hyper-Converged Database (HCD) databases.
The CQL shell also provides unique cqlsh commands like DESCRIBE KEYSPACE.
There are several ways to access the CQL shell, depending on your environment:
| Environment | CQL shell | Notes |
|---|---|---|
HCD tarball installation |
A supported Python version is required. |
|
HCD package installation |
A supported Python version is required. |
|
HCD not installed |
A supported Python version is required. |
|
HCD Docker container |
A supported Python version is required. |
|
Mission Control |
The CQL console is provided through the Mission Control UI. No additional software is required, but you must have access to the Mission Control UI. For programmatic access, use the other methods. |
Install Python
CQL shell requires Python.
HCD 2.0 supports Python 3.8 to 3.13.
If you have multiple Python versions installed, run cqlsh in a virtual environment that uses a supported Python version.
To verify your Python version, run python -V.
Install the standalone CQL shell for HCD
To install the standalone CQL shell tool, you need a cqlsh binary tarball file.
These files are available from IBM Passport Advantage in the HCD installation files for each HCD version.
The process to install the cqlsh binary is the same as the process to install HCD from a tarball with the following exceptions:
-
Only unpack and validate the
cqlshdistribution and its signatures. -
Unpack the
cqlshdistribution into the directory where you want to installcqlsh. For example:tar -xzvf cqlsh-VERSION-bin.tar.gz -C /PATH/TO/INSTALL/DIRECTORY
Follow the HCD tarball installation instructions to download, unpack, and validate the cqlsh binary.
Use the tarball-bundled CQL shell
If you installed HCD from a tarball, you can find cqlsh in the bin directory of your HCD installation directory.
Make sure you have a supported Python version.
If you didn’t validate the cqlsh signatures during installation, follow the signature validation steps in the HCD tarball installation instructions.
Use the Docker-bundled CQL shell
If you are running a HCD Docker container, you can run the cqlsh script inside the container.
For an example, see Connect to an HCD container.
