Install DataStax Mission Control on Kubernetes - Control Plane Mode

DataStax Mission Control is currently in Public Preview. DataStax Mission Control is not intended for production use, has not been certified for production workloads, and might contain bugs and other functional issues. There is no guarantee that DataStax Mission Control will ever become generally available. DataStax Mission Control is provided on an “AS IS” basis, without warranty or indemnity of any kind.

If you are interested in trying out DataStax Mission Control please join the Public Preview.

After ensuring the prerequisites are met, run the steps in this topic:

Validate Kubernetes cluster connectivity and version.
Install DataStax Mission Control Admin Console.
Access DataStax Mission Control Admin Console.
Set configuration and install Control Plane.

Prerequisites

The kubectl CLI tool, v1.22 or later.
Managed Kubernetes cluster(s):
- Amazon Elastic Kubernetes Service (EKS)
- Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE)
- Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)
Kubeconfig file or context pointing to the Kubernetes cluster where you intend to install DataStax Mission Control Control Plane.
KOTS kubectl plugin installed with this command:
```
`curl https://kots.io/install | bash`
```
See kots documentation.

An installed Kubernetes cert-manager. To install, run one of the following commands:

kubectl command
Helm commands

kubectl apply -f https://github.com/cert-manager/cert-manager/releases/download/v1.12.0/cert-manager.yaml

helm repo add jetstack https://charts.jetstack.io
helm repo update
helm install \
  cert-manager jetstack/cert-manager \
  --namespace cert-manager \
  --create-namespace \
  --version v1.12.0 \
  --set installCRDs=true

DataStax Mission Control license file.

Installation of DataStax Mission Control requires a license file containing installer coordinates and update streams. Generate a community edition license file at the DataStax Mission Control Public Preview Portal. If you need a replacement license file or a non-community edition please contact your account team.

Procedure

Validate Kubernetes cluster connectivity and version

Collect cluster information with the following command:

kubectl command
Sample result

kubectl cluster-info

Kubernetes control plane is running at https://WWW.XXX.YYY.ZZZ
KubeDNS is running at https://WWW.XXX.YYY.ZZZ/api/v1/namespaces/kube-system/services/kube-dns:dns/proxy
Metrics-server is running at https://WWW.XXX.YYY.ZZZ/api/v1/namespaces/kube-system/services/https:metrics-server:/proxy

Results display connection cluster information such as the Kubernetes control-plane URL and service addresses. When the command is successful, continue with validating the cluster version.

Validate the cluster version with the following command:
- kubectl command
- Sample result
kubectl version --short
Client Version: v1.25.2 Kustomize Version: v4.5.7 Server Version: v1.22.12-gke.2300
The version sub-command of kubectl outputs version information for the kubectl CLI, embedded kustomize tooling, and the Kubernetes API server with which it is currently configured to communicate.

Install DataStax Mission Control Admin Console

Manage the DataStax Mission Control application through a browser-based administration console. This interface allows installation and upgrades of DataStax Mission Control along with syncing the license file changes. The first step to installing DataStax Mission Control is the installation of this console onto your Kubernetes cluster. Run the following command from a terminal with an appropriately configured instance of kubectl that has the kots plugin installed:

kubectl command
Sample result

kubectl kots install mission-control

Enter the namespace to deploy to: mission-control
  • Deploying Admin Console
    • Creating namespace ✓
    • Waiting for datastore to be ready ✓
Enter a new password to be used for the Admin Console: ••••••••••
  • Waiting for Admin Console to be ready ✓

  • Press Ctrl+C to exit
  • Go to http://localhost:8800 to access the Admin Console

This process initially prompts you for the Kubernetes namespace where the management interface components are to be deployed. Any namespace can host these components.

After installing the resources, the installer prompts for a password to be used for web-interface access. Type in your preferred value and record this value for use in an upcoming step.

With the Admin Console installed and available, kubectl starts proxying access to the console. Visit http://localhost:8800 in your web browser to access the next step of the installation process.

Access DataStax Mission Control Admin Console

With your web browser open to the Admin Console interface, you are now prompted for the password provided during installation of the Admin Console.
Enter the provided password and click Log In. You are now prompted to upload the license file.
Drag and drop your file into the upload box and click Upload license. A progress bar displays as DataStax Mission Control is downloaded and installed onto the Kubernetes cluster. Next you are prompted to configure DataStax Mission Control.

Set configuration and install

DataStax Mission Control can be installed in one of two modes; Control Plane Mode or Data Plane Mode. In Control Plane Mode, DataStax Mission Control is configured to monitor for creation and changes of top-level MissionControlCluster resources and to organize cluster-level and datacenter-level resources. Data Plane Mode is for clusters that are solely focused on the deployment of DSE nodes and not management operations.

While running in Control Plane Mode you can deploy Data Plane components (DSE nodes) within the local Kubernetes cluster. In Data Plane Mode the DataStax Mission Control operators are configured to manage local Data Plane components (anything at the datacenter-level or below).

For the initial installation of the Control Plane leave this box checked and click Install. You can change the configuration later if the wrong option is selected now. See modify configuration.

Admin Console dashboard DataStax Mission Control installing

You are now presented with the DataStax Mission Control Admin Console dashboard showing the components are currently missing. This Admin Console handles installing the missing components with the configuration specified. Navigate through the configurable components:

Vector Agent
Vector Aggregator
Advanced Options
Enable Observability Stack (Metrics and Logs)
User Interface
Admin user
- Use this option to connect to the DataStax Mission Control UI without a Dex connector. Configure a single admin user for testing purposes, but disable the feature once a connector is in place. Check the Create temporary admin user box and fill out these fields:
- Email
- Password Hash
- Username
- User ID
Dex Connector

Mission Control allows configuring two authentication connectors:
- LDAP: follow these setup instructions
- OpenID: follow these setup instructions

Save all configuration changes and redeploy them. After a few moments you should see the current version as deployed.

Admin Console dashboard DataStax Mission Control ready

At this point you may safely press Ctrl+C in your terminal session where kubectl is running. This terminates the proxy connecting you to the Admin Console UI. To reconnect to this UI see Admin Console UI.

What’s next

Now that DataStax Mission Control is installed in Control Plane Mode, proceed with one of the following options:

Install DataStax Mission Control in Data Plane Mode on separate clusters where you want to deploy DSE nodes.
Provision a DSE Cluster with kubectl and the MissionControlCluster Custom Resource.