You start by installing the latest version of VirtualBox. Then you need to download an ISO file with the latest Exasol version.
The machine hosting VirtualBox should have at least 16 GB RAM and 80 GB free disk space in order to run a 2+1 cluster with 3 data nodes and one license server. I’m doing this on my Windows 10 notebook.
1.5 GB RAM is enough for the license server – it needs only one disk.
Insert the ISO file as a virtual CD:
Make sure the license server boots from the CD first:
Configure the private network for the license server:
Then configure the public network for the license server:
Now power up the Loading...virtual machine you’ve just created and configured. It should come up with this screen – type in ‘install’.
Tab through to ‘OK’ and press return or enter:
On the next screen, tab through to ‘OK’ again and press return or enter:
On the next screen, tab through to ‘OK’ again and press return or enter:
Choose and confirm a password – I used exasol12:
Enter the public IP of the license server. My VirtualBox host-only Ethernet adapter is configured with 192.168.43.1. So I use 192.168.43.10. This should also work with the VirtualBox standard setting, but use 192.168.56.10 in that case. If in doubt, navigate to ipconfig in the command shell.
Tab through to OK and press return or enter:
Start the installation on the previous screen. This takes about five minutes. Now type in ‘local’ and wait for the license server to boot from disk. You can remove the virtual CD from the license server afterwards.
It’s best to wait five minutes after the machine boots from disk before you try to connect to EXAoperation. I’m using Chrome because it didn’t work well with FireFox:
The default password of the user admin is ‘admin’:
When you see this screen – congratulations. You’ve finished the hardest bit:
Now add a log service:
This allows you to follow what happens in the background for the next steps:
Create the first data node – it appears as a virtual machine (VM) with 3 GB RAM:
It has two disks:
There are also two network cards for the license server. Make sure it boots from the network only:
Don’t power up the new data node as yet. It’s configured in EXAoperation. Go to Nodes and choose ‘Add’:
Get the MAC addresses:
Choose the new node to continue configuring it:
Repeat this for the other three storage partitions. It should look like this in the end:
Check the sizes and devices before you start up the new VM for the first data node. Then watch the log service. It should look like this:
Create the VM for the second data node in the same way while this goes on. It should look like this in the end:
Choose the existing node in EXAoperation:
Change the number to ‘12’ and the MAC addresses according to their values in the VirtualBox VM:
Then choose Copy Node to power up the VM. Once you see that the installation has started in the log service, do the same for the third data node. Eventually, it will look like this:
Now choose all nodes followed by ‘Execute’ in the ‘Set active flag’ action:
The state for the three data notes changes to Running Active. Now choose ‘Startup Storage Service’:
Choose ‘Add Unused Disks’ after selecting the three data nodes:
Now choose ‘Add Volume’:
Assign n11 and n12 to the new data volume with redundancy 2:
Add a new database:
Choose the link that appears after the newly added database:
From the Actions menu, choose ‘Create’:
Then choose startup and switch to the EXASolution main page:
You now have a 2+1 cluster running on VirtualBox – have fun with it.