First Published: July 11, 2017

Last Updated: September 9, 2019

Cisco UCS Director Express for Big Data

Cisco UCS Director Express for Big Data is a single-touch solution within Cisco UCS Director that automates deployment of Big Data infrastructure. Cisco UCS Director Express for Big Data provides a single management pane across physical infrastructure and across Hadoop and Splunk Enterprise software. It supports key Hadoop distributions, including Cloudera, MapR, and Hortonworks.

Cisco UCS Director Express for Big Data delivers end-to-end automation of Hadoop cluster deployment, allowing you to spin up and expand clusters on-demand. The physical infrastructure configuration is handled automatically, with minimal user input. The configuration includes compute, internal storage, network, and installation of operating system, Java packages, and Hadoop, along with the provisioning of Hadoop services. This is achieved through Cisco UCS service profiles wherein both the physical infrastructure and Hadoop configuration are incorporated into a Hadoop cluster deployment profile.

Cisco UCS Director Express for Big Data also delivers end-to-end automation of Splunk cluster deployment, with minimal user input. This is achieved through Cisco UCS service profiles wherein both the physical infrastructure and Splunk configuration are incorporated into a Splunk cluster deployment profile.

New and Changed Features in Release 3.5

This section provides an overview of the significant new and changed features in this release. This section does not provide an exhaustive list of all enhancements included in this release.

  • Support for Cloudera 5.10.0 and 5.11.1 cluster versions

  • Support for Hortonworks 2.5.3 cluster version

  • Support for IBM Big Insights 4.2 cluster version.

  • Support Splunk 6.4.2, 6.4.3, 6.5.2, and 6.6.1 cluster versions.

  • Provides an option to enable security for the MapR clusters.

  • Support for CentOS 7.2, CentOS 7.3, and RHEL 7.3 for deploying big data clusters.

  • Support for Spark services for Cloudera and Hortonworks clusters.

  • Provides an option for the service end users to create big data clusters using Advanced Catalog.

  • Support for Kafka services for Cloudera and Hortonworks clusters.

  • Provides an option to enable high availability support for Hortonworks cluster.

  • Support for adding Edge Node.

  • Provides an option to create Hadoop or Splunk cluster with flexible network configuration.

  • Provides an option to add and replace disks in Hadoop clusters.

  • Provides an option to customize the Service Role Entry template for Splunk clusters.

Documented in the Cisco UCS Director Express for Big Data management Guide, Release 3.5


Important

Cisco UCS Director Express for Big Data Release 3.5 is no longer available for download.

New and Changed Features in Release 3.5(0.4)

There are only bug fixes in this release.


Important

Cisco UCS Director Express for Big Data Release 3.5(0.4) includes fixes for security vulnerabilities reported in releases 3.5, 3.5(0.1), 3.5(0.2) and 3.5(0.3). Cisco UCS Director Express for Big Data Release 3.5, 3.5(0.1), 3.5(0.2) and 3.5(0.3) are no longer available for download. For information on the security vulnerabilities reported in releases 3.5, 3.5(0.1), 3.5(0.2) and 3.5(0.3), see the security advisories for CVE-2019-1938, CVE-2019-1935, CVE-2019-1974, CVE-2019-1937, CVE-2019-12634 and CVE-2019-1936 available at this link:

https://tools.cisco.com/security/center/publicationListing.x

System Requirements

The system requirements for this release is available in the Compatibility Matrix for Cisco UCS Director Express for Big Data Release 3.5 for the following:

  • VMware vSphere (ESX or ESXi 5.x, or 6.x)

Supported Browser Versions

Cisco UCS Director Express for Big Data supports the following browsers and all browsers require the Adobe Flash Player plug-in version 11 or higher for those browsers:

  • Internet Explorer 8 or higher

  • Google Chrome 4.1 or higher

  • Firefox 3.5 or higher

  • Safari 4.0 or higher (for Apple Mac or Microsoft Windows)

Installation Notes

Cisco UCS Director Express for Big Data is a 64-bit appliance that uses a standard virtual machine that is delivered in OVF format for VMware, and can be hosted on VMware vSphere or vCenter. For the latest patch details, see Installation and Upgrade Notes section in the Cisco UCS Director Release Notes, Release 6.5.

For installation instructions, see appropriate Cisco UCS Director installation guide and Cisco UCS Director Express for Big Data Deployment and Management Guide, Release 3.5.

Supported Upgrade Paths to Cisco UCS Director Express for Big Data, Release 3.5(0.4)

The following are the supported upgrade paths for Cisco UCS Director Express for Big Data, Release 3.5(0.4).

See the Cisco UCS Director Upgrade Guide for detailed steps on how to upgrade to Release 6.5 from your current release.


Important

Cisco UCS Director Express for Big Data Release 3.5(0.4) includes fixes for security vulnerabilities reported in releases 3.5, 3.5(0.1), 3.5(0.2) and 3.5(0.3). Cisco UCS Director Express for Big Data Release 3.5, 3.5(0.1), 3.5(0.2) and 3.5(0.3) are no longer available for download. For information on the security vulnerabilities reported in releases 3.5, 3.5(0.1), 3.5(0.2) and 3.5(0.3), see the security advisories for CVE-2019-1938, CVE-2019-1935, CVE-2019-1974, CVE-2019-1937, CVE-2019-12634 and CVE-2019-1936 available at this link:

https://tools.cisco.com/security/center/publicationListing.x

The following are the supported upgrade paths to Cisco UCS Director, Release 3.5(0.4):

  • From Release 3.5(0.3) to Release 3.5(0.4)

  • From Release 3.5(0.2) to Release 3.5(0.4)

  • From Release 3.5(0.1) to Release 3.5(0.4)

  • From Release 3.5 to Release 3.5(0.4)

Supported Upgrade Path from Release 3.0

The following is the supported upgrade path to Cisco UCS Director, Release 3.5(0.4)

  • From Release 3.0(1.3) to Release 3.5(0.4)

Patch Installation Notes for Cisco UCS Director Express for Big Data Release 3.5

You can use the patch_6_5_0_0.zip patch file to upgrade Cisco UCS Director Express for Big Data, Release 3.5 to the current patch level.


Important

Cisco UCS Director Express for Big Data Release 3.5 is no longer available for download.

Procedure

Step 1

Install Cisco UCS Director Express for Big Data, Release 3.5 on Cisco UCS Director, Release 6.5 platform with the support for personality.

Step 2

Log in to the current version of Cisco UCS Director Express for Big Data VM console.

Step 3

In the shelladmin, choose Stop Services to stop all services.

To verify that all services are stopped, choose Display Services Status.

Step 4

Choose Apply Patch to apply the patch application on Cisco UCS Director Express for Big Data.

Step 5

When prompted, enter the location of the Cisco UCS Director, Release 6.5.0.0 patch (cucsd_patch_6_5_0_0.zip). (For example, ftp://username:password@hostname|IP_address/software_location_and_name).

Step 6

Wait for the download and installation to complete for Cisco UCS Director Express for Big Data, Release 3.5.0.0.

Step 7

When prompted, choose Start Services to start services and complete the patch upgrade process.

Note 

The patch process is not complete or successful until the Cisco UCS Director Express for Big Data services have started, Cisco UCS Director Express for Big Data is available, the log in screen is displayed, and the administration can log in to Cisco UCS Director Express for Big Data.

All Cisco UCS Director Express for Big Data services must be started before you attempt to perform other shelladmin procedures, such as apply additional patches, take a database backup, or restore a database from a backup.

Step 8

When the patch application is complete, choose Show Version in shelladmin to verify the current version of Cisco UCS Director Express for Big Data.

Step 9

Log in to the Cisco UCS Director Express for Big Data Bare Metal Agent (BMA) server using the default credentials (root/pxeboot). Copy the cucsd_bma_patch_6_5_0_0.zip (BMA patch) file and extract the BMA patch file. Add execute permissions to applyPatch.sh (chmod+x applyPatch.sh), and execute the applyPatch.sh (. /applyPatch.sh).

Step 10

Log in to the Cisco UCS Director Express for Big Data GUI and start the BMA services.

What to do next

Patch Installation Notes for Cisco UCS Director Express for Big Data Release 3.5(0.4)

You can use the cucsd_patch_6_5_0_4.zip file to upgrade Cisco UCS Director Express for Big Data, Release 3.5 to the current patch level.

Procedure

Step 1

Install Cisco UCS Director Express for Big Data, Release 3.5(0.4) on Cisco UCS Director, Release 6.5(0.4) platform with the support for personality.

Note 

This release of Cisco UCS Director 6.5(0.4), you should update the Bare Metal Agent to 6.5(0.2) version in order to be compatible with Cisco UCS Director.

Step 2

Log in to the current version of Cisco UCS Director Express for Big Data VM console.

Step 3

In the shelladmin, choose Stop Services to stop all services.

To verify that all services are stopped, choose Display Services Status.

Step 4

Choose Apply Patch to apply the patch application on Cisco UCS Director Express for Big Data. For more information, see Digitally Signed Images section in the Cisco UCS Director Express for Big Data Deployment and Management Guide.

Step 5

When prompted, enter the location of the Cisco UCS Director, Release 6.5.0.4 patch (cucsd_patch_6_5_0_4.zip). (For example, ftp://username:password@hostname|IP_address/software_location_and_name).

Step 6

Wait for the download and installation to complete for Cisco UCS Director Express for Big Data, Release 3.5(0.4).

Step 7

When prompted, choose Start Services to start services and complete the patch upgrade process.

Note 

The patch process is not complete or successful until the Cisco UCS Director Express for Big Data services have started. When Cisco UCS Director Express for Big Data is available, the administration can log in to the application.

All Cisco UCS Director Express for Big Data services must be started before you attempt to perform other shelladmin procedures, such as apply additional patches, take a database backup, or restore a database from a backup.

Step 8

When the patch application is complete, choose Show Version in shelladmin to verify the current version of Cisco UCS Director Express for Big Data.

Step 9

Log in to the Cisco UCS Director Express for Big Data GUI.

Open and Resolved Bugs

The open and resolved bugs for this release are accessible through the Cisco Bug Search Tool. This web-based tool provides you with access to the Cisco bug tracking system, which maintains information about bugs and vulnerabilities in this product and other Cisco hardware and software products.


Note

You must have a Cisco.com account to log in and access the Cisco Bug Search Tool. If you do not have one, you can register for an account.

For more information about the Cisco Bug Search Tool, see the Bug Search Tool Help & FAQ.

Open and Resolved Bugs in Release 3.5

All open and resolved bugs for this release are available in the Cisco Bug Search Tool through the following searches.

The results of that search include workarounds for the bugs, if any.


Important

Cisco UCS Director Express for Big Data Release 3.5 is no longer available for download.

Open Bugs in Release 3.5

You can find detailed information about all open bugs in this release through the open bug search in this release. This search uses the following parameters:

Field

Parameter

Product drop-down list

Choose Series/Model and enter Cisco UCS Director.

Releases drop-down list

Choose Affecting or Fixed in these Releases and enter 6.5(0.0).

Filter

Choose Open from the Status drop-down list.

Resolved Bugs in Release 3.5

You can find detailed information about all resolved bugs in this release through the resolved bug search in this release. This search uses the following parameters:

Field

Parameter

Product drop-down list

Choose Series/Model and enter Cisco UCS Director 6.5.

Releases drop-down list

Choose Affecting or Fixed in these Releases and enter 6.5(0.0).

Filter

Choose Fixed from the Status drop-down list.

Open and Resolved Bugs in Release 3.5(0.4)

All open and resolved bugs for this release are available in the Cisco Bug Search Tool through the following searches.

The results of that search include workarounds for the bugs, if any.

Open Bugs in Release 3.5(0.4)

You can find detailed information about all open bugs in this release through the open bug search in this release. This search uses the following parameters:

Field

Parameter

Product drop-down list

Choose Series/Model and enter Cisco UCS Director.

Releases drop-down list

Choose Affecting or Fixed in these Releases and enter 6.5(0.4).

Filter

Choose Open from the Status drop-down list.

Resolved Bugs in Release 3.5(0.4)

You can find detailed information about all resolved bugs in this release through the resolved bug search in this release. This search uses the following parameters:

Field

Parameter

Product drop-down list

Choose Series/Model and enter Cisco UCS Director 6.5.

Releases drop-down list

Choose Affecting or Fixed in these Releases and enter 6.5(0.4).

Filter

Choose Fixed from the Status drop-down list.